Dragon's
Milk has an ultra-sweet nose, with malty everything, boozy notes
(bourbon barrels after all), and, as promised by the label, "deep vanilla
tones, all dancing in an oak bath." This woody beer has a well sanded
mouthfeel--smooth and thick. While I'm typically resistant to wildly
sweet dark beers, this one was quite agreeable to me. It does its damage
on the malt side of things, with very little bitterness evident, and
has creamy vanilla notes. There is also a bit of raisin-y pipe tobacco in
small measure. At the finish, there is a sharp strike of boozy heat,
and that's where the bourbon flavours imparted by the barrel-aging
process are most evident.
Truthfully, I've had
better strong stouts, and better barrel-aged ales, but I got to this
stuff just before dinner on a beautiful fall Friday evening when all was
right with the world, and I found it really satisfying. It kicked my
night off right--don't even imagine driving after a dance with Dragon's
Milk. Pulling my critic's hat away from the drink faeries, this beer is
too sweet and, if you strip away the barrels, I'm not sure that the
underlying stout is all that remarkable. Still, well worth the price of
admission. While this beer would pair well with an after dinner cohiba,
my pre-dinner value stogie activated some flavours all the same. One
must make do, you know.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10.
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