Dragon's Milk Reserve - Double BBA / Double Vanilla (2021 Reserve 2)
New Holland Brewing Company

Good head production and excellent retention. Foam color is a medium tan; body is very dark brown, bordering on black.

The nose smells a touch cloying from a distance; up close, it's a little more rounded. Coconut, light char, oak, and bourbon from the barrels; cream, banana, and vanilla from the malt base, yeast expression, and the vanilla beans; light toast, brown sugar, and toffee. It's not the most complex or rich aroma given the high ABV, and it does still smell a little cloying and artificial, but it's by no means unpleasant, and does speak to the barrel influence.

First sip backs up the impressions from the nose - for a moment - as it's a bit thin and almost artificially sweet. Then, a nice richness from the malt base replaces that impression, itself followed by massive notes from the vanilla. By mid-sip, coconut and oak from the barrel have joined the party, but the vanilla never really goes away from here on out. A fair amount of back-end heat, along with toast, light char, and more oak.

A decent amount of sting for the ABV and style; you can just barely sip, sit, and savor. Not a thin mouthfeel, exactly, but much thinner than its contemporaries - fully in line with Dragon's Milk and the entire Reserve series, however, so any disappointment is with respect to big imperial BBA stouts from other breweries, not from what New Holland routinely offers. Minor effervescence up front; a bit of dry alcohol evaporation on the back end; finish is medium length, and just a touch dry.

Overall flavor impressions are: banana candy, vanilla, light molasses, toast, toffee, a bit of caramel, oak, bourbon. Although the coconut and oak notes from the bourbon are fairly prominent, I'm missing more depth and richness from the mash - whether from the barrel selection, or the mere six total months spent on oak, I cannot say.

You will likely take to this brew, or not, based on your other experiences with Dragon's Milk. I'm not the world's biggest DM fan, and I've found the reserve series to range from mediocre to outstanding. I like this one better than the base beer, but not significantly, and not better than the best they've managed. I appreciate the thought and effort that went into it, however, and I'm certainly not regretting the blind purchase of a four-pack.

The pour is stout black with a very light brown head that reaches the dizzying heights of 1 cm.
The taste is better than most of the variants, probably the double barrel treatment. I got the vanilla, smoother than most vanilla additive stouts. The base stout was very present, so that was good. The barrel was, for a Dragon’s Milk, quite present which is different.
The feel is the traditional thin body, not ideal but not unexpected.

New Holland's Dragon's Milk Reserve
Double bourbon barrel aged stout with Madagascar & Indonesian vanilla beans (2021-2)
12.3%

Enjoyed at the source, November 2024.

Pours a black brown with thin lacing. Low aroma at the start, with a harsh/hard landing on the sip. As it opens the notes mellow out with more of the barrel presence emerging, although it never quite delivers on the promise.

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon’s Milk Reserve 2021 Reserve 2 from New Holland Brewing. Picked up at Shangy’s, Emmaus, PA. $ 4.80 (Including tax)/12 oz bottle ($ 0.40/oz) on 18/09/21. On room temperature shelf at store, stored at 37 degrees at home. Reviewed 10/09/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Date on shoulder too blurred to read, but on label “2021 Reserve 2”. Served at 54.3 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 60.4 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. When rear-lite, same but translucent khaki at the edges. Loose sediment in bottom of bottle.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.3 cm, aggressive center pour), dun, high-density, average retention, diminishing to a 0.4 to 0.7 cm crown fed by effervescence.
Lacing – Good. Wide, tight band of nearly microscopic bubbles with the upper edge breaking away to form a bit of torn curtain.
Aroma – 4 – Moderate chocolate malt. No hops, no yeast. As it further warms, vanilla comes through.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins slightly sweet with fruity chocolate and caramel malt. As it warms, vanilla becomes more evident. No ethanol (12.3 % ABV, as marked on label) aroma or taste. Noticeable gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Not really getting any bourbon or oakiness from the barrels.
Palate – 3.5 – Thin, watery, lightly fizzy carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 The thin body almost ruins this stout for me, ‘cause it ain’t very stout at all. However, this is one of the rare vanilla aged brews in which I can actually taste the vanilla and at least imagine the aroma as well. The lacing is surprisingly good for 12.3% ABV – must be a ton of protein remaining. The ethanol burn is weak enough to be enjoyable. At the price point I paid, it’s worth picking up a four-pack or two.

 

 

 

 

A - Pours a very dark brown with a thin tan head. Light amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is vanilla and bourbon.

T - The taste is vanilla, dark chocolate, heavy oak and a big blast of bourbon in the finish.

M - Thin body with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Solid bba stout. The bourbon barrel seems to overpower everything except the vanilla.

In the aroma can the vanilla be both soft and sharp? I think it is. Not overpowering and blends quite well. Rich but not overpowering dark fruity malts.
I think I can actually taste the two types of vanilla, but the alcohol flavor could be influencing that as well. There is a nice complexity. The malts are still a little young, some time for mellowing might be nice.
Reasonably full mouthfeel with a nice smoothness.

 

Black in color with the faintest penetration to light. There’s a fingernail of brown top. Moderate soapy lacing is present. The aroma is of sweet vanilla and bourbon. I’m initially tasting a lot of vanilla and a wallop of boozy bourbon. The vanilla keeps it from being overwhelming and softens out the mouthfeel. You still get a touch of warmth from the alcohol to the tongue. This is very well done.

Nice head. Faint bourbon and roasted malt, coffee, and vanilla on the nose. Taste is big vanilla, upfront bourbon, becoming dark chocolate and coffee. Nice rye spice to compliment things, and a hint of cinnamon too. Super smooth feel. That spice is a great compliment to the vanilla. Nice supper.

 

12 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with less than an inch of mocha head that leaves spotty lacing.

Vanilla and caramel aroma. I get some booze. Hints of chocolate.

Boozier flavor than I expected. But I don't mind. Vanilla is nice. Caramel as well. Hints of chocolate

Medium bodied with a thinner than expected mouthfeel

I like it but it could be better. Thin mouthfeel and boozy. I don't mind boozy though.