New Holland Brewing Dragon's Milk

New Holland Brewing Dragon's Milk
Style: Bourbon Barrel Stout 

Alcohol Content: 10%

From: Holland, Michigan, United States

Purchased from: Great British Beer Festival

http://newhollandbrew.com/

Being deeply in love with someone means that you take on a little bit of them, and in my case, their interests and love of craft beer. And this is how I now find myself, spending my rainy bank holiday Monday getting rather excited about cracking open a bottle of bourbon barrel stout. It's certainly not something that I would of caught myself doing a year ago, I can tell you!

Just over a week ago, we spent a boozy (yet well-paced) day at the Great British Beer Festival. We sampled many a delicious beverage and I decided to bring back little treat for myself for later. Having a particular penchant for the darker, more alcoholic varieties of beer, I settled on a bourbon aged stout called 'Dragons milk' from New Holland Brewing. I squeezed the little bottle into my purse and dreamed of day i would enjoy the beverage. Yum!

However, upon delving a little deeper into the secrets of this Dragons Milk- it turns out that I haven't brought back an authentic Dutch beer at all, but a US beer from Holland in Michigan State! Kevin always said I never was any good with geography! This little beauty has been brewed by a couple of American chaps who first met in college and had a passion for their own home-brewed beer. After graduating, they formulated a solid business plan which attached the attention of some investors which eventually led to the opening of New Holland Brewing in 1996. The site now includes the microbrewery, along with a distillery, speciality brew house, restaurant and a pub! Sounds like our kind of place Kev! Nudge nudge wink wink!

Colour: This drink pours jet black complete with a deep tan coloured head that dissipates in a flash. It's thick and dark, with deep claret shades when held up to the light.

Aroma: As a lady with a vast collection of perfumes, ill tackle this question like I would any scent. Top note: Cloves. Middle notes: Vanilla, milk, a tumbler full of grandad's scotch whiskey Christmas 2002. Base notes: Marmite.

Body: This beer is every bit as dark and delicious as I had hoped! Unlike other stouts, this one has a full bodied mouth feel and coats the back of the tongue nicely. Hmmmmm! A wave of alcohol comes through on the aftertaste, giving that warming feeling that is nice when you're tucked up indoors and its all grey and misty outside (like today). The beer has that pleasant champagne-like effervescence to it which helps it slide down nicely!

Taste: With a smoky and spicy depth to it, this beer is a real winner. Every sip should be savoured as to really appreciate that bourbon edge. Flavours of cloves and cinnamon combine with a more delicate and floral note when I swill it around my mouth. I couldn't help but think that this beer is a perfect match for GU chocolate soufflé - both of which would just melt in your mouth. Soon after polishing off about half the bottle, the marmitey richness tends to sharpen and the alcohol content becomes more apparent. This is a drink that you only need one bottle of, or maybe that's just me. It's density and richness puts it up there with one of the hits of this years Beer Festival! Fullers Vintage 2014.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/weird-beard-brewing-company-chinook.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/gambrinus-excellent-11.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Tiny Rebel The Full Nelson

Tiny Rebel The Full Nelson
Style: Maori Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.8%

From: Newport, Wales, United Kingdom

Purchased From: Real Ale Shop, Richmond-Upon-Thames

http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/

If you watch Game of Throne, you will be familiar with the phase, “Winter is Coming”. Whilst, the bitter winter has yet to reach Westeros (in the TV show at least), cold polar air is currently lashing the UK.  It’s times like these that I turn my thoughts to next year and holidays in warmer climates. It seems only fitting that I look in the beer cupboard and try to locate something fruity and bright, just so I can bring some sunshine to my life. After a couple of minutes I stumbled across Tiny Rebel's, The Full Nelson. A Maori Pale Ale named after a wrestling move (although I'm not sure that they meant this). So let’s crack it open and get tropical.

The Tiny Rebel Brewing Company is based in Newport, South Wales. It is currently the only microbrewery in the area employing six people and produces the equivalent of 640 casks of beer per calendar year. Set up in 2010, the brewery has gone from strength to strength exporting bottles and kegs to Denmark, Norway, Italy and Australia. However, the company fell fowl of Swedish consumer guidelines on alcohol when they tried to launch their Fubar beer in the country. The label consist of a grenade and several bullet holes (guess that’s not allowed in the land of Abba and Sanuas). Oh well their loss is our gain.

Colour: Pours a light hazy copper with a bubbly white head which lingers in the glass for the duration. As the drink warms, it gets slightly darker.

Aroma: This drink has an almost wine like aroma profile. Heady hints of grape and apricot cut with fresh limes present themselves instantly. These aroma’s come from the use of Nelson Sauvin hops, which indecently is named after the Sauvignon grape.  The aromas unfortunately disappear after a couple of minutes in the glass (or it could be my Man Flu blocking them out).

Body: A light spritzy body ensures a pleasurable drinking experience. The soft carbonation will tickle you tongue and throat with every sip. 

Taste: Big bold notes of sour grapefruit, tangerines and passion fruit present themselves on the tongue. The Nelson Sauvin hop imparts a very smooth bitterness due to its low cohumulone content. The use of Munich malt helps to create a crisp but slight metallic after-taste which actually helps to add to the flavour of the beer. So far, this is one of the best Pacific pale ales I have tried. Much taster than the Bad Seed's attempt I reviewed late last month and I certainly will be coming back for more.    

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bad-seed-brewery-south-pacific-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/meantime-raspberry-wheat.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Ommegang Hennepin

Ommegang Hennepin

Style: Saison

Alcohol Content: 7.7%

From: Cooperstown, New York, USA

Purchased From: Real Ale Shop, Richmond Upon Thames, London, England
http://www.ommegang.com/

Brewery Ommegang is a Belgian brewery located near Cooperstown, New York that specializes in Belgian-style ales. Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners of Vanberg & DeWulf beer import company, and three family owned Belgian breweries including Duvel Moortgat. Ommegang started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a former 136-acre (0.55 km2) hopfarm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south of Cooperstown, New York in the Town of Milford.

Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.

By 2003, the Belgian breweries had all been absorbed into large corporations. Feinberg and Littlefield sold their share of Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then. Ommegang have also started to brew a series of special editions based on the successful HBO series, Game of Thrones. The latest in in this series is the Take the Black Stout. However this review focuses on Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

Colour: Pours a straw yellow with a luxuriously thick white head. This head clings to the glass like its life depends on it and stays with you throughout the drink. Another point of note is that the drink is opaque. Looks like a treat to drink.

Aroma: The label calls this this drink a farmhouse Saison and you can certainly smell why. Big, bold aromas of hay and the farm yard will rise from the glass. There are notes of cracked black pepper mixed and a warm spiciness which will fire you up.

Body: This drink is actually thicker than it looks. The body is very reminiscent of a Belgium wheat beer, nice and creamy. This sensation will cover your throat making you think your drinking a pint of milk. In the glass there is a low level of carbonation which helps to add to the smoothness of this drink.

Taste: The interesting element to this drink comes from the taste. All the flavours a very well balanced which helps to create a very pleasurable and smooth drinking experience. Notes of spicy ginger, peppery coriander and zingy orange peel present themselves straight away. At 7.7 ABV, this drink hides the alcohol very well by introducing a sherbet lemon finish. I will certainly be getting another bottle of this when I pop into the real ale shop this week.

Must learn how to use a flash!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/tripel-karmeliet.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/moor-beer-company-old-freddy-walker.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery