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Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

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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:
526
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 beergorrilla:
Photo of beergorrilla
Rated by beergorrilla from Michigan

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Jul 03, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.3 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Sep 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by DaveCash from New York

Dec 04, 2022
 
Rated: 3.84 by hopley from Massachusetts

Oct 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.56 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Jan 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.61 by KAP1356 from Pennsylvania

Mar 14, 2021
 
Rated: 4.36 by Wisconsin_IPA_Lover from Wisconsin

Feb 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by mjpolzin from Wisconsin

Feb 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4.44 by GaryM6 from New York

Jan 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.18 by beerrat from Virginia

Jan 28, 2021
Photo of NotVeryCreative16
Rated by NotVeryCreative16 from South Carolina

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, 2021
 
Rated: 4.59 by Eyedoc27 from Illinois

Oct 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.9 by BelgianHops from Belgium

Aug 13, 2020
Photo of Beejay
Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia

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, 2020
Photo of Riff
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
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, 2020
Photo of teromous
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

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, 2019
 
Rated: 4.55 by reebtaerG from Maryland

Oct 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Aug 16, 2019
Photo of cjgiant
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
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, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by WolverineFan1243 from Colorado

May 19, 2019
Trickery from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 526 ratings