Why we picked it: Another Virginia Brewery that we have not tried yet in the 24 DoB.
About Hardywood's Single: Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and uninhibited, Hardywood Singel is a feat in balance. Sunshine golden with a fluffy head and a veil of Belgian ale yeast, Singel’s tropical fruit esters complement its spicy hop aromatics. Delicate in body, Singel’s mellow, dry finish culminates a truly ethereal experience. Hardywood Singel's stylistic inspiration originates with the Trappist brewers of western Europe, who are often celebrated for their gloriously complex dubbels and tripels, and whose devotion to crafting heavenly libations is second to none. Unknown to many, some of the Trappist brewers also brew a milder ale for daily consumption within the walls of the monastery. Hardywood Singel is our interpretation of this style.
Beer style: Belgian Abbey-style Blonde Ale
Best with: Hardywood Singel is the perfect complement to savory southern fare like fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, crab cakes and shrimp and grits, yet it's refreshingly delicate enough to tame the hottest Virginia summer day. A diverse food-pairing beer, Hardywood Singel is outstanding with a wide range of seafood, particularly steamed mussels, sautéed scallops, lobster with drawn butter, fresh local oysters and most white fish. Also great with fried chicken, hush puppies and pastas with white wine, butter, or olive oil based sauces. Cheese recommendations include Edam, Gouda, Havarti and Brie.
Beer Advocate Score: 94
Original Gravity (O.G.): 1.056
Strength (ABV): 6.2 % ABV
Color (SRM): 4 °L
Bitterness (IBU): 30 IBUs
Availability: Year Round
Case Cost: $43
*website: http://www.hardywood.com/content/hardywood-singel
Where are all the blog posts? We doubled the size of the group and posts are down, how's that possible? Santa's watching! With a weekend behind us, everyone should be caught up, no weak excuses, this takes commitment - something we all fear. Katy - break out the rankings of top bloggers,
ReplyDeleteThose that do not blog throughout the month will sadly not be invited to participate next year.
DeleteSincerely,
Santa
At first pour this seemed a bit 'thin,' and light. Head dissipated quickly. The taste, for me, was lighter than some other belgian blondes that I've had in the past. Little aftertaste, even when "savored at 40 degrees!"
ReplyDeleteA bit light for my taste, but as a hop-head, I'm sure this would be welcomed by those that prefer a lighter side, but not a mass produced, American ale.
"Would accept another"
Don't like the smell nor the aftertaste. Just isn't working for me... but I will not let it go to waste. Gulp gulp!
ReplyDeleteHad high hopes for this after the Affligem incident of 2011. I guess I either become obsessed with Belgian blondes or I don't like them much at all (and since I am not Joe, I'm still talking about beers here). Not sure what it was about this. Certainly wasn't bad at all and I drank it all quite fast but that's probably due to spending the last 45 minutes in a car with a 6 year old and a 2 year old arguing whether one could call the other Elsa if neither wanted to be Anna. Anyway, I'd give this one a resounding Brad Moore "meh" as a rating. I think it pretty much comes down to unreasonable expectations.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I'm now working on my Dogfish growler I refilled over the weekend. Life is good.
In other news, I found this ranking of Christmas beers today. Little odd since they leave out Celebration Ale. Lots of our beers from past and present on here. Southern Tier seems to be where it belongs along with Abita, Sam Adams, and Anchor Steam. I'm pretty shocked they put Great Lakes, Rogue, and Schlafly that low but it seems to skew toward real Belgian beers. Also included way too may fruit beers. Like full on 100% fruit beers. Finally, I had no idea Lagunitas Brown Shugga was considered a christmas beer.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/12/31-of-the-best-and-worst-christmas-ales.html?a=1
You have an odd obsession with Paste's beer rankings. Didn't we go through this during the Pumpkin beer season?
DeleteHad this tonight after dinner and after catching up with last nights beer. I like belgian style beers so I was hoping for something good here. Poured this into a glass and could smell that familiar belgian smell that I love so much. I could pick up a banana aroma. First sip started off good, then...what is that after taste. Oh man that's not good. I'll drink it, but I would rather drink almost anything else. My Belgian of choice is a Weyerbacher's Merry Monks. This is a Richmond brewery...not much good comes out of Richmond...a bunch of red necks, Jimmy Dean, and oh yeah...my wife. I guess I got the only good thing to come out of Richmond. Grade 7 of 10, C
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya on this one T...first impression was pretty good. Once I got to know her, she was fairly flat chested and dull. I'll drink it for sure but not go back for another. Gotta be something in the water
DeleteNice color, nice aroma, nice taste. This is a great light beer. I don't mind the after taste so much and I would even have another one. Check with a plus + since it's from Richmond.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Bob Evans (who also hails from Richmond)!
Thanks Katy. It was nice to enjoy this hometown brew on my birthday.
DeleteThe glass given to me for Belgian Independence Day circa 2012 (thanks, Dave D) was put to good use tonight. When I jammed my nose into the glass to catch a whiff of the initial pour, my brain was happy with what the nose was delivering. The first taste resulted in a pleasant, light (not heavy) flavor. But, that quickly turned, much like that, "I just made it last week" pie my mother in law brought for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThe aftertaste was definitely harsher than traditional Belgian fare. I guess that's what I should have expected from a "Belgian style" brew--kind of like a Belgian, but from Richmond. Now I know where that aftertaste came from--the bitter result of a war lost. I guess some things never die.
I love Belgian beers, but this one did not result in a hardy wood for me. Will I drink it again? Maybe. But at least if I come across it in the future I can say, "I drank that once."
On a side note, I have found that one of the highlights of my day is reading the creative posts from you all. On, on.
Delete1. Happy you enjoy that glass. Thank you, Embassy of Belgium.
DeleteThis was just okay. I tried this one in a proper glass but it did not make it any better. Nice to have something from a Virginia brewery though. Not familiar with many there.
ReplyDeleteA good blonde ale. Relatively mild but tasty. Not my preference as I prefer beers with more substantial flavors like stouts, cream ales or porters but for a lighter beer it was good.
ReplyDeleteI liked this beer a lot. I've had Belgian Dubbels and Trippels, and the Dubbels are my favorite. Trippel's tend to be too hoppy for me. Abby Brown's are also a favorite (ever had a McChouffe?). This I found to be somewhere between the two. I don't pretend to have a sophisticated palate by any means, but I know what I like. This I liked.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot going on with this one - very light and more mild than expected. I didn't notice the harsh aftertaste others have commented on.
ReplyDeleteI like the nice representation of local VA beers - never had anything from Hardywood or 3 Brothers until 24 DoB.
Ok, given Mark's gentle nudge and now that I'm snapping out of my head cold that had me hopped up on Nyquil the last two days, I'm finally able to get back to my drug of choice...beer.
ReplyDeleteThis beer had me excited b/c I generally love unfiltered beers and was thinking Hefeweisen when I saw the write up. Alas, I probably should have gone all the way and added a wedge of orange before imbibing because it did not have a lot of interest by itself. I drank it with some leftover buffalo wings so it should have been fantastic, but it was merely a B for beffort.
shame on you for adding fruit to any beer!
DeleteHow can you not like a beer whose own creators state that it pairs well with hush puppies - C'mon, Man!
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of American takes on Belgians and I like this one a lot. It's not trying to be big or outrageous, just interesting and approachable which, to use Hardywood's word, is a real feat. I had it in 2012 on draft at T-Millers in Richmond and according to Untappd, I enjoyed it then, too.
As if I needed any help getting excited about cracking one of my all time favorite beers tomorrow night...
The sweetness of belgian trappist ales tends to curb my beer appetite (one is good, but that's about it), but that doesn't mean they aren't good. And this one does not disappoint. A little light, but very flavorful and a nice aftertaste. Solid B.
ReplyDeleteVery easy-drinking blonde. I'd say it's like a Leffe Light. My only objection is there was an odd 'Sprite' flavor on my first sip (almost thought I was drinking a radler), but I didn't notice it after that. I'd say a Monday night is the perfect night for this one and I'd definitely have another if there was another available.
ReplyDeleteWe have all dated someone that reminds us of someone else. And we continue dating that women because it is easy and familiar but nothing exciting ever happens. No matter how many times we go out, nothing exciting happens. Well this blond is the same. Nothing exciting ever happened. And you get caught up in trying another date or sip because you keep hoping she will be more like the other women. And it never happens just like this beer. Finally you finish her and immediately start to look for a darker more exciting women.
ReplyDeleteI find Belgian beers to be either a hit or a miss. This one was a hit. I enjoyed the smooth taste and did not detect a strong aftertaste. While I would still rank the IPAs ahead of this selection, it was still enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was pretty solid. Good change up from the last couple beers. I did notice the aftertaste that a couple of y'all mentioned but I felt it kind of went away the more I drank of it. I like the lightness of it - but still keeps a lot of flavor. Solid Xmas Belgian, like that it's from the RVA - I'd buy a sixer of it.
ReplyDeleteIf 20 millions tons of Hardywood Singel beer were stored in a reservoir high above Johnstown PA and then after several days of heavy rainfall that reservoir burst, the destruction would be unimaginably tragic and unforgettable.
ReplyDeleteMy latest turn in beer seems towards Belgians and unfiltered beer. This does the trick and does it nicely. Not as robust as I usually like my winter brews mind you, but a lovely flavor with a lovely smell... and I was too impatient to pot it into a glass, so it probably has an even better odor than I realize. Grade: 7/10
ReplyDeleteDoesn't quite taste like a typical Belgian, but maybe that's why I liked it. Had a rounder taste, if that makes any sense. A-. Definitely will get this again.
ReplyDeleteAh yes. Blond Ales, one of my least favorite styles. These are usually hit or miss with me (9 times out of 10 its a miss). I found this one strangely appealing. Starts off with a nice hint of Banana and then finishes with a oh so smooth taste of Milwaukee's Best! And my god that after taste! Wow! What in the hell.....
ReplyDeleteLike I said, its strangely appealing and it's got character that's for sure. B+
Never heard of this brewery but I'll keep an eye out for their other offerings
This was an interesting beer. I got a citrusy flavor that wasn't overwhelming complimented this beer perfectly. I could sit around and enjoy several of these but at 6.2%, that could prove ill advised. Richmond has been over run with hipsters and all the craft breweries and foodie spots popping up is a direct response. I haven't had the chance to visit Hardywood, but look forward to it and pick more of this beer and sample their other beers.
ReplyDeleteBelgians just aren't doing it for me these days. This tastes like a quality attempt at a single but I still found it dull. Sorry, Hardywood - but I still love your GBS.
ReplyDeleteJust not that good. After pouring the initial 'smell' was really somewhat 'fishy' or a little 'sulphury' - not so awful I wouldn't/didn't drink it but a little odd. I had others confirm that. Light in taste but I definitely got the 'dry finish'. Goes in the 'No' column.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday Bob!
ReplyDeleteI don't usually go for blondes, but this one treated me a little better than her counterparts have in the past. Not too excited by her but at lest it wasn't an IPA.