Dragon’s Milk Reserve Triple Mashed

New Holland Brewing Co.

Dragon’s Milk Reserve Triple Mashed

Barrel-Aged Stout
Limited Release
Michigan
United States

Judges Ratings 93

Aroma: 22 / 24
Flavor: 38 / 40
Appearance: 5 / 6
Mouthfeel: 9 / 10
Overall Impression: 19 / 20

Description

Our triple-mashed bourbon barrel stout is aged in New Holland Artisan Spirits oak barrels. Intense malt character is paired with the toasted notes of American white oak. Dark. Smooth. Warming.

Beverage Profile

ABV: 17%
IBUs:
Served at: ()
Hops:
Malts:

Judges Review

Brian Eichhorn picture

By Brian Eichhorn

Judges Ratings 93

Aroma: 22 / 24 / 24
Flavor: 38 / 40 / 40
Appearance: 5 / 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 9 / 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 19 / 20 / 20

This beer was reviewed as a Wood-aged Imperial Stout (Category 33A with 20C as declared base style) under the 2015 BJCP guidelines. A big and brash base beer aged in wood is the expectation, and it is certainly met!

Upon presentation, the beer is a deep reddish brown, just shy of black, with a thin off-white head, giving a Porterish appearance. The nose is very pleasant and quite perfumey, with a distinct bourbon barrel prominence. The alcohol is quite aromatic and clean, with some low fruity esters & vanilla. A low floral note follows with some dark fruit (fig) & a cherry stone quality. Very pleasant, if a touch hot/boozy.

On tasting, it is loaded with chocolate & vanilla and a light burnt note that works here. Deeply fruity, again with cherry and fig from the combination of darker malts & fruit esters. The cocoa notes are almost sweet, suggesting possible vanilla additions. On top of this is a distinctly big & burly/boozy beer. Bitter black malts finish up the beer. It has a very full body and is quite bitter, which keeps the sweetness in check. Big and boozy, with an alcoholic finish that’s slightly hot & prickly. This all made sense once I learned that this is a bigger version of Dragon’s Milk, tipping the scales at 17%, though it never seems that big!

Super cool beer and a neat take on the original Dragon’s Milk. While not totally a stout, it comes off as a blend of a barleywine and Imperial Stout. A touch of age could do wonders to soften some of the alcohol top notes, but really stellar stuff!

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