New Holland Dragon’s Milk

August 28th, 2008 beckel

While at The Four Firkins the other day this beer continued to fly off the shelf but was luckily restocked so I decided I had to check it out. Dragon’s Milk is an American Strong Ale from New Holland Brewing out of Holland, Michigan and is sure to be a pleasant experience. The name Dragon’s Milk comes from a term of the same name that is traditionally used to describe the strong ales in the 17th century that only royalty would be treated to. This beer pours a pitch black color that could not get much darker, with a inch and change of nice thick brown head that settles slowly and cascades marvelously as you pour. The aroma of this beer is strong and malty, sweet roasted chocolate is most notable with a slight hint of bitterness. The flavor of this beer is quite nice, roasted malt rushes all over your palate with a coffee flavor in the back of the mouth. Bitter flavors can be picked up that taste a bit like bourbon and are likely from the cask aging which occurs for at least 120 days. The 8.5% ABV of this beer is definitely noticeable but is not offensive because it blends nicely with the bitter bourbon flavors present. This is certainly a strong dark malty beer but its mouthfeel is medium and lighter than one might expect considering. If you like a well crafted dark beer with an intense malt profile and a little something extra this is a good choice. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

New Holland Dragons Milk