Rye Barrel GBS
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

 

 

 

750ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- pours a deep brown color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that has short retention

S- as with any GBS, ginger takes front of stage on the nose, followed by undertones of cinnamon, milk sugars, vanilla and chocolate. Having trouble finding any barrel notes, let alone rye

T- barrel is much more prominent in the taste; wet oak and barrel juice up front, along with some peppery rye notes. Mid-palate adds ginger and cinnamon. The finish gives sweet notes of vanilla cream, more oak and ginger on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish, abv hidden well

O- the barrel comes through more in flavor than aroma, and seems to mask the ginger a bit, which is a good thing

 

L: Had this beer on-tap at Capital Ale House - Innsbrook, poured into a snifter glass. Had a dark brown / black color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A very nice aroma of ginger, malt, chocolate, whiskey, vanilla, and cinnamon.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of malt (present throughout, but not prevalent), a tinge of cinnamon (fleeting), lots of ginger (dominant), light rye whiskey notes, a little chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Not quite what I was expecting, but likable nonetheless. The flavor had a lighter, spicier quality than its cousins, but was still tasty.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A solid, likable stout. Drinkable.

750 ml bottle into a snifter. 2017 edition. Had 7/20/18.

Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a half inch, quickly dissipating head and some soapy lacing. Aromas of malt, ginger, light rye whiskey, some chocolate and toffee, light vanilla, some smoke. The taste is lead by the rye whiskey- still on the lighter side, then ginger, malt, lesser amounts of vanilla, caramel and chocolate, light molasses. Smooth, a good medium to full body, well carbonated.

Good aroma and flavor, but some of the flavors you expect in any IS were kind of muted. Overall, the barrels are fairly subtle. While the ginger came through pretty strongly, the cinnamon was a no- show for me. Let this really warm up for best results. Liked it, but it wasn’t up to expectations.

 

 

The beer pours a light brown colored head that dissipates quickly while the beer itself is a dark chocolate brown. The smell is good with a decent wooden note that mixes well with the strong ginger note and moderate cinnamon note underneath it all. The honey is fairly light and comes in the finish mostly. The rye spice note comes out well though. The taste is good. It has a moderate wood note while the ginger once again comes out in front next to the rye notes. The feel is good. It has a heavy body and a very very smooth feel to it. Decent and worth getting but comes off as a little subdued.

 

 

Almost black with a mocha head. Nose is heavy with ginger and the flavor follows. The spice of the rye barrel accentuates the ginger in the GBS profile. Tastes like a roasty ginger beer. Very nice version of GBS. Medium-full bodied with modest carbonation.

Pours a dark brown color, about half a finger of off-white head fades quickly to a little ring around the glass. Smells of...gingerbread. Ginger dominates at first, as it warms cinnamon and rye come forwards. The ginger is stronger in this variant, dominating at first and followed by dark chocolate and honey, finishing into cinnamon, and finally into a light rye whiskey flavor to finish. Whiskey flavor lingers nicely on the palette. Smooth. Overall, pleasant addition to the GBS lineup. The rye makes this a spicier version, don't get quite as much gingerbread from this but it's pleasant nonetheless.

Bottle from 2017 poured into a goblet.
Pours dark black with minimal lacing and head.
Smells of ginger, cinnamon, and rye.
Tastes mostly of dark chocolate and rye which adds some nice flavors. Not getting much gingerbread, honey, or cinnamon like I expected.
Feel is medium body and carbonation.
Overall a decent beer but some of the flavors seem to have faded over the past year.

Thanks to a local who overstuffed his cellar & cleared out a bunch of Hardywood bottles. Given the quality of the base beer, hopes are running hot. 750ML caged & corked, split with my wife.

The pour is solid black, without any light leaking around the edges. Nose disappoints, with a pinch of vague spicing & sweetness. Uninspired.

GBS – Rye Barrel Aged adds even more spicing to an already spice-head beer. The rye barrel is ascendant, which never made me rage quit anything. Ginger pops, but the cinnamon is lost in the spice carousel nature of the beer. Quiet vanilla adds sweetness, & the lactose makes this surpassingly smooth. Nip of oak right on the finish. Dangerously drinkable.

So rare that my favorite barrels don’t add significantly to a beer, but this is subtraction by addition. The rye actually interferes with the magic of the base beer, which if you close your eyes, could (almost) be mistaken for a Christmas morning cookie. Still a very good brew.