New Holland Pilgrims Dole

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holland, Michigan USA

Bomber, at least a couple years old. Poured a lovely shade of translucent coppery-amber with a short, swirly cap of beige head. The aroma was very much on the sweet side with vanilla, bourbon, and caramel leading.. spicy accents from the wheat.. danced well across the nose. The flavor was centered around sweet toasted caramel and toffee with bourbon, vanilla, and brown sugar notes extending outward.. spicy and rather hot around the edges with some fruity notes and white pepper.. the finish was quick, dry, and hot. Heavier-bodied on the palate.. smoother and rolling on the front and hot and a bit cloying on the back with only a decent transition between. I don’t see explicit mention of bourbon in the description or on the bottle, but I swear this must’ve spent some time on wood. Quite tasty whatever they did!

On tap at the New Holland brewpub. Amber with a very thin white head. Aroma of alcohol, caramel and light fruit. Taste of alcohol, sweet malt, caramel, could use some hops to help balance it out a bit. Lightly carbonated and smooth, this one goes into instant warming after consumption, sticking to your chest and ribs leaving a sugary aftertaste.

Very sweet aroma and an astringent background. Hints of honey and wood. Very hot dry finish.

Ruby body with a white head. Sweet aroma with nuts and plums. Taste is a bit thick (very nice) with honey and molasses along with some toffee. Hot ending with a bit hint of fruits and pine.

good, lots of caramel malts and some mild astringent hops at the end. flavor of toffee, mild fruits and touch of wood make this a worthy drinkable beer.

The aroma is sweet and rich aroma with toffee, caramel, floral hops, fruit, and bourbon. The appearance is amber with a large head. The flavor is like the aroma but comes and goes in stages of tasty malty and astringent. The palate is smooth with an astringent aftertaste. Overall it’s good but has some strange taste qualities.

Butter’s 4th cellar reduction. Pours brownish red with a thick tan head that laces. Strong alcohol on the nose with a fruit honey smell also. Thick caramel with alcohol prominent and a toffee finish.

From a 22 oz silk-screen printed bottle. Pours a clear copper (at least after it warms up a little). There’s not much of a head and what does form is slow to rise due to the high viscosity of the beer. There’s some banana, caramel and nuts along with a little bit of dried fruits. There’s a slightly harsh bitterness in the flavor that doesn’t sit with the rest of the flavors quite as well, although it does hide its alcohol well.