New Holland Dragon's Milk

Who here is up for another rousing round of angry stout? That's what we've got on the agenda today. Dragon's Milk is both a personal favorite and one that you should probably reconsider if you find it in the beer store. If you're part Viking and you just slaughtered the thing raiding your town every week and you need to calm down because you just can't seem to stop killing, well then, this is your beer. If not... bow to it, stare it down, and back away slowly. This beer belongs in a fantasy tavern and it may very well try to kill you.

As a quick aside, there are multiple Dragon's Milks out there, I believe I've had two, but New Holland is the one I'm most familiar with as well as the one I'm willing to come back to.

Stats:
Appearance - It looks almost like a latte to be honest. It pours really smoothly and has a nice head. It actually looks a bit like a cup of coffee at first.
Smell - There are a variety of things here. I've stated more than once I don't have a strong sense of smell, but there are really nice tones of chocolate, oak, and malt here.
Taste - Along with the things I could smell, you'll find coffee, milk, espresso, and just a hint of vanilla. Did I mention it's barrel aged? Mmmm... barrels... I honestly love the flavoring here, though the high ABV detracts a bit from it.
Feel - This is where the drink has the most points in my opinion. Higher carbonation which compliments the alcoholic fizzy bite you get, smooth and viscous, -I'm reliving it right now, I love the feel of this beer- and definitely a hint of spite. This beer doesn't like you. It's a wanted beer you know... it has the death sentence in 12- Erhrm, sorry, Star Wars... Any ways, yeah. That's that. Seriously, though, this beer does not like you. You know it as soon as you pick it up. For someone like me, that's actually a selling point.
Drinkability - Finally we come to the one place this beer loses points. It's one of those beers that they only sell in large bottles or four packs. Wonder why it's four instead of six? Because they know that you only have three friends and they're not letting you pick drinks again after this. Honestly though, its high alcohol content makes it hard to drink many of. Even those who can run through a few six packs in a night by themselves should reconsider taunting this dragon. I know people with a normal tolerance who've bought the larger bottle and gotten drunk off of it in two separate sittings. It's just not a beer you really want to sip on for a while. Don't let it get warm...

Drew's Ratings:
5 - This beer will always, always be a 5. Even if it's your first beer and it's on tap (therefore you only have a pint or less, as opposed to that traditional larger bottle it likes to come in), it's still going to end you. 9 ABV and angrier than most beers you'll run into, Dragon's Milk is NOT to be taken lightly. It's dark, smooth wonder is mellowed by the fact that even to get the taste out of your mouth, you'd be hard pressed to want another beer.

AND

E - I enjoy this beer, but it's neither world class nor Earth shattering. I come back to it from time to time and we're good friends, but the kind of friend you only see once every couple of months for good reason. It's a good drink and if I only want one, I'm liable to have this or a full 750 ml bottle of Three Philosopher's in my hand. One of only a few beers I actually come back to on a consistent basis.


Overall: B
Honestly, the solid B here is more from a drinkability / normal people standpoint. In terms of merits as a beer and a drink, it's closer to an A-.

Note: My reviews will be a little slower coming. I've gotten a job writing full time. This means two major things, one is that I'm writing almost constantly, the other is that I just have less time to drink. Either way, I'll try and get up at least one review a week. Cheers!

Warm the cheeks and bright the heart,
-NEO-BS