New Holland Brewing Company Dragon's Milk Reserve: Raspberry Hibiscus

Dragon's Milk Reserve: Raspberry Hibiscus

 

New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸

  Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Rotating Out of Production
Score
6.98
ABV: 11.0% IBU: - Ticks: 3
Our signature bourbon barrel-aged stout paired with a refreshing blend of raspberry and hibiscus, lending fruity tartness that enhances the underlying flavors of bourbon, vanilla, and roasted malt character.
 

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8.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 3/19/2019. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy red raspberries, cranberry, hibiscus, fruit skin/seeds, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coffee, coconut, raisin, prune, fig, date, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of raspberries, hibiscus, dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy/tart/tangy red raspberries, cranberry, hibiscus, fruit skin/seeds, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coffee, coconut, raisin, prune, fig, date, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness, oak spiciness, and fruit/hibiscus tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy raspberries, cranberry, hibiscus, fruit skin/seeds, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light coffee/dark fruit, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, hibiscus, dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, tart/tangy fruit, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness lingering bitterness, tart/tangy fruit, and oak spiciness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky/acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 11%, with no lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an awesome fruited/spiced barrel aged imperial stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, hibiscus, dark/roast/bready malts, moderate bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Nicely soft feel and not overly tart. Awesome balanced of rich malts and juicy/jammy raspberry/hibiscus flavors; with nice overall bourbon barrel presence/integration, and earthy hops. Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Barrel is a bit overwhelmed by the fruit/hibiscus, but still delivers an impressively complex profile. A really enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Jun 2019 at 14:19

7.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
$5.39 bottle, Total Wine - Short Pump. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma is fresh raspberry, chocolate, light hibiscus... no barrel aroma at all. Flavor is fresh raspberry, chocolate, light bourbon barrel (pretty hidden), dried grass. Not great, but not bad.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jun 2019 at 23:44

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
This review was imported from my RateBeer ratings.

12 oz. bottle.

AROMA: The scent of raspberry is very prominent, but there are hints of yeast and chocolate, too.

APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a tall, tan head that dissipates slowly.

TASTE: Lots of raspberry flavor, but it tastes more like a raspberry syrup than fresh raspberries. There are some slightly bitter undertones too, like unsweetened chocolate and coffee.

PALATE: Medium-bodied with a smooth, silky texture. Carbonation is a little on the low side. The finish is slightly on the bitter side but still with lots of raspberry flavor.

OVERALL: I found the raspberry to be a bit overpowering, and could have done with less of it. Especially, since it masks the stout nature of the beer.
Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2019 at 21:32