New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk Reserve Bourbon Barrel-Age Coffee Chocolate Stout

Posted on by Evan

Dragon’s Milk started as its own beer, then became the name of New Holland Brewing’s reserve series of stouts. This is Bourbon Barrel-Age Coffee Chocolate Stout. This stout is 11% ABV with Madcap Bolt Coffee. Bolt is the type of strong roast from Madcap Coffee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, not far from Holland, Michigan, where New Holland Brewing is located. This stout pours thick black with a two-finger milk chocolate colored head. The aroma is roasted coffee, chocolate, bitterness, and light bourbon. The flavor is roasted strong coffee, dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and boozy. This has a full feeling in the mouth. The stout has a bourbon and chocolate coffee finish with a slight bitter dark chocolate boozy aftertaste. This is an okay bourbon barrel-aged stout. I would give the lowest C-. It is just too much strong coffee with not enough chocolate. But I have had much worse. Would I recommend this? I would halfway, but you have to like big coffee, chocolate, bourbon barrel-aged stouts. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Black Berrel Aged

Posted on by Evan

From Melle, Belgium, Delirium Black Barrel Age by Brouweij Heuyghe is Delirium Nocturnum aged in oak bourbon barrels for nine months. I have only seen this bottle in Belgium, but I finally saw it at my local Whole Foods. This beer is 11.5% ABV. This beer pours a deep brown with a two-finger beige head That head is slow to fade. The aroma is of vanilla, bourbon, alcohol, and spices. The flavor is vanilla, almond, bourbon, and light-tasting dark fruits (some raisins). This has a somewhat full mouthfeel. Then, it comes to a woody bourbon and caramel aftertaste. This barrel beer finishes with a woody vanilla and caramel boozy flavor. This beer is a good barrel-aged beer that is not overly heavy and alcoholic. The Delirium Black is an A. This is definitely a beer worth drinking and sharing. It has such a great balance between the delicious flavors. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Chimay Grande Resérve 2019 Oak

Posted on by Evan

I bought this Chimay Grande Resérve from the Chimay taproom and restaurant while on a Belgian Trappist Beer tour with BBM! (Belgian Beer Me!). This Chimay is from 2019, February of 2019 to be exact. This Chimay is 10.5% ABV. This beer is aged 40% French and 60% American oak barrels. This beer undergoes three fermentation processes: cave, barrel, and bottle. Chimay does this type of beer, every year with a different barrel or liquor. This 2019 Chimay pours a deep brown with a two-finger steady beige head or cream. The aroma is boozy licorice, oak, and some dark fruits. The flavor is okay, boozy, caramel, licorice, and vanilla. This big beer is light-bodied and smooth. It has a fuller feeling in the mouth. Then this beer finishes with a sweet vanilla and caramel. The aftertaste is semi-sweet yet lightly boozy with hints of vanilla. This be is fantastic and delicious. I give Chimay Grande Resérve 2019 Oak and A+. This is a beer you don’t want to miss, I highly recommend this. It is just perfect and well-made. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Barrel-Age Torpedo

Posted on by Evan

Torpedo from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is their core IPA. But this beer is barrel-aged Torpedo. It is aged in bourbon barrels and is 8.6% ABV. This IPA has fresh Citra And Pacifica hops. This is a limited-release beer. This IPA pours a deep orange/copper color with a three-finger light beige head. The aroma is boozy, light vanilla, fruity, hoppy, and bitter. The flavor is boozy, tropical, fruity, light vanilla, light coconut, bitter, and hoppy. The mouthfeels medium. This IPA finishes with a fruity, earthy-bourbon flavor. That finish lingers into the aftertaste that has more boozy notes to it. I don’t see many Barrel-aged IPAs, and I think this Barrel-aged Torpedo is the first I’ve seen and tasted. This is not a terrible beer, but it’s not the best. I give this Barrel-Age Topedo a C+. It has a nice barrel flavor from the Bourbon barrel, and it doesn’t clash with the IPA, but I wouldn’t say they go great together. This is more of an interesting beer than anything else. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk Tales of Gold Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Golden Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer, a strong golden ale From New Holland Brewing, is Dragon’s Milk Tale of Gold Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Gold Ale. This Ale is made in New Holland, Michigan. This is a year-round beer made with milk sugars. This ale comes in at 11% ABV. This beer is part of the Dragon’s Milk beers. This beer pours a deep orange/light copper color with a one-and-a-half-finger white head. The aroma of this beer is sweet, vanilla, malty, and boozy. The taste is sweet from the vanilla and milk sugars. This beer has a smooth, creamy, and malty note. The mouth feels medium. Then it has a sweet malted finish. Then you get a boozy sweet aftertaste. The aftertaste has a light malt flavor that tastes faded. Dragon’s Milk Tales of Gold is not what I was expecting. I thought this beer would be strong and have a more bourbon-like flavor. This beer drinks well for 11% ABV, smoother than some beers with the same ABV. I give this bourbon-barrel-aged beer a B+. The vanilla was a bit sweeter than some barrel-aged beers. It took over the flavor profile. I would recommend New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk Tales Of Gold Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Golden Ale. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Triple C Brewing Pils of Funk Foeder Aged Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

So naturally, I bought it along with another beer. That will be a review later on in the week. When I got home, I found that it was only a pint (sixteen ounces). This pilsner comes from Charlotte’s Triple C Brewing and is foeder aged. Foeder is a Dutch word for a large wooden tank where beer is fermented. This beer pours a yellow color, with a half finger of white. The head is gone as soon as it meets the outside air. This beer’s aroma is slightly tart and a little fruity. It is bright, and the fruit aroma is lemony. This pilsner beer tastes yeasty, bright, floral, lemony tart, funky, and overall light. The mouthfeel is light but on the higher side of light. Then this beer comes to a tart and yeasty finish. Then you get a funky dry aftertaste. I was expecting this to be more flavorful than it was, and I’ve also had better-aged pilsners than this beer. I give Triple C Brewing Pils of Funk a B-. It wasn’t the worst beer. I believe there is a better version of this beer. I would recommend this beer, but I also wouldn’t get this as soon as possible. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company Drunken Santa Barrel-Age London Ale

Posted on by Evan

I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. I was recently in Dallas, Texas visiting my family there. My aunt bought Rahr & Sons Drunken Santa Barrel-Aged London Ale, 9.4%. This beer is classified as a winter warmer and comes in a box with two twelve-ounce cans from Fort Worth, Texas. This Christmas beer pours black with brown edges and a two-and-a-half finger beige head. The head is steady to fade and leaves little lacing. The aroma is cinnamon sweet, clove, light roasted notes, and malty. The taste is sweet cinnamon with light malt roast. It has a cola taste to it, which is like cinnamon cola. The mouthfeel is full but not too full. The is ale finishes with a cinnamon cola sweetness. The aftertaste is a very faint bitter note. Rahr & Sons Drunken Santa Barrel-Aged London Ale is a good beer, A+ here. Rahr & Sons are one of my favorite breweries. But unfortunately, it doesn’t get distributed anywhere close to the Carolinas. I wish it did, it would be awesome. They brew great beer. This ale is not overpowering on flavor. Some barrel-aged beers can be overpowering in some way or another. It almost had a light root beer quality to it. I highly recommended Rahr & Sons Drunken Santa Barrel-Aged London. You should act fast because it is only available during the holidays. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Posted on by Evan

I saw this at my local grocery store, and I said to myself, you never see Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 14.6% ABV at the grocery store. I have been hesitant to buy a bottle. It is because it is an expensive bottle. This beer was nineteen dollars at the grocery. Well, I gave in and bought it. This imperial stout is a blend of barrels from distilleries such as Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey, & Buffalo Trace. This stout aged for 8-14 months in freshly emptied barrels. You can then age it further in the bottle for up to five years. I didn’t do that. This stout pours a thick deep black color with a one and half beige head. The aroma is deep with vanilla, licorice, and boozy. The taste is strong, with licorice, vanilla, roasted notes, some coffee, and caramel. The mouthfeel is rich, and thick. This stout is a sipping beer. It has a slight bitter licorice finish and a bitter-sweet aftertaste that is boozy and warms your chest. I found Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout to be overwhelming and strong-tasting. It’s a C-. I felt the flavors did not come together as well as they should. I don’t think this stout is overrated. I like imperial stouts. It’s just this one was too much. It needs more sweetness and less boozy. A balance of the two flavor profiles would be good. Maybe this would be better if I let it age in the bottle for a while. Then it may mellow out some. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

New Holland Brewing Company Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout

Posted on by Evan

Thank you to Outsider Public Relations and New Holland Brewing Company. Here we have New Holland Brewing Company Dragon’s Milk Barrel-Aged Stout, 11% ABV. This stout, made in Holland, Michigan. This stout pours a deep dark black color with a three-and-a-half thick tan/khaki head. It’s very sticky and slow. The aroma is roast with sweet notes of boozy coffee and bitter notes. The taste is sweet, roasted with a boozy bourbon coffee taste that grows as you pass over your tongue. The is a slight milk flavor that is faint at best. Dragon’s Milk Stout finishes with a semi-sweet roasted milk flavor. The aftertaste is strong, boozy and a little be toasty. This stout is a big beer with lots of big flavors to it. It’s good, A- good. Not something you’d have more than one of or something you start off a drinking session with, it would be the last. But it is a solid barrel-aged stout. Are there better ones out there? Yes, but not many. I would put this in the top 10 stouts. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Founders Brewing Barrel Aged Más Agave

Posted on by Evan

I was down in South Carolina where they have an ACTUAL liquor store and I saw Founders Brewing Barrel-Aged Más Agave, 10% ABV. I picked up a four-pack of the lime variant. Más Agave is an imperial lime Gose beer aged in Tequila barrels. This beer pours a deep rich orange with a two-finger fast dissolving white head. It gives off sweet & tart aromas of lime citrus fruit with a strong alcoholic note. Taste is a bit similar to the way its aroma hits. You’ll find a bit of a tart & sweet lime with a boozy tequila barrel and hints of citrus lime. This beer doesn’t taste like it’s 10% but not far off. The mouthfeel is on the higher side of a medium feel. Más Agave finishes with a boozy citrus lime tartness and has a tart alcoholic limey aftertaste. This is much like a margarita but in beer from and only the second time I’ve had a beer like this, the first being Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Trip into the Woods Otra Vez. Which I think is better than Founders Brewing Barrel-Aged Más Agave, which I B. It has a good tart fruity flavor but the barrel brings out the boozy alcohol that doesn’t make you want to have more that one and a half of these. But I do recommend trying Founders Brewing Barrel-Aged Más Agave. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!