Well another 24 Days of Beer are in the books. For all of those that blogged throughout, you're on the nice list. For those that did not blog, it's the naughty list for you. I hope all of you enjoyed the journey again. This Christmas Eve beer should end our journey on a great note. This beer gets excellent reviews. Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you are sharing it with friends and family. Oh yeah, and virtually with all 48 members of the 24 Days of Beer!!!
Why we picked it: It's supposed to be awesome. Received a perfect rating. It was a little more massed produced this year compared to years past. Virginia beer. Enjoy!
About Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout: 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.
Best With: Hardywood Gingerbread Stout is exquisite as a dessert pairing beer. An absolute wonder with crème brûlée or fresh chocolate pudding, rich desserts with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla or chocolate really bring out the flavor of Gingerbread Stout, and vice versa. By itself, Hardywood Gingerbread Stout also makes a fine digestif while enjoying a cold night by a crackling fire
Beer style: Imperial Milk Stout Brewed with Fresh Local Ginger and Honey
Beer Advocate Score: 94 and 100
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 55OG: 1.100
Case Cost: $10 a bottle
*website: http://www.hardywood.com/content/hardywood-gingerbread-stout
I couldn't help myself, we had a neighborhood party last night, so I decided to break this bad boy out and share with some friends. Simply put, it is nearly perfect, just like the reviews read.
ReplyDeleteIt's neither overpowering or underwhelming - it's a great blend of taste and texture. The best part is it comes in a large bottle for sharing.
Thanks again to the gang who puts this on each year, it's a fantastic opportunity to try different beers and share some reviews with new and old friends.
Happy Holidays everyone! Cheers to the Beers!
Very good way to end the 24 days good choice. Thanks to every one that put this togather can't wait for the next one
ReplyDeleteIt's brings great sadness to my heart that the 24 days of beer is coming to a close. However, this beer is a great way to close. Love the chocolate, love the high ABV. Apparently I have had this before according to Untappd, so I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out when that was. Still drawing a blank.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought this bottle had popped in my car on the way to NJ. I heard a popping sound from the cooler I had it in which had a lot of freezer packs in it. Luckily it did not break. Instead it was near impossible to open. Spent a solid 10 minutes trying to coax out the cork.
Hope everyone has a good break. Thanks for letting me be a part of this crew despite being an unknown to most people in the group.
Wow! I was worried b/c in years past this has been a dud but WOW THIS BEER WAS AWESOME! Need another!!!!! This beer was smooth, creamy, balanced and no nasty aftertaste!! outstanding way to start xmas Eve!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tony, Mark and the other elves!!!
Merry Christmas to all and all a good night!
First of all, thanks again to everyone who out this together. 24DOB has truly enhanced my appreciation of beer.
ReplyDeleteOn to tonight's selection. Wow! First sip was amazing and this beer just does not quit. I seem to remember a gingerbread beer from last year that was...ummm...awful. So I was not really looking forward to this, but you guys saved the best for last. I think this beer will become a staple for Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas everyone! Cheers!
*put* this together...
DeleteI should never try to do this from my phone.
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, in-laws were stirring and beginning to souse.
ReplyDeleteThe children restless and jumping in beds, while visions of beer danced in my head. I sprang to the Gingerbread to quench my thirst, and on to my palette came such lovely burst.
On vanilla, on cinnamon, on milk, and on ginger. It created wonderful flavors, but refused to linger.
With a warmth coming over me, I had another with delight. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Beer Score: 4 out of 5.
24 DoB Score: 10 out of 5. Amazing job organizers.
Final rankings to come.
Outstanding Scotty!!!
DeleteMerry Christmas to everyone and thank you Tony, Mark, and everyone involved for putting this together again.
ReplyDeleteI cracked this open this afternoon after my run and the first half went down too fast for my own good. The second half I slowed down and savored the taste. The ginger really stood out and I it was a very solid stout from a great brewery.
At 9.2% ABV, this really helped ease the headache a two year old can give you. Can't say it at the same effect on my motivation to cook Christmas dinner. A
This beer is amazing! Dark, complex flavors in this truly awesome beer!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't be happier to have been a part of this 24DoB. It has broadened my horizons to explore beers out of my comfort zone of IPA's.
Thanks Tom D for inviting me and thank you all for having me!
Merry Xmas
Awesome to have you on board Dempsey. Thank you for drinking with us this month. We all appreciate you blogging on the regs.
DeleteCheers!!!
Another year has come and gone. So many beers and so little time...
ReplyDeleteLove this 24 days of beer...it always helps me stay focused and grounded throughout this crazy month. No matter what time I get home there is always a beer and some friends to enjoy it with. This is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Still remember the time I was randomly on Facebook (can always count on me to log in about 4-5 times a year) 5 years ago and saw a random post from my old friend Tony rounding up support to try this crazy thing called the 24 DOB. The rest is history (as recorded on this here blog)...
Hardwood gingerbread...WHOA!
Far and away the most impressive finish we have had...and we have had some good ones.
This may be the most perfect holiday beer. Balance, booze, massive size...brilliant. It don't get any better than this! I could go on and on about this beer but you have all tasted it...you know how and why it is so great. Nuff said.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good nite!!!
Guess I'm in the minority but I found this unbearably sweet. Had it after my warmup beer which was the Abraxas cinnamon chocolate 10% stout. You'd think that would have helped. Apparently not. Some sips seem better than others but then I get an overwhelming shot of gingerbread. And I love gingerbread.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I love this event and great selections again. Great way to find new beers and share them with others. Thanks to Tony, Mark, and Tommy. Full rankings tomorrow when I get some downtime.
This beer was exactly what I expected, awesome, and a great Christmas eve / wrap up for the 24 days. Wife dug it too.
ReplyDeleteMERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I've been sipping on this one between cooking and cleaning. Loved it! A tad too sweet but who cares, it's Christmas Eve!
ReplyDelete"Worth seeking out"
ReplyDeleteActually did have this last night, excellent. Didn't get as much ginger as I had wondered about, but chocolatey smooth, with a kick but not overwhelming.
Thanks to all the organizers, purchasers, packagers, researchers and the virtual community - this is very fun!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Oh, and happy beer trails in 2016... 🍺✅🍍👍
Best for last. Perfection. A+++ nothing more to say here.
ReplyDeleteSad to bring this to a close once again. I say we do 31 days next year! Might as well put this last week of Dec to good use.
Thanks again to the organizers and merry Christmas everyone.
Well, I just typed this up and got through #22 and hit something on the stupid computer and the whole thing vanished. Dammit. So we’ll do this again. I should probably be napping but I decided this was more important. And now we’re doing it twice. Currently drinking a Revolution Fist City Pale Ale which I highly recommend you acquire next time you are in the Windy City.
ReplyDeleteAnother great 24 days of beer. I’d like to thank the coordinators and the contributors for all of this. Once again some proven winners, some glorious new finds, some experimental stuff that I probably never would have tried, and some real stinkers that I am so glad I didn’t buy a six pack of. Without further adieu:
Duclaw Devil’s Milk – A : Best. Barleywine. Ever.
Samuel Smith Porter – A: Best. Porter. Ever. (arguably, which puts it a narrow second on this list)
Ommegang 3 Philosophers – A: Great beer, great brewery.
Troegs Blizzard of Hops – A-: If you ever want to create a custom beer for my preferences, this would be it.
21st Amendment Toaster Pastry – A-: Clear upset of the month. Almost as shocking as when that Anchor Steam was drinkable a few years back.
Flying Dog Nice – A-: Another real surprise. Not usually my style, but this was great.
Ayinger Celbrator – B+: Must have been the goat.
Chaos Mountain – B: Coffee goodness.
Samuel Smith Nut Brown – B: Great beer, but I’m just not a nut guy.
Bell’s Expedition Stout – B: I just prefer my stouts less boozy.
Firestone Walker Wookey Jack – B: Definitely benefitted from lowered expectations. Quite pleasing.
Union Balt – B: I chugged this beer as fast as any beer this month. I think that’s a good sign, but I need a larger sample size for a proper rating.
Saranac Immortality – B: Outstanding for a Saranac.
Mendocino Black IPA – B: About the best Black IPA I’ve ever had.
Deschutes Jubelale – B: Much better than I remember. Solid winter beer, not my favorite, but solid.
Schalfly’s Black Lager – B- : Yes, it’s a Schlafly’s, but still a lager.
Great Divide Titan – C : Just too syrupy. I expected much better.
Anderson Valley Oatmeal – C: Anderson Valley plus oatmeal is not going to do it.
Mendocino Eye of the Hawk – C: I’m still trying to figure out what was going on there. And whether I liked it.
Hardywood Gingerbread Stout – C-: Apparently I’m the only one who didn’t love this beer. Just way too sweet. To make matters worse, my relatives all rejected it as well so I got the whole glorious thing to myself. Which led to a slight hangover on Christmas morning. Father of the Year!
Anchor Steam – C-: Shitty as always. At least this year it was just obnoxiously bland.
Flying Dog Naughty – D+: Damn peppers. The only thing rating this as high as this was the existence of the next selection…
Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin – D – A textbook example of how to take a great, great beer and absolutely ruin the fuck out of it. IPA and heat should never be mixed.
Samichlaus – F- : Basically undrinkable. This stuff used to be sort of cool when it was the only beer around that could knock you on your ass with it’s 14% ABV, but now you’ve got beers like Devil’s Milk checking in at 11.5% and actually tasting wonderful. This has no use. Except maybe for hazing. Maybe when my kids first ask me what beer tastes like, I’ll give them a sip of this and then they’ll swear off the stuff until they are 25 years old.
That does it. Thanks again to everyone and Happy Belated Festivus!
Well practiced. Solid. Complex. Warming. Satin-smooth. Delicious! Had a growler of this ready to share with friends today (plus beer they brought).
ReplyDeleteI had the Rum aged version too in my fridge which I took out today to climatise before also sharing with friends. Outstanding.
We're having a Merry Christmas now!
As many others said, I thought this was an excellent finish for the 24DoB. I was really looking forward this local brew with local ingredients and it didn't disappoint. I loved that the gingerbread spices were in the background and the ginger itself was prominent, unlike some of the novelty beers of the season. I would love to have more of this. I saw Steven's comment above and went to Hardywood's website and see that there is a rum barrel and a bourbon barrel version of this stuff - WOW.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the 24DoB team for the adventure - loved it!
I wanted to thank you for this great read. I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
ReplyDeletebaby rice cakes