Welcome to the next edition to our blog series, Beer:30. It has been widely known that when people travel for work, they usually try to find a good beer while on the road — whether it is local to that particular area or a beer too good to pass up, no matter where you are. Or, maybe you have tips that a beer drinker should know when traveling or looking for a good beer. Tell us here.
Believe it or not, beer can bring people together — in responsible libation. We would encourage you to participate, as well. Have a beer you really like that perhaps the rest of us should know about? Again, tell us here. We hope to contribute something every week or so; be on the lookout!
Our next entry in the Beer:30 blog is from our friend, Dan Vastyan…
I’m not a big fan of hoppy beers, and I like heavy brews as well as anything aged in bourbon barrels. So, it would only make sense that New Holland Brewing Company’s bourbon barrel stout, called Dragon’s Milk, would appeal to me.
Appearance: Out of a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, Dragon’s Millk pours dark brown, almost black. If held to a light, clear burgundy shows through. A thick, rich almond head develops immediately and dissipates within a minute or so to a thin blanket that remains until it’s been drank in its entirety. Good lacing nearly to the top of the glass once the head has settled. 4.25
Smell: Wonderful, unmistakable bourbon barrel as soon as you put nose to glass. Boozy, but to be expected at 11% ABV. Sweet and roasted malt, vanilla. 4.75
Taste: Alcohol is dominant almost immediately. The bourbon barrel comes through beautifully right away. A bit sweeter than I expected (and hoped), but not way out of balance due to its 31 IBUs. A little fleeting vanilla and brown sugar up front, possibly coffee in the middle. Definite, lingering dark chocolate finish for me. The boozy warmth stays to finish. 3.75
Feel: Very delicate carbonation that disappears as soon as it hits the tongue. Then the smooth, creamy coating takes over. Its gravity is apparent, not betraying its stout lineage. 4.25
Overall: Look, smell and feel on this stout were outstanding. Taste was very good, but for me, just a hair sweet. Though I like the booziness of it, I felt it overpowered almost everything but the dark chocolate ending. As the beer warmed, it almost covered this, too. I’ll be sure to keep two bottles until next winter to see what a year in the cellar does to this beer. Smoothing out a bit little of the powerful booze note would be nice. 4.0
I rate this beer at 4.2/5. Beeradvocate scores this beer at 89 with an average rating of 3.95.
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