Dragon's Milk X Dungeons & Dragons: Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve
New Holland Brewing Company

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches and tiny clots of probable coconut; slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, coconut, faint coffee and rum; subdued. Flavor is dark toasted malt, toasted coconut, vanilla, rum and light cocoa. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. Haven't seen much Dragon's Milk around Seattle for a while, but two of these D&D versions have popped up in the last few months. This one is quite tasty. The rum and coconut fit together nicely and there are light but pleasant notes of chocolate and vanilla too. All of this series seem to be dialed back a bit in flavor depth, but all are well balanced and flavors are enjoyable. This might be my favorite so far. I'd like to see more rum barrel treatments out there. Nicely done.

 

 

 

 

Wow. This beer is a completely black color without any light penetration. The head is a creamy tan colored foam. Wonderful coconut aroma, mixed with some wood, chocolate, and booze. The taste is sweet, with plenty of coconut and chocolate flavor. Plenty of alcohol warmth. It seems to meld together well, not a disjointed mix. Velvety and smooth mouthfeel with plenty of heft. Interesting, strong, delicious, and engaging.

Dragon's Milk X Dungeons & Dragons: Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve (2025) from New Holland Brewing. Four pack of 12 fl oz bottles from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Picked up 10/01/26, on room temperature shelf. $ 18/four pack (including tax) ($ 0.375/fl oz). Reviewed 11/01/26, review 3668. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottle shoulder in yellow ink “202508070913”. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 56.8 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, black and opaque, amber at the edges.
Head – Large (Maximum 3.4 cm, aggressive center pour) Sandy Tan, high density with average retention, ending with a 0.25 cm crown and a partial cap. Small, tannish lumps of jetsam appear as well.
Lacing – Good. Delicate band of near-microscopic bubbles displaying both reticula and stalactites, while slowly breaking into torn curtain lacing.
Aroma – 4 – Sweet but weak rum and coconut. No alcohol (11 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 3.75 – Initially slightly sweet with weak chocolate and weaker coconut. No rum, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mild, barely noticeable, gastric warming.
Palate – 3.75 – Medium: Almost Creamy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Sort of follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4 (The whole is barely greater than the sum of its parts) Uncredited but quite nice label art. Body is thin for any imperial stout, and the flavors are weak. Lacing is good while it lasts. Alcohol is well-hidden.

 

Dragons Milk might be my favorite “find it anywhere, mass produced” beer. This variant is absolutely decadent. Coffee colored pour with delicate lacing like the panties your mother laid out for you. Sweet - but as it warms it becomes harmonious and balanced. Chewy sugary tobacco rum raisin flavor that has a warming tickle as it goes down. Faint coconut and sweet roastiness on the back end with that viscous almost watery DM Mouthfeel. Really good.

12 oz. bottle dated 08062025

Pours black with a light tan khaki colored foam head. Smells dark and roasted, lightly fruity, leathery with a hint of smoke and oaky caramelized rum sweetness. Tastes like sweet toasted coconut, rum oak barrel, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, mild tropical dried fruit, a hint of cola, root beer, mounds bar, marshmallowy vanilla, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, subtle leathery smoke, with some earthy grassy piney hops. Feels medium plus bodied, creamy and slick with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a real nice coconut rum barrel aged imperial stout.

12oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left sudsy sheets of lace. It smelled of coconut, rum, oak, vanilla and molasses. Great chocolate, molasses, rum, toffee and sweet coconut taste.

12 ounce bottle, big thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Looks like this was an August 2025 release. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with around a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough, leaving some little coconutty floaties. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like rum, coconut, roasted malt, vanilla and some chocolate. It's pretty tasty, the flavors are similar to the aroma but there's more of a kick. There's also the addition of some brown sugar and caramel flavors, and lots of rum barrel character. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and a little slick with a good amount of soft carbonation. Thought this was pretty good, definitely worth picking up especially if you like rum barrel aged imperial stouts!

 

 

 

It formed a thin, beige head when poured into a Beer Advocate 25 Rastal Teku glass. The head took a respectful amount of time dissipating from the center out, leaving a foam ring.
The nose is enjoyable for its coconut aroma.
The taste tells of its aging in Caribbean rum barrels but especially the rich coconut flakes flavor that comes to the fore. It evokes barleywine notes.
The mouthfeel is creamy, and it finishes smoothly.