Dragon's Milk Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout with Coffee & Chocolate
Review Date 6/5/2017 By John Staradumsky
So this just happened: I had a big, beautiful mug of New Holland Dragon’s Milk Reserve Aged with Coffee & Chocolate. It was beautiful for a lot of reasons as we shall soon see, but it all started when Taco Mac listed this beer on their tap list some time before. Problem was, the keg they had tapped was New Holland Dragon’s Milk Reserve Coconut Rum Barrel Stout. I know. I tried it, and it was busting with coconut and rum flavors.
My theory is that that is why Dragon’s Milk Reserve Aged with Coffee & Chocolate ended up as the Mystery Beer for April. Now, normally the Mystery Beer is just that, a mystery. It is sold at a reduced price, and if you’re a Brewniversity member (and why wouldn’t you be?), you’ll get a credit for it. About all that the staff will usually tell you about it is the style. You’re supposed to figure out the rest.
But, with a beer like Dragon’s Milk Reserve Aged with Coffee & Chocolate being the Mystery Beer, the bartender tipped me off, and so I was all over that so fast it would make your head spin. I asked how they could offer this beauty this way, and the manager told me it wasn’t selling, though I think it has to do with the wrong keg being tapped. Either way, I won.
New Holland says:
Aged with coffee & chocolate. Rich, indulgent chocolate flavors are seductively punctuated with dark and roasty bitteress
Ingredients from the website:
Grains 2 row, munich, caramel, crystal, black, chocolate malt, flaked barley
Hops Glacier, Nugget
Yeast American Ale
New Holland Dragon’s Milk Reserve Aged with Coffee & Chocolate has an alcohol content of 11% by volume with 31 IBUs. Normally, this beer on tap runs $7.50 for an 11-ounce glass, but as the Mystery beer I got 20-ounces for just $4! That’s one of the best beer bargains I’ve seen all year. It sells for $15.99 a 4-pack in bottles.
My glass of New Holland Dragon’s Milk Reserve Aged with Coffee & Chocolate arrived a jet black color with a medium sized head of creamy tan foam and milk chocolate and oak in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a thick smooth chocolaty mouthfeel, coffee grinds, woody oak, and a roasty bitter coffee finish with warming alcohol.
Amazing! A pricey beer for sure at normal cost, but worth it, and extra wonderful at $4 for a brimming 20-ounce mug. Score one for the guruofbrew!
Glad I tried it? T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft