Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout

I figured that since this blog mentions beer and because I love beer, I might as well write about beer. And booze. Because they’re both so great and they get everyone together and it’s a perfect way to wind down after a long week…or day. I’m not a beer connoisseur by any means: I drink what I like and am usually willing to give different brands and types of beer a chance. Same goes with wine, cocktails, hard liquor, you name it. Especially if it’s local.

Except Jaegermeister. That stuff tastes like cough syrup and I refuse to drink it.

I started really pursuing local, craft beer while still living in Tucson. With plenty of breweries, there were more than enough options, although most of them could only be purchased at the actual brewery. The desert, known to have a variety of edible plants, provided the unique flavors of the beer and alcohol, to include the Prickly Pear Wheat from Borderlands Brewing Co in Tucson, AZ and Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Mesquite Smoked by Hamilton Distillers (which I still have a couple bottles left). Currently, while living in South Dakota, I’ve found some pretty good breweries and some of the markets sell relatively local beer. And the options aren’t that bad!

And of course, I choose to start doing this with a beer from Michigan instead of South Dakota: Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout from New Holland Brewing Co. in Holland Michigan.

Very dark in color, the stout had an aroma of vanilla, coffee, and chocolate. I could taste the same notes. There is additionally a very woodsy and slightly bitter taste while still being very smooth. It was a lot stronger than I expected, perhaps because I didn’t look at the alcohol content prior to drinking it (at 11% ABV). To me, this is a great dessert type of beer, especially because of its sweeter notes and creamy texture. Apparently it goes well with dark chocolate, and I concur!  Would definitely recommend as I drink my second glass.

Note: This was my first beer “review” and again, I’m no expert and am working on improving by building my palette and descriptions. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!