Apple Brandy Barrel GBS Blend
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- From:
- Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- Herb and Spice Beer
- ABV:
- 13.5%
- Score:
- +7 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.01 | pDev: 13.22%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 20, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 09, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia
3.28/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.28/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
There doesn't appear to be a date code on the bottle or the label, however this is from the 2022 GBS Complete Set.
Appearance: It is a black-bodied beer with a medium-sized head that forms on a vigorous pour. The head is khaki with dense bubbles and it stands up well. There is a nice slope of bubbles that coat the glass.
Aroma: A strong barrel scent comes through along with a strong carbonic (CO2) nip to the nose. A lot of alcohol is also present. It smells like fresh alcohol poured over wet wood. A light bit of toasted character comes at the end.
Taste: Caramel comes through with some lightly toasted notes of bread, nuts, and brown sugar. It is a bit like a caramelized and toasted nut bread, but there is a very strong alcohol flavor that comes in quickly and stings the tongue, driving away a lot of the flavor from the beer. Near the end there is more of a nutty character with a hint of vanilla. It is a bit like vanilla and almonds. The flavor characters are good but they are at constant battle with the high alcohol. It turns out to be a joyous discovery of flavor followed by a very sharp call to retreat. As the beer is consumed it takes on a bit more astringency and tartness. It actually starts to taste more like raw apples than apple brandy.
Mouthfeel: The body is smooth and medium-full bodied. The alcohol cuts back on the body a bit but there is a bit of syrupy thickness that reinforces it. It is very much a slow drinking beer.
Overall: From the label on the bottle, it states that this is "Matured in Laird's Apple Brandy Barrels, our Brewers have coalesced twenty-month and ten-month-aged Imperial Milk Stout." The beer is slightly more fruity than it normally would be, which is interesting. It has a bit of a tart and green quality to it which seems to counteract the darker malt and barrel notes quite a bit. It has a lot of alcohol and it greatly lacks the namesake Gingerbread Stout spice. I would recommend giving this one a pass unless you're a die-hard apple brandy fan. It is a boozy miss.
Dec 12, 2022Appearance: It is a black-bodied beer with a medium-sized head that forms on a vigorous pour. The head is khaki with dense bubbles and it stands up well. There is a nice slope of bubbles that coat the glass.
Aroma: A strong barrel scent comes through along with a strong carbonic (CO2) nip to the nose. A lot of alcohol is also present. It smells like fresh alcohol poured over wet wood. A light bit of toasted character comes at the end.
Taste: Caramel comes through with some lightly toasted notes of bread, nuts, and brown sugar. It is a bit like a caramelized and toasted nut bread, but there is a very strong alcohol flavor that comes in quickly and stings the tongue, driving away a lot of the flavor from the beer. Near the end there is more of a nutty character with a hint of vanilla. It is a bit like vanilla and almonds. The flavor characters are good but they are at constant battle with the high alcohol. It turns out to be a joyous discovery of flavor followed by a very sharp call to retreat. As the beer is consumed it takes on a bit more astringency and tartness. It actually starts to taste more like raw apples than apple brandy.
Mouthfeel: The body is smooth and medium-full bodied. The alcohol cuts back on the body a bit but there is a bit of syrupy thickness that reinforces it. It is very much a slow drinking beer.
Overall: From the label on the bottle, it states that this is "Matured in Laird's Apple Brandy Barrels, our Brewers have coalesced twenty-month and ten-month-aged Imperial Milk Stout." The beer is slightly more fruity than it normally would be, which is interesting. It has a bit of a tart and green quality to it which seems to counteract the darker malt and barrel notes quite a bit. It has a lot of alcohol and it greatly lacks the namesake Gingerbread Stout spice. I would recommend giving this one a pass unless you're a die-hard apple brandy fan. It is a boozy miss.
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