Monday, February 14, 2011

Dragon's Milk - It's good to be the King

In the movie "History of the World Part 1" Mel Brooks proclaimed "It's good to be the king" but I dont' think he was talking about beer. In the 17th century, beer reserved for royalty was referred to as “Dragon’s Milk”. New Holland Brewing Company’s Dragon’s Milk is a very nice example of a beer aged in used bourbon barrels. There are a number of breweries that use bourbon barrels for aging strong ales; e.g. Goose Island and Founders to name a couple. This particular beer sits in used bourbon barrels from 80-100+ days with the barrel only being used once for Dragon’s Milk. Back in October I was introduced to Founders Backwoods Bastard which was an instant hit with me and I quickly went on the hunt for more bottles. I opened the Dragon’s Milk this past weekend and noted the similarity to Backwoods; caramel, vanilla, malt, chocolate and bourbon. To me, this is a very good beer if you like strong ale aged in bourbon barrels. An aggressive pour produced a caramel colored head about an inch thick and the lacing stayed consistent as I emptied the glass. I’ve only seen this in the 22oz bomber bottle so that may be your only choice. I spread my enjoyment over 2 days since this particular brew comes in at 10% ABV. This is listed as a seasonal beer yet the New Holland website shows Dragon’s Milk shipments ongoing. In any case, if you see it, grab it and enjoy this highly rated brew.

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