New Holland Smaug’s Breath

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Holland, Michigan USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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I truly believe this beer could challenge KBS’s heavyweight title of MI b-b-aged beers...... AMAZING!

Sampled at FOBAB ’12 - completely missed this one early, then a friend told me to try it - something about a Dragon’s Milk barrel, but I didn’t hear what else...guess I wasn’t cognizant enough to make any connection to what I was about to experience - anyway, pour = black, thin head recedes quickly. Aroma is roasted, sweet malt and some spicy notes, pepper, and a bit of coffee. Flavor is sweet chocolate, roasted malt up front, then, woah! Chiles kick in solidly and really heat things up - boozy as well down the stretch. Palate is actually very, very smooth, but with considerable heat from both the bourbon as well as the chile extract. That being said - very good beer - I’d notch it below the GI Ghost Pepper from the previous year (will I ever go back and enter those ratings?) but still a very nice melding of spice and sweet.

Sampled at FoBAB 10 - 2012 (Chicago, IL). Pours a richer deep blackish body, glowing copper edges and bottom. Small loose tannish head dies to a film, laces small. Aromas are gentle spice, oak, and roast. Kiss of vanilla, spirit, pepper, toast. Initial is roasty and cocoa, gentle spice, cocoa, and more toasty elements. Vanilla, barrel, and toffee, biscuits. Sweeter toffee, black malts, and cocoa. Middle shows some peppery spice, oak. Backend is gentle spice, cocoa, vanillam lingering bit of peppery heat. Touches of oak, vanilla, and a gentle kiss of dark fruit. Pretty solid, a touch thin, pleasant pepper and gentle barrel.

Sampled from the tap at FOBAB 2012. Pours a light brown with a brown that dissipates almost immediately to the edges. Aroma has coffee and sweet dark grains up front with a hint of chillies and bourbon. Flavor has dark sweet grains and roasted malts up front with some coffee and then chillies and boozy bourbon in the finish.

One of my fav chilies, a well-made stout, bourbon. It doesn’t get much better than this one.