2012 is underway, and we are a few of short months into receiving beer from our Dragon’s Milk Cellar that was completed in September of 2011. The 6,000 square foot, temperature and humidity-controlled cellar is a significant part of our effort to deliver on our forecast of more than 4,500 barrels of Dragon’s Milk shipped in the year 2012.
Within a few months, we will receive new bright tanks, allowing us to transfer some of our existing brights into the Dragon’s Milk area, further segregating a portion of our Dragon’s Milk process, which aids in our production efficiency and space management.
Simply put, this shift in capacity means we can confidently express that we are able to provide significantly more Dragon’s Milk in 2012. We thank you for your continued support of this remarkable brand, and are proud to see the demand of Dragon’s Milk increase.
So is Dragons Milk aged in plain oak barrels or Whiskey/Bourbon barrels? I get the oak flavor, just not bourbon, but a friend says it’s aged in bourbon barrels.
Hi Kevin!
We use a blend of first use bourbon barrels (i.e. directly from the distillery) and second use bourbon barrels (ones that we have already used 1x in the brewery for Dragon’s Milk). The use of the “second use” barrel allows us to control the bourbon intensity and, frankly, suppress it a bit. I reached out to Brewmaster and Partner, John Haggerty for his response, “My personal feeling is that if you don’t do this then the bourbon character is too overpowering. It becomes the dominant flavor in the beer and that is not what I want. I.e. if I want to drink a shot of bourbon I will buy a shot of bourbon. But we are trying to make a beer and the bourbon character should support the flavor of the beer not the other way around. So, we have intentionally tried to subdue it.” Also, if one drinks Dragon’s Milk at the proper temperature – 45 – 50F, you will be more likely to see that the bourbon flavor is there. When it is too cold, it will hide a little bit. We set out to be the “best” and in our opinion that means balance – i.e. the bourbon should lay back delicately and support the beer flavor. I hope this helps and thanks for reaching out!
What distillery (or distillerys) do the bourbon barrels come from? MGPI?
Hi Brett,
Without trying to sound coy, we actually get our barrels from various Kentucky distilleries. Well worth the shipping costs!
Cheers!
Emily