In the dead of winter, seasoned beer drinkers often reach for the high-ABV behemoths that warm their insides. Hearty barrel-aged stouts like New Holland Brewing’s Dragon’s Milk and its many Reserve variants have often been the beer of choice for such an occasion. And yet, one can only have so many viscous, flavor-packed stouts before keeling over and ceding to lighter, more approachable options. New Holland knew this and decided to make an adventurous change to their hallmark brand, introducing Dragon’s Milk White, a bourbon barrel-aged white stout that stands firm at 6% ABV. We asked the brewery about the new beer and what consumers should expect from a barrel-aged offering that comes in on the lighter side – both in color and in alcohol content.

First available on-draft at both New Holland taproom locations on Feb. 8th, Dragon’s Milk White will also make an exciting foray into six-packs of 12-ounce cans in mid-February. The move to cans is the first for the Dragon’s Milk brand, and follows a growing packaging trend aimed at giving consumers a more approachable vessel for one-off tastings than the typical bottle or bomber formats of years past. Put simply by New Holland Brand Manager Dominic Bergquist: “We feel it opens up more opportunities to bring a super flavorful brew to all of life’s celebrations and savor-able moments.”

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And while the move to cans might be new, the flavors of Dragon’s Milk White will incorporate much of the same flavors, like vanilla, cocoa, coffee roast, oak that fans are familiar with. That said, Bergquist is quick to note that this new offering stands apart from previous, boozier Dragon’s Milk variants thanks to its unique bourbon barrel-aging process, which is much more subtle and spends much less time aging in bourbon barrels: “Dragon’s Milk White spends a little over a month in barrels, so the bourbon/oak flavor plays a supporting role and really helps blend and mellow the more primary notes of vanilla, cocoa, and coffee roast.”

Crafting a barrel-aged beer at such a low ABV is a testament to the experience of New Holland’s brewers and reflects their desire to stay innovative in a space that can often get stagnant with booze-bombs and adjunct-loaded one-offs. Creating a new offering that still hits the core characteristics of a barrel-aged stout while coming in at a much lower ABV is difficult, but it definitely fills an exciting niche in the craft beer market. “The Dragon’s Milk family of brews is all about giving people a reason to stop and disconnect from the craziness around them, while bringing them closer to those closest to them. Dragon’s Milk White definitely does that, and we can’t wait to share this legend with our fans!”

Feature image courtesy of New Holland Brewing

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