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Dragon's Milk Reserve Coffee Chocolate by New Holland Brewing Co. was judged according to BJCP Category 33B, Specialty Wood-Aged Beer. The beer pours an opaque dark brown color with a creamy cap of tan foam that subsides quickly.
The aroma is strong and dominated by a dark roast coffee bean and a light bitter chocolate note, alongside an obvious ethanol blast. Overall, the nose is only faintly sweet due to the dominating dark coffee berry notes that cover most of the oakiness in a shield of dry roasty aromas. Wood and sweetness volatilize with some brisk agitation and a deep inhale.
The front of the beer is very sweet with strong roasted coffee bean (as apposed to brewed coffee) flavors along with some faint herbal and fruity notes of raisins, dates and dark chocolate. Bitterness is reserved, seemingly less than 30 or 35 IBU. The mid-palate lingers with strong coffee and berry richness before the long and very sweet finish takes over to form a decidedly sweet balance to the aftertaste. Light carbonation, medium creaminess and full, lush body with a light tannic bite compose the mouthfeel.
Overall, the beer is very coffee-dominant with some caramel/vanilla sweetness rounded out by some obvious but generic ethyl acetate esters. While strongly flavored, the roast character all seems coffee bean-derived as opposed to barley/malt sourced. The final sweetness level, despite the roasty bitterness, still rings as pastry-level sweet, marking this beer as a dessert affair. No need for an actual confection to finish out a meal, this glass would suffice for both the coffee and a sweet coda.