Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
New Holland Brewing Company

Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged StoutDragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
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From:
New Holland Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,638
ABV:
11%
Score:
90
Ranked #8,194
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 12.59%
Reviews:
1,770
Ratings:
6,683
Status:
Active
Rated:
Saturday at 03:44 AM
Added:
Aug 12, 2002
Wants:
  448
Gots:
  2,252
Throughout the ages, the term Dragon’s Milk has been used to describe potent ales and elixirs worthy of celebration – a reward at the end of the journey. We are proud to be stewards of that ancient tradition today, hand-crafting each batch of Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout in Holland, Michigan. The best liquid in our house is now yours.

Roasted malt delivers notes of coffee and chocolate, which are married with sweet undertones of vanilla and oak from a three month stay in bourbon barrels. The result is a truly legendary blend of flavor.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutElk_92:
Photo of StoutElk_92
Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Vintage 2015 - 11% abv

Pours black with a creamy tan head. Smells of toasty vanilla, caramel, toffee, oak, and roasted malt. Taste is caramel, vanilla, toffee, oak, bourbon, and some roasty malt. Feels light, slightly creamy with mild carbonation. Overall a good bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. Not much chocolate or coffee, but deep in caramel vanilla richness.
Dec 26, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of MrOH
Reviewed by MrOH from Maryland

4.06/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Black with a big, tight tan head, excellent retention, thick rings of lace. Much better size and retention of head, and lacing than is usual for this strength.
Oak, vanilla, coconut, a little dried fruit, and chocolate aroma
Tastes like it smell. Chocolate comes across as cocoa.
Heavy bodied and appropriately lower carbonation.
For a bourbon-barrel aged beer that you can always find on the shelf, really really good.
Mar 11, 2024
Photo of travis1108
Reviewed by travis1108 from Missouri

3.86/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I'm not usually into the bourbon barrel crap so this is a very good score from me. It is not overly sickly sweet like most of them. Has a vanilla flavor that is nice. Good mouth feel. Solid for a beer period but excellent so far as barrel aged goes.
Jan 28, 2024
Photo of harrypowers
Reviewed by harrypowers from Massachusetts

4.17/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours an opaque brown color with a 1/2F tan head with moderate lacing.

Smells mof chocolate and bourbon.

Tastes of sweet toasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, bourbon, cinnamon and vanilla with a lightly bitter, decidedly boozy warm finish.

Medium heavy body with light carbonation. Lush, syrupy and smooth mouthfeel.

This is a very strong, flavorful sipping brew that mellows as one's glass warms.
Jan 18, 2024
Photo of Rwoodroffe
Rated by Rwoodroffe

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Very dark with minimal dark colored head. Smell is unimpressive and flavor is not super sweet but more earthy with vanilla undertones.
Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 3.48 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.42 by DogbiteWilliams from California

Jan 01, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by Biergnomus from Pennsylvania

Dec 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.35 by embor57

Dec 21, 2023
Photo of sentrytec
Rated by sentrytec from Pennsylvania

3.32/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
Not bad if you like Count Chocola and getting drunk.
Dec 13, 2023
 
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.81/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottled on September 11th, 2023 - enjoyed on November 24th, 2023 - poured from a 12oz bottle into my snifter.

Opaque black bean body with a dense wheat/almond cap receding to a lasting collar and surface slick. Fine lacing; very good retention; light glassy sheen of legs.

Baker's chocolate, molasses, and brown bread from the malt joined by tobacco and vanilla from the barrel. Fairly one-dimensional yet inviting.

Rich malty palate entry with licorice and char joining the flavors that follow the nose. Medium finish never quite dries out, though there is some faintly acrid acidity from the barrel. A touch boozy hints of cherry and tar. Low bitterness throughout.

Somewhat hot, medium-bodied, but smooth rather than sticky.

A decent, affordable barrel-aged stout, though it lacks nuance/balance compared to the best versions of the style.
Nov 24, 2023
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.46/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A dark brown bottle which contained 22 ounces has been emptied into a clear glass liter mug. That should be enough. The liquid gets the close enough to the black coffee brown color description. There's a very thin tan head. The aroma brings coffee, roasted malt, tannins and just a little alcohol. Although the tannins are there to taste, they're reserved enough to let other flavors emerge. The potent alcohol is nicely incorporated into the overall and is really only noticed during the finish. Those two concerns, either of which could ruin a decent Imperial Stout, are definitely set aside. That makes this a remarkable brew. It's always an impressive brewing feat to get this much alcohol in a beer, with only a little notice of it. Especially when it's Bourbon barrel aged, there's a good chance it's going to taste like a boilermaker made with a Stout. Most beer lovers don't want that and this doesn't. There's almost some dark chocolate and coconut sweetness to it and of course, that black coffee taste reference many Stouts give. Most of these flavor levels are modest and the body could be just a little fuller, if there is to be a criticism. Although the glass lacing isn't copious, it's stratified to mark each episode liquid left the vessel. Sometimes it's a shame there's so much alcohol in a beer, because at the end of the glass, it seemed like a good idea to have another. But, it wasn't.
Nov 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by Iggy88 from Ohio

Nov 07, 2023
Photo of Oktoberfest
Reviewed by Oktoberfest from Ohio

5/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The OG. The pater familias. The alpha and the omega.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But if this isn't up your alley, please understand that you are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
Oct 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.44 by sewerchewer from New York

Oct 24, 2023
Photo of meast007
Reviewed by meast007 from Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
First taste amazing, drank out of a bottle unable to admire the look. The feel was nice and smooth as it traverse down. Really love the tast would have ranked higher if it were colder pretty sure, it has a nice stout taste, again very smooth.
Oct 22, 2023
 
Rated: 4.32 by BLVBBERGIXLL from Arizona

Oct 17, 2023
Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout from New Holland Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 6683 ratings