16/100) New Holland

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

The Poet, Full Circle, Monkey King

New Holland is a company that just made its way into the Midwest. I'm really enjoying their creative titles, and I keep expecting to find a story behind them. Sadly, I'm just not finding them. True to their company's spirit though, everything from the logos the bottle covers screams "artistic."

The Poet) My first reaction to this oatmeal stout was that it tasted like Dragon's Milk without the creamy touch. I suspect they use a beer similar to this one as their base. On its own, this beers stands alone quite well. It had a smooth light mouth feel and a mocha like background without overemphasizing the coffee. ☆☆☆☆

Full Circle) This kölsch is a good light drinking beer with a smidgen of the unusual. Instead of a slight bitterness or a touch of hoppiness, the middle and finish tantalize you with a nice peppery punch. I liked how that livened up this beer. The name comes from New Holland's "belief in balance." ☆☆☆

Monkey King) The flavor profile for this drink was "mysterious" to me. This farmhouse has an almost nutty finish, but there was a fruit like flavor in the backdrop that I couldn't identify. The beer  had a good body and finished smooth. ☆☆☆

And, just because this is my favorite New Holland thus far:

Dragon's Milk

Dragon's Milk) This is a bourbon barrel aged stout. As you can imagine, the milk in the name implies that it has a bit of sweetness to it. It does. There's a lovely arc of cream that undulates through the middle into the finish and then remains faintly yet fondly in the linger. Delightfully smooth, the bourbon barrels did nothing but good to this beer. ☆☆☆☆☆