The Drunken Polack

Awhile back New Holland really impressed me with Dragons Milk.  I haven’t had a brew of there’s ever since.  A few months ago I spotted a bottle of Night Tripper  I’m not going to lie, I picked the bottle up because of the art on front.  Yeah sometimes the art is just enough =)  I’m hear to tell you that forget the art.  Yeah it’s cool but the beer inside the bottle is fantastic.  One of the better Imperial stouts I’ve had in a long time.  Good luck finding it though.  It’s come and gone this year.

Night Tripper pours as dark as night.  It has a creamy caramel colored head.  Great retention and lacing.  The smell is wonderful.  Dark chocolate dominates the smell.  Coming in close behind is a good amount of coffee, fruity esters, and toffee.  A kick of alcohol rounds out the smell.  Fantastic aroma.  I couldn’t wait to dig into this one.

The taste follows up nicely to the great smell.  Once again the chocolate is what you get most. Its a tad bit bitter and sweet.  The rest of the ingredients balance in nicely with the chocolate.  Roasted coffee and fruit.  A small amount of hops and toffee.  The mouthfeel is fantastic.  It’s full bodied, creamy, oily, and sticky.  It’s a great beer in all four 4 of the categories.  Smell, taste, feel, and appearance.  Like I said you probably won’t see this laying around right now.  It’s released in the spring time but folks it’s just a fantastic beer.  I’ll be trying more New Holland beers soon.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.newhollandbrew.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this one.
ABV%: 10.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: New Holland Dragons Milk, New Holland Mad Hatter
Other beers to try within the same style:Stone Russian Imperial Stout, Alesmith Speedway Stout
Rating: A-

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://newhollandbrew.com
What the company says: A barrel-aged, strong-ale with a soft and rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones dancing in an oak bath. Unmistakably distinctive and hauntingly remarkable, Dragon’s Milk’s warming complexity pairs well with smoked meats and cheeses, red meat, or a nice cigar.

What I say: The only other brew I’ve had from these guys is there Mad Hatter IPA.  A lot of people love that brew but I thought it was just a mediocre IPA.  Not that I can brew anything better (well hopefully one day) but it just as good as others I’ve had.  This time around it’s their Dragon’s Milk.  As you can see above it’s a barrel aged strong ale and I’m happy to say that we have a winner here. 

The Look: Very dark brown with light brown highlights.  Small almost non existent tan head. 

What the nose thought: Wow this is a fantastic smelling beer.  Caramel, vanilla, chocolate, smokey, and molasses.  Complex and wonderful.

And the tastebuds?: I’m happy to say that the taste is just as good as the smell.  It has all the same ingredients as the smell.  The vanilla is the winner here with caramel, chocolate, coffee, and that awesome oak taste. 

The feel: Nice bit of carbonation.  I honestly thought this would be a heavier beer when I poured it but it’s not at all.  It’s medium bodied and smooth.  Really smooth. 

Ending notes: While I didn’t fully write off New Holland after I tried their Mad Hatter, it did take me a while to go to another one of their brews.  I’m sorry I waited.  This is a different kind of beer.  I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite like it.  It’s complex yet tasty as hell.  Do not hesitate to give this on a try folks.

Rating: A

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 3 dollars a bottle
Website: http://newhollandbrew.com
What the company says: Mad Hatter is an I.P.A. that explodes with hop flavors. Dry-hopping provides a distinctive and floral hop aroma, while the lively and hoppy body is subtly balanced with delicious malt notes. Hatter’s hop character makes it a great fit for spicy dishes, bitter greens and beef.

What I say: This breweries beer has just hit the area.  Grape and Gourmet has at least 5 different kinds of beer from this brewery so expect to see more from me soon.  From the looks of it, this is their flagship beer. 

The Look: Clear copper color with a nice big white head. 

What the nose thought: The earthy biscuit like malt flavor is what rules the smell.  Piney and citrus hops are there but are almost over taken by the malt smell. 

And the tastebuds?: Now it’s hard to explain but this beer is a little rough around the edges.  Not as smooth or balanced as other IPAs I’ve had.  Not to say this is a bad thing.  The biscuit like malt flavor is the ruler here with the citrus and piney hoppy flavor sitting in the background.  Another taste I got was some caramel in the after taste, it hit big in the beginning but died after the beer cooled down a bit.  Not a bad IPA but it wouldn’t hurt if this one was a little more balanced.

The feel: Medium bodied and crisp.

Would you drink more?: Yes.  Overall not a bad IPA.  Just a little rough.

Ending notes: More reviews from this brewery coming soon!

Rating: C