Gingerbread Stout - Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

brother_kenneth

Virginia

4.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle, poured into the GBS goblet/snifter, Christmas Eve night.

A- Dark brown in color, and looks somewhat thin for a stout. Very little head, which disappears very quickly.

S- Absolutely delicious smell. Lots of ginger and cinnamon. Also, some allspice, nutmeg, etc. There may be a hint of alcohol in the nose as well.

T- Just like the aroma. It is remarkable how well the ginger comes through. This is seriously like eating a slice of gingerbread. Loads of cinnamon, honey, ginger, and other spices. This is an incredibly unique, albeit delicious milk stout. Very, very sweet, and hardly no alcohol heat at all. Lighter body than most stouts, but has a wonderful milky and creamy mouth feel; minimal carbonation.

O- This will forever be my favorite Christmas beer. I will be attending the release every single year from now on. Don't pass on this one, folks. It is a delicious and unique stout. My wife got sick on Christmas Eve night, so I drank the entire 750mL bottle by myself. Loved every minute of it!

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 01:31:11 | More by brother_kenneth

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.73/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle from ThatCracker (thanks Andrew!). No bottling info but I know it to be from the recent release. Served in a Hardywood GBS goblet.

Pours dark brown with milk chocolate edges. The two fingers of thick pillowy tan head leave a good bit of lace.

Smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cream. Quite nice.

Taste is fantastic authentic gingerbread. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, sweet cream, clove, honey and a hint of booze. Outstanding.

Creamy medium full feel with tingly carbonation like cinnamon sugar on top. Long sweet finish.

This is as authentic with gingerbread as Southern Tier gets with their Blackwater flavors. Start to finish, this is an excellent holiday gingerbready treat. I'm looking forward to trying the bourbon version.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 19:46:11 | More by ThickNStout

oline73

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: The beer pours an opaque dark brown with over a finger of creamy off white head. The head sticks around pretty well.

Smell: Rather sweet with some roast. Mild spices, perhaps some clove, ginger, and nutmeg.

Taste: There isn't as much spice as I would have expected, but that's not a bad thing. It's got a creamy sweetness to it along with a nice level of roast. There is some gingerbread spice, but it more compliments the beer flavor.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thicker side and the carbonation is very smooth and creamy. The finish is on the dry side.

Overall: This is a nice desert beer. It's not as spice forward as I expected, but I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 02:23:00 | More by oline73

maxk

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had a 10oz pour at Joe's Inn in Richmond. I went to the brewery as their website said they were still tasting GBS but they had just run out. Review is from notes.

A dark mahogany color, bordering on black. Very little head which quickly settled into nothingness.

Smells of ginger, honey, molasses, tiny bit of vanilla, and cream. Imagine the aroma of gingerbread in the oven, with a hint of booze.

It lives up to the hype. Tastes more or less like it smells. Lots of honey and milk sweetness, followed by heavy ginger. I get a little cinnamon spice rounding out the ginger.

Creamy and rich. I found the beer relatively heavy and filling. Still, considering the taste, it seemed like it could have benefitted from a little bit more thickness.

Overall, I was impressed. I went to Richmond with the hopes of getting to try this and a bunch of other Hardywood beers and I was not disappointed. One of the best tasting Christmas/spiced beers I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2012 00:35:16 | More by maxk

BeastLU

Virginia

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Currently being enjoyed in a Hardywood snifter. I have had the 2011 on tap and bottled, prefer it on draft. As far as 2012 goes the bottles seem to be better.

A - Black. Surprisingly white head which sticks around for about half the beer.

S - Smells great. take a whiff before you've tasted and you know your in for something special.

T - Tastes better than it smells which is a tall order. Top notch taste. Unique for any stout, particularly of this ABV, almost no booze taste.

M - Honestly I do wish it was a little thicker. This would be my only significant knock on this beer. I wont call it watery but it almost seems unnatural how thin it is with the great taste.

0 - Awesome beer. Maybe the best beer for beer lovers and novices to drink together. The taste is so good anyone can approach it, and any beer geek can taste the genius that goes into every glass. I have a case of the 2012 ready to be aged and 2 bottles of the BA version. Can't wait to see how they taste with a bit of father time on them.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 22:57:46 | More by BeastLU

russwbeck

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Got this in a trade at the Bourbon GBS release.

A: Black pour, that hints towards brown, that doesn't give much of a head even with a vigorous pour. What is there is brown, but it recedes really quickly and doesn't leave much lacing. You can see through it at the edges.

S: The aroma is very focused on the gingerbread, but there's a lot of sweetness from the lactose in there. Booze comes out, which sort of throws the balance out of whack. I feel like the body of the aroma is missing something holding it all together, but it's still pretty decent.

T: It really tastes like a milk stout on gingerbread steroids. The sugars, lactose, and sweetness, probably from the honey, provide a base and the gingerbread comes second, and in a big way. This beer really is completely focused on the spice, which includes cinnamon at some points. The issue is that the booze, again throws the balance off somewhat. There is a ton going on here, but they've managed to make it work together. I must say that typically I steer clear of milk stouts, but this one I found to be pretty enjoyable. The chocolate, milk, and ginger really do remind me of Christmas.

MF: The mouthfeel is where this beer really doesn't hold up. It's too thin (which really worries me for the bourbon barrel aged version), and it can't seem to hold up to the big flavors that it's trying the let out. The finish leaves a strange aftertaste.

O: This was a really great milk stout and I'm glad I got to try it. It did impress me for the style, but overall I don't think I'd go for another bottle. Kudos to you Hardywood for making a well thought out, and well execute release.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 22:00:38 | More by russwbeck

billab914

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into my Devil's Backbone snifter. Black in color with a thick tan foam filling the top inch of the glass. Nice head retention and very good lacing.

Aroma has a very appealing mix of spices with notes of cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. I get some chocolate to it which really compliments well. It really comes together well, it smells pretty much like a delicious Christmas cookie.

The taste shows a little more dark chocolate and molasses presence to it. The spices come out more in the finish leaving a very nice ginger bread flavor lingering. Again, it comes together very well and the flavors are all complimenting of each other.

The mouthfeel is a little thin feeling for the style and carbonation is above average. The carbonation seems to work with the spices though.

Overall, I thought t was a great beer and I especially loved the uniqueness of it. I thought everything came together almost perfectly in it. They managed to completely capture a gingerbread cookie in a glass without overdoing it on the sweetness or spices. I'm not usually big on spiced beers but this one is easily the best holiday spiced beer I've had. Would love to drink more of this around the holidays.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 00:22:22 | More by billab914

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4.59/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bomber into tulip glass. Pours black/brown with a nice tan head that had some staying power. Aroma is baked gingerbread, some chocolate, slight roast. Flavor was spot on gingerbread cookie, ginger, spice, bread crust, chocolate, roasted coffee. Thick mouthfeel with good carbonation throughout. This beer is an eptiome of what a Christmas beer should taste like!

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 19:38:01 | More by CuriousMonk

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

5/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - Deep dark brown/black color with a very nice head. Moderate carbonation. Nice head with moderate lacing.

Smell - Roasty chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, pumpkin.

Taste - Chocolate gingerbread cookies. Simple as that. There are some nice vanilla notes in there as well, but you definitely feel like you are drinking a cookie without the super sugary tastes.

Mouthfeel - Silky smooth mouth feel. Moderate carbonation. The flavors stick around but there is no stickiness in the mouth.

Overall - Absolutely delicious. Way too easy to drink. It goes down like a dessert.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 03:47:04 | More by stereosforgeeks

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours deep brown with a decent sized beige head. Thin layer of retention and some lacing down the glass.

Really does smell like a gingerbread cookie. Ginger, cinnamon, some brown sugar with a touch of vanilla and a bit of roasted malt.

Wow amazingly integrated. I hate most spice beers usually because they are overspiced. This one is good. Spices are in play, but in balance and not overwhelming. It's an adjunct not the main feature, as plenty of the milk stout base comes through. Similar flavors as the nose all mixed well.

Medium bodied with higher carbonation than I care for in a stout. Only downfall of this beer.

Very good beer and probably my favorite holiday spiced ale I've had, but really the mouthfeel prevents it from being world class. I like a smooth velvety mouthfeel in my stouts. The sweet spot where the carbonation had died a bit, but not warm enough for the spices to take over was too brief. Looking forward to trying the BA version of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 20:36:50 | More by jmarsh123

mojiboo02

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft multiple times in Richmond. The 2012 version is a bit lighter bodied that the 2011 version, which makes it more drinkable than the 2011 counterpart. I couldn't finish a 12oz pour of the 2011, but the 2012 is a very sessionable 9.6% stout. The taste is very unique and very spicy on draft. Not a big appearance person, but the smell and taste are divine.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2012 18:25:07 | More by mojiboo02

cichief

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on draft at Mekong in Richmond, VA. It pours a beautiful dark ruby red, almost black with a deep brown head. Smells of vanilla and gingerbread, very sweet. Although sweet, it is well balanced and has a great finish. This is a wonderful dessert beer, and just a great beer overall. Very smooth, just enough carbonation. One of the best beers I've had this year!

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2012 01:02:11 | More by cichief

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Sam for the trade at the BBGBS release!

Refrigerated for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Poured into a Hardywood goblet, a dark brown color, lighter around the edges, with about two fingers of beige head that dwindled to a thick ringlet. This was very strange. At first, the aroma was very acrid and it seemed oxidized to me, with a bit of ginger, cinnamon, and caramel coming through. After letting it sit for a while, this changed quite dramatically, becoming more full of gingerbread cookie, vanilla icing and all, the harshness almost completely removed. The taste was extremely bitter up front. Extremely bitter. There was a definite gingerbread cookie sensation in there, but the bitterness overwhelmed it completely, and again, there seemed to be off-flavors indicative of oxidation. So I let it sit some more. The cookie-ness came out a bit more, but it was still quite bitter and stale, woody and kind of unpleasant, all the way into the aftertaste. It's almost as if a good, yummy cookie flavor wants to come to the forefront, but it just never gets there. Body was about medium, a bit thin for a stout...more like an English stout, or even a brown ale; fairly smooth, but just too harsh in flavor to be enjoyable. I can't imagine these bottles being bad already. The alternative theory is....this is just another over-hyped beer. Not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 02:03:28 | More by Rifugium

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle served in a Hardywood goblet. Thanks Thorpe.

Pours a ruby tinged cola brown with a light camel colored head that fades to a thin collar with no lace and minimal retention. Smells like a container of McCormick's cinnamon and light vanilla. Powdery, indeterminate spice, mild vanilla, nutmeg, mild and balanced but artificial. Medium light, soft carbonation and a powdery finish, thin throughout. Flavor is a little sweeter up front, honey and chocolate with an all spice, nutmeg and cinnamon in the finish. Balanced and not cloying, but I don't get it. If I want a stout ill drink one, this tastes nothing like one. Watery gingerbread and cinnamon in a glass. Not for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:26:39 | More by yourefragile

Beerontwowheels

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle to GBS tulip.

A. Pours with a coca cola brown color. 3/4" of head that is also very reminiscent of coca cola. Head settles to a thin layer.

S: Smells wonderful, just like a ginger cookie. Brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla complimemt.

T: The taste follows the nose. The honey is more prominent here than in the nose.
Very well integrated.

M: I found this overly carbonated. More prickly on the tongue than I like in a stout. Would benefit from a lighter carbonation and creamier mouthfeel.

O: A great beer from a favorite brewery of mine. Given the carbonation in the bottle, i'd like to try this on tap. On nitro, this beer would be incredible. Can't wait to try the BA version.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 23:26:15 | More by Beerontwowheels

cosmicevan

New York

4.68/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Notes from a tasting on 12/6. Big thanks to anthony for the share.

Enjoyed from a SH IRS snifter.

watery maroonish black with a thin white head. smells UNREAL. like gingerbread men. tastes the same. gingerbread happiness. VERY festive like a cookie. light bodied. WILD and DIFFERENT. extremely unique and MAD tasty. a little much to probably take on a bottle to yourself, but if you are looking for a beer to blow your family away with this holiday season, this is it.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:13:30 | More by cosmicevan

Beerisheaven

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Decided to throw my hat into the ring as well and get on board the Hardywood train. Thanks to Gorilla Fist Brewing and Funkybottoms for hooking me up.

A- Pours nicely into my Selinsgrovebrewing snifter. Dark brown cola color with a slowly building head that is a little late to the party but sticks around after showing up fashionably late.

S- Slightly muted considering all the possibilities here. You get it but just not to the level anticipated.

T- Wow, this is wonderful. Lovely combination of ginger, vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon. Pushes the limits and could be on the verge of being too sweet but it never gets there. This beer is the perfect holiday beverage to have around the fire or with a nice piece of holiday pie. On every level, I thought this was fantastic.

M- very satisfying, a little carbed but still is acceptable.

O- I was wondering if this was going to be hype but I think this is a wonderful and perfect beer for what they were looking to do. I am immediately going out to look for more in trade, it was that good.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 23:13:07 | More by Beerisheaven

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to egrace84 for sharing this bottle! Thanks elliot!

reviewed from notes taken on 11/30/2012.

poured into boltcutter tulip glass.

Appearance: medium black bodied beer with 2 fingers of light tan head. Spotty lacing.

Smell: Cinnamon, Snickerdoodle cookies, and gingersnaps. Maybe a hint of chocolate and roasty notes.

Taste: mildly spicey cinnamon, a hint of vanilla and chocolates. Big gingerbread finish! Wow is beer is crazy good. Great balance between the gingerbread and stout element of this beer!

Mouthfeel: Medium body and moderate carbonation. This beer feels fanatastic and the mouthfeel really compliments this beer well. Very smooth, little bit creamy, and no booze noted at all.

Overall: Hardywood nailed this beer! Its amazing! Perfect integration of gingerbread flavors into a stout! This is the best christmas beer that I have ever drank!

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 15:17:14 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours an overbearing head with very sticky lacing

S: Aroma of freshly baked sweet gingersnap cookies with cotton candy caramelized sugars.

T: Full flavored stout with nice spicing. Rich candied sugar flavors. Funny enough, the sugar flavors really are reminiscent of the white confectioner candy sugar coating on top of cookies. There is a biscuit flavor along with the spicy hinge at the end of the beer mixing with some anise like flavors and a charcoaly like ashiness from black patent presence.

M: Very well done body in my opinion. The carbonation seemed high judged solely on the massive head, but once it settled roughly ten minutes , I could really enjoy the carbonation levels which seemed extremely smooth.

O: Overall a very good stout, and my favorite milk stout to date. There are a lot of flavors going in here to make it more complex while at the same time helping to mask any flaws, but as a full package, I dig it.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 00:00:47 | More by alpinebryant

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle received in a trade. Enjoyed with a friend. 2012 release.

A- Pours the darkest brown that you can get before it's called black with 1/2 finger of light tan head that slowly dissipates to a thin film.

S- Aroma seems very muted until it warms. Smells of warm winter cooking spices mixed with a solid amount of roasty chocolatey malt.

T- Wow, what this beer lacks in aroma it makes up for it in the taste. This is where the ginger shines through. Tastes like a warm gingerbread man complete with icing and no hint of the 9.2% ABV present at all.

M- Smooth and creamy easy drinking. Hardly any carbonation at all.

O- A superb holiday beer. Would recommend to anyone. Even to non-beer drinkers.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 11:29:46 | More by rfbenavi80

smokeypeat

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark brown, almost black. Huge beige head on this one that is slow to die down. I got at least a three finger head out of it much more than a lot of stouts.

Smell is baking spices mixed with roast. Some molasses and cinnamon with bakers chocolate. Not getting a lot of ginger in the smell which is a little surprising.

Wow, taste is right up there. I'm not sure where all that ginger was in the aroma, but it is really prevalent on the first sip. Ginger, milk chocolate, spicy rye bread, nutmeg. It really is like a cookie, with a background sweetness present the whole time. Pretty wild, never had a beer like this before.

Mouthfeel is great. Good level of carbonation to deliver all the flavor. It's got a full body, but its not overly "sticky".

Overall this beer delivered a really unique experience. I'd love to know the recipe of this one to see how they pulled it all off. I would think this would be a really easy beer to screw up, but they have brought it all together to make a great holiday beer. Can't wait to crack one of these again on Christmas eve.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 20:28:16 | More by smokeypeat

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared by radagast83. Thanks a lot Chris! This beer was not on my radar, but it sure is now.

The beer sports a black body with a half inch of beige cap. The aroma is awesome - gingerbread cookies, roast, cookie dough, brown sugar, cinnamon. The taste follows suit, with additional notes of chocolate and chocolate milk. No lactic sourness whatsoever. Super smooth and creamy, with everything coming together beautifully. A work of art. Sweet, but never cloying. An ideal beer to enjoy over the holidays. I highly recommend this!

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 02:49:44 | More by Huhzubendah

brentk56

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours fudge brown with an inch or so of foam; a few strands of lace are left behind

Smell: Chocolate and gingerbread, chocolate and gingerbread etc., honeyed tones underneath

Taste: Black bread and milk chocolate with a developing gingerbread and honey character; in the middle, the gingery-gingerbread character really dominates, though the milk chocolate tones linger underneath through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; a bit less carbonated on tap, which is better for this brew

Overall: I heard good things about this beer from hoppedup (for those who remember him from this site) and decided to drive to Richmond for the release; glad I did as this is a great beer and is nicely differentiated from a lot of the other big stouts that get released around these parts

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 19:45:42 | More by brentk56

out4blood

4.9/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Hands down, the best beer I've ever had. I'm into Porters and Stouts, and whenever I go anywhere, I always try their darkest, strongest beer. I'm usually disappointed. Who would have guessed that one of the finest stouts is brewed right in my own backyard?

Subtle hints of of ginger and honey. It's sweet enough that you don't taste the kick it's got, but not too sweet to be cloying. The best part about the beer, and the reason I'm here actually writing a review is that this beer has the most pleasant aftertaste of any beer I've ever had. Very nice. Makes me feel nice and cozy even hours later.

My sense of smell is not the best, and I would have preferred a more pungent ginger aroma, but others report that it's just fine.

I've had this straight from the tap, out of a growler, and out of their massive corked bottles. I prefer it on tap or from the growler. The bottles seem to have an excess of carbonation, which makes pouring an drinking immediately less pleasant. Fortunately, I can take my growlers direct to the source.

Serving type: growler

11-22-2012 00:53:21 | More by out4blood

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Been wanting to trying this for a long time, here we go.

Beer pours a dark brown/almost black with a fluffy tan head. There are a ton of bubbles, making it actually look almost like a glass of Coke. Smell is of winter baking spices primarily with some roasted malt in the background. I don't think I would think "gingerbread" based on the smell if this beer wasn't called what it is. That said, it smells quite nice. Flavor takes it to the next level, however, as I feel like I'm drinking a chocolatey gingerbread cookie. The same winter spices from the nose combine very nicely with the stout base to create something very tasty and well-done. It's sweet, but far from being overly so, and still maintains the roasty stout aspects of the beer without letting the spices take over - very nicely balanced. I get much more "gingerbread" in the flavor, though I still wonder if I would've come to that conclusion on my own. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with nice carbonation and works well for the beer. Overall, this isn't a beer I'd want to drink every day, but it's pretty damn impressive for what it is - a great, well-crafted, unique beer for the holidays.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 23:37:43 | More by starrdogg