The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 19: The Poet

Beer # 183 The Poet Oatmeal Stout

New Holland Brewing Company

Holland, Michigan, United States of America
Independent
Oatmeal Stout Ale 5.2 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @NewHollandBrew

 Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
            Merely this and nothing more.

The Raven -- Edgar Allen Poe  1845

 Years ago I got a copy of Poems, Chiefly Narrative, well, I still have it. But in its pages I first began to enjoy poetry. One of those poems was, of course, The Raven. A dark brooding, twisted tale of a man haunted by ( choose one: Grief, guilty conscience, mental illness, alcohol, drugs, disease, loneliness... etc.) whose fears manifest in the form of a raven that speaks but one word: `Nevermore.`  Poe leaves us to fill in the blanks, Why is the raven there? Who does he represent? What has the hero done? (so many questions). A good beer should be like a good poem. A little thought provoking, a good topic of conversation, and a leave you with desire for more.

Tonight's beer does not specifically invoke the name of Edgar Allen Poe or the Raven, but a cheeky raven is silhouetted against a full moon on the label, leaving us to draw our own conclusions... just like Poe's poem.

Enough literary devices... onto the tasting...

Pours a hazy chocolate brown with a generous tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is caramel, toasted grains, rich chocolate, cedar, and pencil shavings. The first sip is a rich but soft tasting beer. slightly effervescent on the tongue. the oats are dominant... with  lots of toasty grain notes caramel chocolate and a sweet woody finish.Aeration gives us an earthy, caramel, licorice flavour.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

A very standard oatmeal stout. While good it does nothing special to attract attention.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 16 Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout

Beer # 180 Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout

New Holland Brewery

Holland, Michigan, USA
Independent
Barrel Aged Stout 11.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$13.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @NewHollandBrew



Another brewery that I have heard of but had not yet tried one of their beers. I was very happy to get this bottle and give it a try for the holidays. Founded in 1996 by Jason Spaulding and Brett Vander Kamp New Holland Brewery was founded on the love of homebrewing and a well thought out business plan. They expanded in 2005 to begin distilling spirits and began to sell them in 2008. They now also run a brew pub, a restaurant,and a 1 million litre (plus) brewhouse that distributes to many states in the Northeastern United States (and, obviously, Canada).

Time to milk the dragon...

Pours a deep dark chocolate brown with hints of orangey red. Head is light tan made up of tiny bubbles with good staying power. Nose is Bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. Very woody, hints of sugar and licorice as well. First sip is exceptionally oaky, with lots of vanillin, and bourbon qualities. It smooths out into roasted malt, chocolate, and lightly bruleed turbinado sugar. There is good heat from the 11% alcohol, but it is not overpowering. Aeration gives us a huge hit of alcohol followed by toffee and caramel and a touch of black pepper.




Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  6/6 Exceptional
Christmas Spirit 6/6 Exceptional


Final Thoughts:

A very good brew. I enjoyed this one very much. I like a bourbon barrel aged beer as it brings out so much flavour in the beer. If you can still find this one, snap it up while you can.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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