New Holland Dragon's Milk White

There's plenty of sayings out there referring to the "I don't like dark beer" people: "Dark isn't a flavor" and "Don't be afraid of the Dark" are two. I've always said that the color of the beer has little or nothing to do with its flavor, heaviness or alcohol content, despite prevailing myths. I've done many reviews of dark-colored beers like Black IPA's, Black Lagers and various Belgian brews that are as light as their golden hued cousins. But today we're going to look at a stout, and an oak bourbon barrel aged stout no less, that isn't dark...not even close.

The brewery is New Holland and the beer is Dragon's Milk White. Five years ago this moth I first experienced Dragon's Milk https://ill-gottenbooty.blogspot.com/2014/08/dragons-milk-bourbon-barrel-stout.html - it's still one of my favorite bourbon barrel stouts.

Dragon's Milk White pours an apricot hue, a color you might expect from an IPA, with a scanty white head. Close your eyes though, and you'll swear it's a dark brown with a tan head. Don't let your eyes deceive you, it's every bit a stout! The bourbon flavor is evident from the first sip, and more so as it achieves room temperature. Caramel, toffee, vanilla and milk chocolate all join together in a symphony of flavor. The biggest difference between White and the original Dragon's Milk is the ABV. The original weighs in at 11% alcohol while the white is only 6%, which doesn't make it exactly sessionable, but you could surely have more than one or two before having to switch to something cheaper! (Like Hamm's! - just kidding)