New Holland’s first Dragon’s Milk release of 2020 is Dragon’s Milk Reserve: Rum Barrel-Aged Stout with Chocolate, Hazelnut, & Toasted Coconut. This stout is a heavy hitter. It was aged for three months in rum barrels imported from Jamaica and finished on over a heaping 2,500 pounds of coconut, 1,000 pounds of toasted delicious hazelnut and 200 pounds of decadent chocolate.
The aroma deep and inviting. It has a warm rum and alcoholic aroma that tickles the nose. It then changes to reveal the chocolate and hazelnut. I get malt and plenty of roasted notes that round out and compliment rum.
I get loads of individually distinguishable flavors. I get toasted coconut, hazelnut and chocolate rigjt off the bat. This combination pairs well with the sweet and warming flavor notes imparted by the rum barrel. There’s a nice kick of alcoholic kick that tickles the throat. You can feel this one hit the stomach too. It’s like drinking a glass a rum!
The beer clocks in at 12.5 percent ABV so it’s not to be slammed. That run sure adds a kick that will definitely give you a nice little buzz. It’s also a fairly thick beer so that adds to the sipping experience.
I really don’t have anything negative to say about this beer. The base stout is just so freaking solid that any additional flavors that are added can’t be bad!