Gingerbread Stout | Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Brewed by:
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Virginia, United States
hardywood.com
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.20%
Availability: Fall
Notes / Commercial Description:
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
Added by TechTriumph on 12-08-2011
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 1,385 | Reviews: 193
4.41/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look is pitch black with 3+ fingers of dirty khaki head. (Love me some head on my stouts).
Aroma is ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and honestly smells like christmas morning.
Taste is ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and maybe molasses.
Feel is a bit thin, but certainly creamy.
Overall it's really good. Tastes like a gingerbread cookie and reminds me of Christmas morning.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look is pitch black with 3+ fingers of dirty khaki head. (Love me some head on my stouts).
Aroma is ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and honestly smells like christmas morning.
Taste is ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and maybe molasses.
Feel is a bit thin, but certainly creamy.
Overall it's really good. Tastes like a gingerbread cookie and reminds me of Christmas morning.
368 characters
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy dark khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts and spice notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light roast/char and herbal/peppery spice bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, dark/brown bread, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet and peppery spice balance; with zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitter/spiciness, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.2%; with a touch if increasing ginger heat through the glass. Overall this is a fantastic spiced imperial stout! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and spice flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Pretty much perfectly balanced between stout and spice flavors. Not super roasty/charred for a stout; but adequate to still feel like a stout, and let the spices have a nice showcase. A highly enjoyable offering.
2,209 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy dark khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts and spice notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of raisin, plum, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light roast/char and herbal/peppery spice bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, caramel, cream, honey, brown sugar, molasses, toasted oats, biscuit, dark/brown bread, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet and peppery spice balance; with zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitter/spiciness, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.2%; with a touch if increasing ginger heat through the glass. Overall this is a fantastic spiced imperial stout! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and spice flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Pretty much perfectly balanced between stout and spice flavors. Not super roasty/charred for a stout; but adequate to still feel like a stout, and let the spices have a nice showcase. A highly enjoyable offering.
2,209 characters
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.1/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3-25-17 - On tap at Heritage in the Fan of Richmond. Just a hint of Christmas in March. Served in a short stemmed wine glass with dark, dark brown color and a caramel colored head. Nutmeg and slight cinnamon flavors with just a bit of the gingerbread flavors. A nice stout to begin my meal. Great restaurant.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3-25-17 - On tap at Heritage in the Fan of Richmond. Just a hint of Christmas in March. Served in a short stemmed wine glass with dark, dark brown color and a caramel colored head. Nutmeg and slight cinnamon flavors with just a bit of the gingerbread flavors. A nice stout to begin my meal. Great restaurant.
313 characters
3.48/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.23/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From a bottle, pours as murky black with a dense lasting head. Roasted malt and ginger aromas. Amazingly convincing (and pronounced) gingerbread taste with stout malts, spice, and chocolate. Body is decent; nicely carbonated and a bit of creaminess, but also a bit of a watery finish.
287 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From a bottle, pours as murky black with a dense lasting head. Roasted malt and ginger aromas. Amazingly convincing (and pronounced) gingerbread taste with stout malts, spice, and chocolate. Body is decent; nicely carbonated and a bit of creaminess, but also a bit of a watery finish.
287 characters
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.46/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.41/5 rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Like the-adjunct-hippie 's comments I had an older release and it was tough to consume. Straight ginger and spice nothing else. I feel this a beer that needs to be drank fresh
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Like the-adjunct-hippie 's comments I had an older release and it was tough to consume. Straight ginger and spice nothing else. I feel this a beer that needs to be drank fresh
175 characters
4.22/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
5/5 rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Awesome Beer is all I can say about this one.
45 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Awesome Beer is all I can say about this one.
45 characters
4.65/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.35/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.62/5 rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.38/5 rDev -20.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
2014 release. Guess this is 3 years old.
Dark chocolate brown body with a pinkish beige 2 finger head.
Aromas of ginger, maple sap, oatmeal, chocolate, and alcohol - I wanna say bourbon sweetness although there's no barrel to be found in the recipe. Lots of delicious spices waft up to the olfactory too.
Flavor is mostly absent honestly...and by that I mean it hides behind a watery body to start. I'm guessing this has to be consumed fresh. Behind the water, I get old crumbled gingerbread man, coffee grounds, molasses, nutmeg, and red hots. Ending on coffee and sympathetic fake sugar with breaths of ginger. As it warms it just gets awful. Awful.
Feel is pretty watery, but leaves an interesting coating on the palate, with some roasty dryness and biting carbonation. Just way too thin for a stout in any instance.
Well, Gingerbread Stout was a fail for me. Having a real hard time finishing it. I honestly think it's something that needs to be consumed fresh. Unfortunate, but I guess I can cross this off my list now :-(
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
2014 release. Guess this is 3 years old.
Dark chocolate brown body with a pinkish beige 2 finger head.
Aromas of ginger, maple sap, oatmeal, chocolate, and alcohol - I wanna say bourbon sweetness although there's no barrel to be found in the recipe. Lots of delicious spices waft up to the olfactory too.
Flavor is mostly absent honestly...and by that I mean it hides behind a watery body to start. I'm guessing this has to be consumed fresh. Behind the water, I get old crumbled gingerbread man, coffee grounds, molasses, nutmeg, and red hots. Ending on coffee and sympathetic fake sugar with breaths of ginger. As it warms it just gets awful. Awful.
Feel is pretty watery, but leaves an interesting coating on the palate, with some roasty dryness and biting carbonation. Just way too thin for a stout in any instance.
Well, Gingerbread Stout was a fail for me. Having a real hard time finishing it. I honestly think it's something that needs to be consumed fresh. Unfortunate, but I guess I can cross this off my list now :-(
1,036 characters
4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.43/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Gingerbread Stout from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
4.26
out of 5
based on 1,385 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5