Dragon's Milk Reserve - Coffee And Chocolate
New Holland Brewing Company

bret27 from California

3.74/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2016 vintage courtesy of BigTimeADL.
L: black with Minimal mocha head.
S: coffee, chocolate, musty.
T: Combination of coffee and chocolate. Flavors and booze are muted. roasty, no booze burn.
F: watery, flat.
Overall: this didn’t necessarily go bad with age but I think the coffee flavors probably faded. I would expect a bit more kick.

Dec 01, 2020

Harrison8 from Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam that dissipates quickly. Considering this is a 2016 bottle being consumed in 2019 - this is okay. Aroma is heavy chocolate (milk and cocoa powder) and coffee with that split being 70/30. Roasty, toasty, nutty, caramely malts coming through, supporting the chocolate and coffee, while providing depth and darkness. Flavor profile is chocolate, coffee, molasses, and toffee with hearty roasty, toasty, nutty, caramely, bready malts. Depth is supreme, with the coffee providing a light fleshy bean, fruity sweetness up front and then diving into the sweetness of the chocolate. Malts are heavy, dark and robost. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a fair creaminess, akin to 2% milk (as opposed to whole milk). Overall, chocolate and coffee have retained well in this ~3 year old bottle, while still providing a dark, complex and expressive experience. Lovely aging.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle.

Jun 29, 2019

chinchill from South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz 2016 bottle in April 2019.
Opaque black-brown body with clear, reddish-brown edges. Short and short lived head that manages to leave spots of foam o n the glass.
This version of Dragon's Milk seems to have a rather woody aroma but little wood in the flavor. Coffee present in both with more chocolate in the flavor. Medium-full body with light carbonation.

Apr 26, 2019

GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.42/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 3/31/16; drank 4/18/16 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance.

A violent pour yielded a small dark tan head; decent lace.

Dark chocolate syrup & booze heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Dark chocolate syrup & cream flavors up front; oak & bourbon heat notes on the finish.

The dark chocolate distracted me up front, but the unbalanced booze & oak notes took over, just like the regular version. Disappointing as always.

Mar 08, 2019

Dragginballs76 from South Carolina

4.66/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Appearance - pours jet black with thin tight tan head that settles to a rocky cap. Spotty lacing.

Aroma - Huge rich chocolate aroma, mild black coffee, vanilla, roasted malts, hint of bourbon, oak. Rich decadent aroma almost dessert like with a touch of bitter coffee.

Taste - Oh yeah wow so where to start bitter coffee hits first with a touch of roasted malt. Next up is rich sweet chocolate and light vanilla followed by a punch in the mouth of bourbon and oak. the bourbon flavor is big but everything is so well balanced the flavors come through in stages.

Feel - Big smooth creamy feel. Warming from the bourbon with a pretty dry finish.

Overall - Love this version huge coffee and chocolate combine with wonderful bourbon.

Oct 03, 2018

Tsar_Riga from Indiana

4.09/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark body, some transparency on the edge, tan head fading quickly to nothing. No lacing.

S - The nose is chocolate, some sweet malt, slight acidity, presumably from coffee.

T - Full of chocolate and malt milk ball, with some bean acidity and alcohol on the finish.

M - Pretty light on the tongue, scrubs the tongue with mild acidity and warmth on the close.

O - This had over 2 years on it, and the lush flavor of chocolate survived, but the coffee has faded, so it is not perhaps all it once was. That said, I found it both tasty and still quite drinkable.

Jun 09, 2018

Bartleby91 from Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on 3/31/16 and poured into a snifter.

The appearance is pitch black in the glass with little to no head retention.

The aroma is roasted coffee, chocolate, bourbon, oak, some sweetness and a hint of alcohol spice.

The taste is sweet and rich with chocolate and coffee obviously up front along with the bourbon bite. Also some roasted bitterness comes through.

The palate is medium full with lingering bourbon heat that works well with the bitterness from the coffee.

Overall this is a really good and probably my favorite variant of dragons milk.

Jun 11, 2017

Beejay from Virginia

4.37/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Tracy for this brew!

A: Pours light brown, in the glass it is black, with a very small tan head that bubbles out of the body of the brew.

S: Delicious dark and sweet coffee with luscious chocolate, with a bourbon and oak finish. Just delightful.

T: Chocolate and coffee come out first followed shortly by vanilla, oak, and bourbon. The finish is a long lingering caramel Irish coffee with perhaps a touch of dark malt.

M: Medium thin , with moderate to low carbonation. Flavor and aroma are amazing, but I could deal with a little creamier feel.

O: Overall a damn fine beer. Wish the mouthfeel had a little more chew on it, but damn good.

Dec 29, 2016

waterski from Indiana

4.49/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle dated October 2015. Just over a year aging in the cellar. Poured into a bourbon tasting glass. Pours dark rich black with a hint of brown. Thick but not heavy. The lacing is light, however it has legs (wine reference) on the sides of the glass. Leaved a dark near molasses look. To the nose is sweet and rich coffee with dark chocolate and just a hint of licorice. Flavor is intense coffee and dark chocolate as if it came from a good coffee company. Surprisingly not boozy at 11.0%. Thick and lucious beer. I'm glad there are still a couple aging in the cellar. Wish I had tried this on tap.

Nov 29, 2016

Jadjunk from Georgia

4.12/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

"'Indulgence' is Dragon's Milk, aged with coffee and chocolate. Rich, indulgent chocolate flavors are seductively punctuated with dark and toasty coffee bitterness." Brewed in the style of an American Imperial Stout, with coffee and chocolate added. Available in single 12 oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter glass.

(Appearance) Pours a foamy frothed head of a caramel tan color over a near black body. Retention is average and lacing is light and patchy. 3.75

(Smell) Rich, roasted coffee bean nose with moderate acidity, against malt notes of caramel syrups, roasted barley and dark, earthy chocolate. Potency is moderate. 4.25

(Taste) The flavor largely echoes the aroma, with notes of caramel syrups, roasted barley malts, and dark chocolate undertones, matched by a rich, roasted coffee bean flavor, generating a balance of fruit, acidity and roast characteristics. Finishes moderately dry with a lingering roasted coffee finish. 4

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, lightly creamy, oily, moderately residual, medium dry. Carbonation is medium, generating a moderate frothiness and a medium crisp finish. Body is medium/heavy for the style, shy of heavy overall. Balance is slightly roast, earthy bitter over sweet. Alcohol presence is mild and there are no off characters. 4.25

(Overall) A solid variant on a solid base beer. The coffee is very well presented with a nice variety of flavor compounds and the chocolate compliments the malt base nicely without getting lost against the roast. Hoping this makes a return as it is a step above standard Dragon's Milk and a very nice beer for coffee enthusiasts. Recommended. 4.25

New Holland Brewing Company's
Dragon's Milk Reserve: With Coffee & Chocolate
4.12/5.00

Nov 25, 2016

JBowenGeorgia from Georgia

4.04/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Not really my preferred style of beer but I'll try to be fair. Nice black opaque shifter but not much head. I smell bourbon, maybe my palate isn't quite refined enough to pick up on the chocolate and coffee. Taste is bourbon but I am picking up on the coffee and maybe some chocolate. Personally I like some carbonation but this seemed like a mix of cold coffee/ice melted in coke drink, a bit thin. Maybe that's part of the style I'm not sure. I gave it a shot but think I'll stick to my IPAs for now. Are there any hoppy stouts out there?

Oct 26, 2016

StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.23/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

this seems like a more obvious and natural set of ingredients to add to this beer than some of the other more out there ones, raspberry lemon and toasted chilies and such. i really think this is a pretty perfect union, there are already major dark chocolate notes in here, and there is definitely a coffee suggestion coming from the low bitter barley in here, so to add those ingredients and accentuate those features is a fine idea. the coffee is more pronounced than the chocolate in this one, but both make a significant impact. for me, more of a dark chocolate earthy and bitter cocoa nib flavor than any sweeter milk chocolate, but that flavor is already there in the base beer, so there is a pretty complete chocolate spectrum here. the coffee is a little smoky and very bitter, needed balance for the sweeter beer anyway, and seems to bring out more of the barrel character, the char and ashy aspects of the bourbon barrel. i think this is a pretty neat base beer to experiment with, and i have greatly enjoyed the series. this is probably the best beer in it, safest, but definitely the most compatible of any of the added ingredients by a mile. awesome beer, but the original still might be the best!

edit: oddly much lighter in the bottle in both color and malt depth, perhaps not ageing as well as i thought it might. another beer with coffee thats much better fresh than aged!

Oct 09, 2016

GRPunk from Michigan

4.37/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Dragon's Milk Reserve Coffee and Chocolate
12 oz. bottle (dated 040116 from Copper Vine) into a Stone snifter

A- 1-finger, deep brown head drops quickly to light, lacy edges. The body is near jet through the middle with mahogany edges. Light sticky spots are left on the glass, growing more robust as it warms.

S- Tons of dark roast coffee. Rich, fudge-like chocolate is readily apparent as well. Light wood. A touch of vanilla. Nothing changes, just amplifies with warmth.

T- So good. Rich and bold. Lots of chocolate and coffee ( almost reverse of aroma). All seems very natural and beer-like. Light wood and vanilla qualities (maybe even some cinnamon).

M- Very full body. Light, abv bite. Low carbonation makes a smooth, though viscous sip. Almost a little grainy.

O- A wonderful, slow sipper on an early, wet, fall afternoon. I'd buy another.

Oct 02, 2016

Suds from Missouri

4.32/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I've been a fan of the regular Dragon's milk for years. So, I was excited to try this slightly amped-up, flavored version. The aroma is sweetish, slightly boozy, and very chocolatey. It has a milk-chocolate aroma (like a chocolate Easter bunny). The coffee didn't come out until the taste, which was solidly bitter, balanced with considerable sweetness. Warming, full in body, thick, and lingering in the finish. An excellent sipper.

Sep 19, 2016

Sabtos from Ohio

3.31/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Coffee black, (aka dark brown), with a fizzy, quick to die head, leaving absolutely nothing on top.

There is a slight metallic smell, quickly overcome by chocolate, coffee and nuttiness. There is more coffee here than in taste, but not much coffee in the end.

Taste is smooth chocolate, filmy vanilla, super wet oak, and slight heat. Although, it must be said, bourbon is not that strong. Where's the coffee?

Semi dry finish is preceded by a filminess. Overall feel is very thin and fluid.

Sep 15, 2016

ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

10-11 ounce pour - $9.50 at World of Beer in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Served up an opaque, very dark brown body with a coating, sandy-hued head.

Smell: The nose on this one is roasted malt and coffee, warmed, vanilla-infused sugars with bittersweet chocolate. Hints of raisins and wood.

Taste: Chocolate sauce and liberally sweetened coffee with vanilla and a bit of caramel. Sugary, I'll say, flirts with being cloying. Slight dark fruitiness along the way. Slight woodsy undertone. A bit of alcoholic warmth without being boozy. Sweet, smooth finish.

Mouthfeel: Fullish body. Relatively soft carbonation.

Overall: It's alright.

Sep 10, 2016

Masonz223 from Michigan

4.02/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Smell: Medium roast coffee vanilla Carmel milk chocolate
Taste: vanilla and milk chocolate upfront middle of the mouth slight coconut medium roast coffee. Carmel more chocolate and a slight booziness finish out the beer.
Feel: medium body slick mouth feel.
Overall: it's a really good beer but nothing special. The mouth feel is a bit thin but the flavor of the beer is pretty good. It's definitely worth trying.

Aug 02, 2016

TonyLema1 from South Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: jet black, with a lacing tan head
S: bourbon, chocolate and coffee
T: chocolate with faint coffee, softens up the roasted malts
F: silky smooth
O: great improvement on an already great beer

Aug 01, 2016

bobhits from Kentucky

3.82/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Pretty excited to see this one, Was honestly assuming I'd missed out.

The pour is dragon's milk. Thick, dark, with a lacking level of head, and somewhat soda like foam. This was never the best part of dragon's milk and not change here. Still nice legs and you can see the 11% and imperial stout nature here.

The nose is really outstanding. Coffee, chocolate are really present and really improve a beer that is once again pretty good but perhaps a hair below ideal for a bourbon barrel stout. This one however is just about as good as it gets. I could use some more malt sweetness and just general aroma at the end but really love this nose.

The flavor opens with chocolate malt and caramel malt and then quickly brings up some light vanillas, oak, and then a strong coffee finish. Any roasted character is gone, as are any dark chocolate notes (it's all milk chocolate). There is an ice hop forward bit mixed in with the coffee on the back end, but I can't place it.

The beer drinks sadly way too thin and weak. it's not thin bodied beer, there's a lot of body, but perhaps it's the coffee finish, but it comes off very light for what should be a massive imperial beer.

I have to say, the coffee elements are really nice here, but a lot of what makes dragon's milk good has also been lost. This is sadly not an upgrade or worth of a "reserve" name, but it was none the less a nice beer. Had I not had some high hopes, I might think more of it. As it is, I'd drink it again, the price was great at under 5 bucks for a 12 oz. Still something is wrong with this one, it just doesn't seem to meet the expectations of a russian imperial stout when it comes to body and depth.

Jun 19, 2016

stortore from Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 10/6/15.

Pours an opaque, dark brown, with a small head and some soapy lacing. Smell is roasted malts, coffee, bourbon, chocolate, some vanilla. Taste also leads with roasted malts- not as roasty as the nose, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, some oak, light bourbon- more as it warms. Smooth, good body, higher level of carbonation.

Pretty straightforward, it's got a nice flavor and aroma. The bourbon is fairly subtle, but definitely present. Not quite as full bodied as the base beer.

Jun 18, 2016

bbtkd from South Dakota

3.71/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve BBS With Coffee And Chocolate, 11% ABV, 31 IBU, style is Imperial Stout. Pours medium thickness, black, with not much head, and very little lacing. Nose is bourbon, coffee, and chocolate, taste is coffee, slight chocolate, moderate bourbon, with a slight bitter close. Decent mouthfeel, with light carbonation. Overall - less whelmed than I expected, but still a decent offering. I have to believe that if I am to get through the other three in my cellar - if I had been able to cut a single from the herd, would not have bought more.

Update: Taste is getting better as it warms

Jun 12, 2016

pants678 from California

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Dark brown with a bit of tan foam.

Hops, coffee. Not notable.

Chocolate's more pronounced here, coffee's pretty harsh. Vegetable off flavor. Bourbon/vanilla does seem right. Not awfully impressive, the other variants are better.

Cola-y, over carbonated or the coffee has too hard a bite.

Jun 03, 2016

DJChaseTheBase from Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bourbon barrel aged stouts are becoming a theme in my beer drinking routine and this one does not disappoint as well. With an aggressive pour I didn't get much head at all. Bottled on 3/31/16. Simple chocolate and coffee notes off the scent and initial taste with a follow up of a minimal bourbon aftertaste everyone loves. I feel this may have been a little better if the chocolate and bourbon notes weren't so overpowered by that massive coffee hit.

Jun 02, 2016

pat61 from Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

L: Pours bright deep dark brown with a very thin tan foam cap.
S: Bourbon, chocolate, coffee, dark malts, some spice with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon and very faint nutmeg.
T: A creamy chocolaty attack laced with bourbon and vanilla gives way slightly in the middle as the coffee moves forward. There is a slight graininess in the background with dark malts. In the finish dark chocolate, bourbon and coffee linger. Nothing burnt or harsh. Layers of flavor are very well balanced.
F: Very creamy zaftig rich and smooth, mildly warming with below average carbonation.
O: An extraordinary beer.

May 30, 2016

SerialTicker from Michigan

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On-tap at Brown Iron Brewhouse ...

Talk about underwhelming. With all of the people I've seen going ape shit over this, I was expecting a lot better. In honesty, I may prefer regular Dragon's Milk. Where's the barrel in this? It's stupid faint. The chocolate and especially the coffee are pretty well present with some roasted malt, but it's nothing big, bold, and intense that has me begging for more. Maybe the worst part about this beer is what I had expected already... it's thin. Just like Dragon's Milk, and any other variety of it. This drinks like a porter and not at all like an 11% stout ought to.

Is this a bad beer? Hell no. Far from it. It's a very nice beer. I just don't at all understand why people chase it down/are so desperate to find it. My only assumption is that it's people who will run down any BBA'd beer -- especially if it's made in Michigan. I won't fret anymore that I haven't tried Triple Mash yet... I expect a bit more of the same.

May 26, 2016