Dragon's Milk Reserve - Orange Chocolate
New Holland Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle from jvgoor, bottled 11/20/18, poured into BOMB! snifter.

Pours out a bit thin like all Dragon's Milk beers, but thankfully forms a nice dark body with a creamy head of 1/2 finger.

Aromas of chocolate orange and very slight floral/perfumey hops.

Flavor brings a bit of roasted malt, some slight cocoa nibs, and yes a little bit of the chocolate orange candy.

Feel is abysmally thin, I don't know how they could call this a stout, I really forgot how thin this series was. Nice roasty finish, alcohol is well hidden up until the finish.

Overall, not a bad tasting beer, but as with all Dragon's Milk beers, they need to thicken it up a ton to bring it up to spec.

 

 

 

The label says "Orange Chocolate" and it tastes like it and it works...

No head but beautifully black, nice scent of orange and coconut that I noted with it translating to a strong orange-chocolate flavor that blended well with the one-year old bottle aged in bourbon barrels. The bourbon was not overpowering, neither in the nose or mouth, with a mouthfeel that was carbonated but just so. Overall, this was a nice change-of-pace over the normal version of this brew, and it's something that will make me keep an eye out for all the different versions they have floating out there.

Black in color with a fingernail of brown around the rim and not present much elsewhere. The nose is packed with orange and just a hint of sweet bourbon and chocolate. I’m tasting bitter orangepeel with milk chocolate and some sticky sweet bourbon in the mouth and the flavor is in the finish.

 

Pours a dark brown almost black color. Thin fizzy tan head disappears quickly - cola like in appearance.

Aroma has a strong orange aroma - like a freshly sliced orange. If you kind of mentally push that aroma to the side, you get some light bourbon and vanilla notes with a nice roast malt aroma cascading over that.

Taste is unfortunately as unbalanced as the nose implies. The orange is incredibly potent with a juicy orange like flavor up front that dies out leaving some roasted malts and hot bourbon-y finish. The orange just overtakes the profile here to an unpleasant degree to the detriment of the other flavors. The more I drink it the more it reminds me of aperol - the Italian liquor - its got a strong orange flavor with some spices.

Feel is light to medium bodied for the style. Somewhat thin. Spritzy carbonation.

Overall its not a beer I'd want to drink again - the orange just didn't mesh well for me here. It comes across unbalanced, kind of rough.

 

 

$ 20.14 (Including tax)/four-pack of 12oz bottles ($ 0.420/oz) from Adamstown Beverage, Adamstown, PA. Reviewed 6/28/19.
“BOTTLED 11/20/18” in yellow ink on shoulder of bottle. On shelf in store. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 54 degrees in a hand washed and dried glass coffee mug.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Brown, clear.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque.
Head – Small (Maximum two cm, aggressive center pour), tan, medium density, below average retention, diminishing to a one to two mm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None. Expected result for 11% and BBA.
Aroma – 3.75 - Chocolate and bourbon with an occasional ghost of orange.
Flavor – 3.75 - Begins slightly bitter from the malt with the orange cutting both the bourbon and the chocolate flavors. Slight alcohol taste but no aroma (11 % ABV), no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Less than medium, watery, soft carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 3.75 – The presence of the orange raises this above the average imperial stout.

Bottled 11/19/18; drank 6/17/19 @ the Yarchives.

Brown/black appearance.

A violent pour yielded a nice tan head; frothy lace.

Terry's Orange Chocolate notes in the nose...seriously, it smells just like the candy.

Creamy medium mouthfeel.

Straight up Terry's Chocolate Orange flavors...no bourbon/booze/oak at all, this tastes like some artificial orange chocolate candy.

Honestly, it's not offensive but it's not a good expression of the brewer's art.

8oz draft, pours very dark brown with almost no head at all, just a few bubbles. Aromas of orange, chocolate, and bourbon. Tastes of orange, orange rind, and chocolate. Feel is a little lighter than expected for the abv, giving the impression of orange juice mixed with an imperial stout. It’s almost refreshing, and the alcohol is present but subdued. Great for breakfast or desert, but I wouldn’t want more than one in a sitting.