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Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Gingerbread Stout

Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Location Richmond, VA
Style Spiced Imperial Milk Stout
 ABV 9.2%
 IBUs 55

 

Best Quote During Tasting

I ate way too many nachos last night.

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Justin:

Aroma
The blast of ginger is huge. It starts when you pull the cork and fills the air as you pour the beer into your glass. The next thing you can get is some faint chocolate and maybe some cinnamon mixed with it. It's generally sweet (not caramelly sweet, just sweet).
Appearance
The beer pours a deep brown with a dense, quarter inch thick chestnut colored head. The bubbles are small and tight and the head almost looks like it belongs on a nitro beer. It also has great, sticky lacing.
Flavor
The ginger again is just huge and it brings some spiciness along with it. The chocolate tastes like a bitter chocolate and it's joined by some roasted notes. It's definitely got some bitterness from the hops as well. You can't get any real hop flavor but you can definitely tell they're there. It's over 9% but  you can't taste the alcohol (although it is a little hot as you swallow).
Mouthfeel
The carbonation is medium+ and the body is medium. It's not a heavy beer by any means and it's definitely thinner than I was anticipating.
Overall Impression
This is a beer whose reputation precedes it. I've heard of it long before I had the chance to try it and it lived up to the hype. The biggest thing I'll say about it is that it did not resemble a gingerbread cookie. The bready, doughy, character that would've helped that idea wasn't there to add to that illusion. It did however have some good bitterness, spice and roast going on so it was a damn delicious beer. If you're out east or have some friends that are, find a way to get a bottle for this winter.

 

User Rating: 0.0 (1 votes)
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Justin Phelps

Justin Phelps

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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