Red Brick 3 Bagger Review

Name: Red Brick 3 Bagger
Style: Tripel
ABV: 9.5%

Last week, I received some beer in the mail via beer trade and have slowly been working my way through all of them. For this review, I'll be looking at 3 Bagger, part of the Brick Mason Series from Red Brick Brewing Company based out of Atlanta, GA.

This is a Tripel-style ale but with a twist: It's aged in rum barrels, much like Capital's Jobu. Since this is my first time dabbling in anything from Atlanta's Craft Beer Scene and having never had a rum barrel-aged Tripel before, I'm very curious to see how this turned out. Plus in addition to drinking beer, I just so happen to enjoy rum.

3 Bagger pours a hazy golden color with a snow white soapy head. The visible carbonation is on the moderate side and there is no lacing left behind to speak of.

The nose starts off with a very strong vanilla and belgian yeast aroma with some notes of oak, rum raisin, butterscotch and caramel malts. Sure enough, it smells like someone took a shot of Sailor Jerry rum and and poured it into a Tripel.

The flavor is comparable to the nose. Upfront you have some very pronounced vanilla, Belgian yeast and oakiness notes with some rum raisin, butterscotch and caramelized malts on the back of the palate. The aftertaste is a mix of caramel malts, belgian yeasts and vanilla-oak. There is also some mild hoppiness here but it's almost completely eclipsed by everything else.

The palate is fairly moderate in terms of body weight and the carbonation is also fairly moderate. Considering the flavor as a whole, it fits in quite well and adds some dimension to what I consider to be an already complex tasting beer.

This is truly unlike any other Tripel that I have ever had before and I love it! It gives a great first impression in the nose and the flavor is wonderfully robust and complex. Any diehard Tripel fan will love this beer as well as anyone looking for something off the beaten path in terms of style.

This may be my first beer (hopefully not the last) from Red Brick, but to anyone in Atlanta reading this, you guys are lucky to have Red Brick in your neighborhood!

Red Brick 3 Bagger - 9.5/10

New Holland Dragon's Milk Review

Name: New Holland Dragon's Milk
Style: Imperial Stout 
ABV: 10%

I've seen it on the shelves numerous times; With it's wrapped tin-foil top and dragon emblem on the front but I never really bothered to check it out for reasons which I really cannot explain, even though I'm a diehard Imperial Stout fan. I decided that needed to changed and picked up a bottle of New Holland Dragon's Milk last week to check it out, plus anything barrel aged is enough for me to check it out.

I've never really had the opportunity to try New Holland's full lineup; The only other beer I've tried out from them is their Golden Cap Saison Ale, which is fantastic if you have not tried it out yet! So I'll see what all this is about.

Dragon's Milk pours a pitch black color with a faint crimson tinge on the very bottom. Not really much in terms of head, but it does leave behind a ton of lacing.

Even before taking a closer whiff, I could already smell it from 2-3 feet away. The nose has some very rich milk chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak and roasted malts. By smelling this, you can tell that this was clearly barrel aged and it smells fantastic!

I thought the aroma was nice, but it's nothing compared to how it actually tastes. Every milk chocolate, vanilla/bourbon, and oak note that was in the nose is in the flavor with a vengeance! Every aspect of the flavor is rich & complex with only a slight boozy taste that becomes noticeable more it warms up.

On top of everything else, it's got a very creamy and smooth body. It's heavy but thanks to the subdued carbonation, it feels like I'm drinking liquid silk; It's that smooth!

I've had many Imperial Stouts before, both good and bad. With that in mind, I feel this is now among my favorites of the Imperial Stout Style. New Holland did a great job making this beer and you can tell they put a great deal of care into making this. My only complaint is that I didn't try this out sooner!

New Holland Dragon's Milk - 9.75/10