Bourbon GBS (Gingerbread Stout) | Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3.5/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

4.31/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2016 release.
Poured into a snifter.

Pours a rich opaque brown that shows a little mahogany around the edges. The minimal tan head leaves some lacing and legs are visible on the glass.

The strong nose is fantastic! The gingerbread really comes through along with Nutmeg and French Toast! This smells like Christmas morning! There is a bit of alcohol aroma as well but not much. The gingerbread flavor is not as strong as the nose and the overall taste is less spicy than the nose let's on. I get sweet molasses, vanilla, some chocolate and I think a hint of orange. The bourbon flavor is barely noticeable but this may have to do with the age of the bottle. The finish is long but not cloying. The feel is silky, smooth and viscous, sitting on the light side of full bodied. It surrounds the tongue like a soft pillow.

A great sweet stout. I would love to have a bottle of this for the holidays.

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4.29/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.7/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

4.41/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3.9/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This is one of those beers that everyone goes bat-crazy for and I think it is "just OK". Had on tap at a barrel-aged event at POPE in Philly.

Looks alright but a little flat. The smell is all cinnamon and spices and Christmas dessert.

In the mouth, the bourbon is more prominent and balances out all the spice and sweetness.

The mouthfeel is rather flat and eventful, but the drinkability is off the charts for a 10.20% imperial brew.

Nice enough, but I don't get the hysteria.

 484 characters

4.76/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.73/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.6/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2016 Release

Appearance: Pours espresso brown with a foamy head of khaki; streaky, leggy lacing lines the chalice while the head retains at a quarter of an inch

Smell: Gingerbread soaked in Bourbon, with undertones of vanilla, caramel and oak

Taste: Gingerbread flavors burst forward on the palate, with cinnamon and ginger prominent; caramel, honey and vanilla tones build, through the middle, with a slightly boozy blend of Bourbon, oak and milk chocolate bringing up the rear; vanilla and gingerbread tones linger in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: By far, my favorite of the GBS series; the barrel treatment is exemplary

Thanks, jonnyybp, for the opportunity

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4.37/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a goblet. An opaque ruby-brown color with a modest tan head that quickly receeded to a wispy cap. Wow - the aroma was there right at the uncorking: ginger cookies, caramel, toast, vanilla, and maybe a hint of whiskey. The first sip was as predicted with huge gingerbread flavor. The complexity built quickly with layers of bourbon, vanilla, wood, cherries, and coffee. A smooth chocolatey finish with a nice comforting warming on the palate. A beautifully balanced beer.

 482 characters

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.39/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.34/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.21/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.08/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4