Gingerbread Stout
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Gingerbread StoutGingerbread Stout
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From:
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
Ranked #61
ABV:
9.2%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,384
Avg:
4.29 | pDev: 10.72%
Reviews:
254
Ratings:
1,572
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 14, 2024
Added:
Dec 08, 2011
Wants:
  670
Gots:
  527
Brewed with baby ginger from Casselmonte Farm and wildflower honey from Bearer Farms, Hardywood Gingerbread Stout captures the terroir of central Virginia in a rich, creamy libation with a velvety mouthfeel and an intriguing evolution of flavors from milk chocolate and vanilla to honeycomb and cinnamon to a snap of ginger in the finish.

Deep, dark chocolate in color with a mahogany tint and a frothy, caramel colored head, Hardywood Gingerbread Stout offers aromatics of holiday spice originating from the ginger, and balanced with a generous dose of whole Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans and Vietnamese cinnamon. Milk sugar (lactose) contributes to the full body of this stout and tames its roasty character, while oats lend a silky quality. Enjoy fresh, or cellar for a special occasion. We hope Hardywood Gingerbread Stout contributes to your merriment this season.

55 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by KYGunner:
Photo of KYGunner
Reviewed by KYGunner from Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pungent ginger bread nose with a malty cookie base and a stream of lactose-sweetness.

The flavor is delicious gingerbread cookie, with a balanced spice and malt character. Christmas in a bottle, for sure!
Feb 23, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Holderness
Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
Tried blind side-by-side the BBA variant. This one smells like opening a fresh bag of gingersnap cookies. The ginger in particular is quite expressive. Nice to see the cinnamon doesn't just dominate everything. Flavors lean more cinnamon-forward, although there is still a noticeable ginger character (more powdered than fresh). More herbal hoppy bitterness and less sweetness than expected. No particularly discernable honey or vanilla. Feel is quite thin for the ABV, more in line with a classic Irish stout. Overall pretty decent and definitely less gimmicky than anticipated. The ginger is the highlight of this one

73/100
Feb 14, 2024
 
Rated: 4.27 by liquorpig from Massachusetts

Feb 03, 2024
 
Rated: 4.33 by bgillespie from New Jersey

Jan 17, 2024
Photo of q33jeff
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

4.27/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
**
01/14/24

can to snifter

thick brown foamy head over a dark black body.
good retention

gingerbread, spiced cookie, ginger ale,

roasted malt, fig, gingerbread, spiced cookie, fruitcake, molasses

full body , hint of sharp spice heat, dry feel, very good carbonation for the style.

**
Jan 14, 2024
 
Rated: 4.37 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.19 by Dope from Massachusetts

Jan 10, 2024
Photo of pathman
Rated by pathman from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
01/02/24 can @ home
Jan 02, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by bkwagie

Dec 22, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by JLeelssu from Virginia

Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by RollDamnTide from Florida

Dec 17, 2023
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
1954
Name: Gingerbread Stout
Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Location: Richmond, VA
Style: Sweet Milk Stout
ABV: 9.2%
Date: Unknown
I consumed Christmas Pancakes yesterday, and I will try Gingerbread Stout today. I served it at 48 degrees. Sorting through my collection of glasses, I selected my Brurey tulip glass. The pour created a foamy, creamy, dark tan head with excellent retention. The slow dissipation left no lacing on the glass. Examining the color, I determined the beer charts to be around SRM 38—a dark brown, nearly black, and opaque. I am rating the beer above average; the appearance was lovely.
A fragrant spice bouquet of ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. Reminds me of a gingersnap cookie. Nosing the glass again, vanilla, molasses, and raisins gave the beer a sugary aroma. The malt profile is coffee, lightly toasted grains, a touch of char, and chocolate. I am smelling little to no cream or milk in the beer. I will rate the aromas above average; I do not sense any off-flavors,
I am impressed that this sweet milk stout is not loaded with sugar, and the spices balance the beer. The malt profile is bready, char, coffee, chocolate, lightly toasted grains, and a hint of smoke. The sugar component is molasses, raisins, caramel, and vanilla. The spice bouquet is cardamom, cinnamon, and lots of ginger.
The mouthfeel is creamy, soft, and chewy. The body is medium-plus, and the carbonation is low.
The beer is a bit drier than the Christmas Cookies. I love how sugar aromas do not translate into the taste. It is nice to see a brewer have restraint when building beers. An overly sugary is a turn-off. The overall harmony and balance in the beer is excellent. I love this beer and would like to make it out to Virginia to consume more of what Hardywood offers.
Dec 08, 2023
Photo of Iamaskier
Reviewed by Iamaskier from Idaho

4.25/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark, light head
S: Rich caramel malt, dark chocolate, honey, and gingerbread on the tail.
T: Dark chocolate, burnt caramel, very sweet in the body, molasses and vanilla, with ginger bread and cinnamon coming in on the finish and adding a bit of heat.
F: Oily smooth. Very warm, thanks to the ABV and gingerbread.
O: Very rich, very warm, very enjoyable holiday desert beer.
Nov 12, 2023
Photo of BuxMontBeerLover
Reviewed by BuxMontBeerLover from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Purchased at Sellersville Beverage, Sellersville, PA. $16.50/4pk 16oz cans.

Pours a jet black color, totally opaque. Not a hint of light showing through this brew. A half finger, quickly fading beige head on the initial pour. Fine lacing left on the sides of the goblet.

A distinct cinnamon, sweet aroma. Inviting.

A very good stout. Flavors of gingerbread, cinnamon and vanilla. Very sweet but not cloying. Slightly bitter aftertaste. The ABV is lurking there in the background.

Thicker consistency, medium carbonation.

Overall, a stout that I enjoyed. A bit sweet so a one-a-nighter for me, more of a dessert beer. My first brew from Hardywood and a decent brew..Cheers!
Sep 24, 2023
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
16oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Black pour with what looks to be good clarity. The beer has a sheen to it. A finger and a half of fine-bubble beige head eventually settles into a thin cap. Thin and delicate sheets of lacing become thin rings.

S: Gingerbread, in a big way. Cookie, cinnamon, sugary, vanilla and icing. Clovey/medicinal. Warming ginger. Mild whiff of alcohol. Undercurrents of cola and malt roast. Perhaps the faintest whiff of black cherry.

T: Big dose of cinnamon up front. Things get cake-y after that with a sort of carrot cake and hermit cookie molasses and spice. Sugary lactose and vanilla team up to form an uncanny resemblance to icing. Ginger builds on the mid-palate and gets more apparent with warmth. Faint malt roast and iced coffee. Black cherry too. Brush of alcohol is well contained. A very mild balancing hop bitterness contributes little flavor, which is good here as it would probably be a distraction. Cinnamon and cookie finish.

M: Full body, mildly coating with a fair amount of residual sugars. Hefty with a weight that presses down firmly but gently. Ample fine-bubbled carbonation provides a little lift. Warming ginger-spice sensation.

O: I took the first couple sips of this beer quickly and without thinking too much about it, and it surprised the hell out of me how closely it does resemble a gingerbread cookie. After buckling down to dissect and critically analyze it, I can pick apart some additions and find the underlying subtleties, but in the end I kinda just wished I drank it without doing that. It's still a wonderful brew even under scrutiny, but this is a beer that is best consumed hedonistically and with your focus on company and environment, I think. The concept is so firmly nailed, and the sum of the parts form such a better whole that it doesn't bear dissecting. Just enjoy it and let it augment whatever else you're enjoying in that moment too. It's a damn near perfect occasion beer for the holidays.
Feb 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.49 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Feb 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.91 by Nunya from Ohio

Jan 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by jtransel from Illinois

Jan 01, 2023
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

3.54/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
starts out malty with light sweetness - becomes strong on the taste - not as good as the porter
Dec 29, 2022
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours black, light brown head, not much retention but a nice thin opaque creamy layer sticks around.

Nose is ginger and honey forward, a fresh ginger; touch of vanilla, dark chocolate and roast shows as it warms.

The flavors come in waves; first ginger, then creamy vanilla; followed by a gingery cinnamon spice/bite, then out of no where a dark and nice bitter chocolate. Oh then that ginger spiciness lingers away.

Big body, low carbonation, creamy, not sweet, feel; very noticeable roasty bitterness on the finish. This drinks very clean for having all those flavors jammed in the taste, remarkably smooth…this beer is dangerous given its abv.

This beer is exactly what it says it is, the part that caught me by surprise in a good way is that huge hit of bitter chocolate, very good sipper.
Dec 25, 2022
Gingerbread Stout from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 1572 ratings