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Trickery
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- From:
- Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- Sweet / Milk Stout
Ranked #12 - ABV:
- 13.5%
- Score:
- 98
Ranked #328 - Avg:
- 4.45 | pDev: 7.19%
- Reviews:
- 69
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 23, 2023
- Added:
- Oct 11, 2014
- Wants:
- 234
- Gots:
- 104
Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Milk Stout.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hallertau:
Rated by Hallertau from Wisconsin
4.44/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Aug 10, 2015
4.44/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Aug 10, 2015
More User Ratings:
Rated by NotVeryCreative16 from South Carolina
5/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Very different yet incredible. One of the best beers I've had.
Jan 24, 2021Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia
4.63/5 rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.63/5 rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Many thanks to Bolte for this brew.
A: Dark black in color with a very dark brown head, that rises out of the body of the beer.
S: Like most of the Hardywood Barrel agings, this one does not shy away from the barrel character. Huge oak and apple brandy character. Some apple crumble notes as well as dark brown sugar.
T: SWeet up front with baked apple and brown sugar. Oak and vanilla come out as well as a roasted grain character with just a touch of smoke. Finish is toasted marshmallow and coconut.
M: Rich, smooth, and creamy. With a long linger.
O: This is a pretty phenomenal beer. You should get one.
Apr 24, 2020A: Dark black in color with a very dark brown head, that rises out of the body of the beer.
S: Like most of the Hardywood Barrel agings, this one does not shy away from the barrel character. Huge oak and apple brandy character. Some apple crumble notes as well as dark brown sugar.
T: SWeet up front with baked apple and brown sugar. Oak and vanilla come out as well as a roasted grain character with just a touch of smoke. Finish is toasted marshmallow and coconut.
M: Rich, smooth, and creamy. With a long linger.
O: This is a pretty phenomenal beer. You should get one.
Reviewed by Riff from Virginia
3.98/5 rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.98/5 rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours black with minimal chocolate brown head that fades away to nothing shortly afterwards. Smell is brandy heavy with notes of chocolate. Taste is apples and brandy, chocolate, roasted malts, brown sugar, and dark fruits. Lighter body than I expected but still about medium heavy. Little to no carbonation. I like the flavor of this, but it can't hide the booze so there is some noticeable heat that may turn off some. A solid stout though a tad pricey for what it is compared to some others available.
Feb 23, 2020Reviewed by teromous from Virginia
3.49/5 rDev -21.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.49/5 rDev -21.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
There does not appear to be a date on the bottle but this was purchased at the brewery for the 2019 release.
Appearance: The body is black and it never forms a head even with a vigorous pour. It starts to develop just a very light film of bubbles but they go away almost instantly, leaving a sheet of black onyx across the surface. There are some very small bubbles around the edge of the glass that don't even form a ring. Even for a beer that has "ALC 13.5% BY VOL" (as indicated by the label) it is still below average looking.
Aroma: It is very boozy smelling. It has a brandy liqueur aroma which is very noticeable. There is a light aroma of Bing cherries. A light aroma of wet wood sneaks around in the background.
Taste; It has a very strong alcohol presence. It tastes more like spirits than beer. There is a light fruitiness to the beer that is not distinct to any specific fruit, but tastes a bit like red wine and plum. There is a lightly charred flavor at the end.
Mouthfeel: It is very smooth and although there is a high presence of alcohol in this beer it maintains a nice full body that never feels thin. It is a bit sticky at the end and carbonation is low. It is definitely a sipper.
Overall: It is a very boozy beer so that could be a turn-off for some. The label states that this is an "IMPERIAL MILK STOUT AGED IN APPLE BRANDY BARRELS." It does have the aroma of brandy and there is a mild fruity character to the beer but nothing that tastes specifically like apple brandy. The Imperial Milk Stout flavors are lost behind the boozy character of the beer. There was a light char to the beer but that could just as easily have been from the barrel as from the grains. I recommend drinking this with a palate cleanser or some food due to how boozy it is. I would say that it is worth trying, especially if somebody gave it to you at a get together, but it isn't put together well enough for me to recommend seeking it out. I could drink it again, or not.
Oct 31, 2019Appearance: The body is black and it never forms a head even with a vigorous pour. It starts to develop just a very light film of bubbles but they go away almost instantly, leaving a sheet of black onyx across the surface. There are some very small bubbles around the edge of the glass that don't even form a ring. Even for a beer that has "ALC 13.5% BY VOL" (as indicated by the label) it is still below average looking.
Aroma: It is very boozy smelling. It has a brandy liqueur aroma which is very noticeable. There is a light aroma of Bing cherries. A light aroma of wet wood sneaks around in the background.
Taste; It has a very strong alcohol presence. It tastes more like spirits than beer. There is a light fruitiness to the beer that is not distinct to any specific fruit, but tastes a bit like red wine and plum. There is a lightly charred flavor at the end.
Mouthfeel: It is very smooth and although there is a high presence of alcohol in this beer it maintains a nice full body that never feels thin. It is a bit sticky at the end and carbonation is low. It is definitely a sipper.
Overall: It is a very boozy beer so that could be a turn-off for some. The label states that this is an "IMPERIAL MILK STOUT AGED IN APPLE BRANDY BARRELS." It does have the aroma of brandy and there is a mild fruity character to the beer but nothing that tastes specifically like apple brandy. The Imperial Milk Stout flavors are lost behind the boozy character of the beer. There was a light char to the beer but that could just as easily have been from the barrel as from the grains. I recommend drinking this with a palate cleanser or some food due to how boozy it is. I would say that it is worth trying, especially if somebody gave it to you at a get together, but it isn't put together well enough for me to recommend seeking it out. I could drink it again, or not.
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia
4.4/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.4/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle:
A sipper of a beer with a full yet slick mouthfeel that is offset by a bit of char and alcohol bite.
An oil slick out of the bottle generates a finger and a half of dark mocha head. A medium ring of that dark creaminess lasts, though no lace is produced.
Nose has the sweetness of brandy (though not apple specifically, to me) that mixes with a dark chocolate roasted malt, burnt brown sugar, and dark sweet fruits with a hint of the barrel itself. The silky liquid coats with a little bit of sweetness from the lactose at first, morphing to include a bit of a charred brown sugar impression as it warms. The apple brandy gives a mix of fruits, most often fig or prune when mixed with the malts, though I get a blueberry jam on occasion. The apple part of the brandy is specifically noted as the bolder notes fade about mid-taste.
A very nice big beer, right in line with others from Hardywood. The flavors mix the base stout with the barrel aspect pretty well, with the milk stout keeping the lead role. As stated, the minor problem I had was that, even with a few months on this beer, there's still a slight harshness in the back that tugs the experience downward slightly.
May 28, 2019A sipper of a beer with a full yet slick mouthfeel that is offset by a bit of char and alcohol bite.
An oil slick out of the bottle generates a finger and a half of dark mocha head. A medium ring of that dark creaminess lasts, though no lace is produced.
Nose has the sweetness of brandy (though not apple specifically, to me) that mixes with a dark chocolate roasted malt, burnt brown sugar, and dark sweet fruits with a hint of the barrel itself. The silky liquid coats with a little bit of sweetness from the lactose at first, morphing to include a bit of a charred brown sugar impression as it warms. The apple brandy gives a mix of fruits, most often fig or prune when mixed with the malts, though I get a blueberry jam on occasion. The apple part of the brandy is specifically noted as the bolder notes fade about mid-taste.
A very nice big beer, right in line with others from Hardywood. The flavors mix the base stout with the barrel aspect pretty well, with the milk stout keeping the lead role. As stated, the minor problem I had was that, even with a few months on this beer, there's still a slight harshness in the back that tugs the experience downward slightly.
Trickery from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Beer rating:
98 out of
100 with
526 ratings
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