By Jeremy Bender
Christmas season comes early for beer enthusiasts when Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, with locations in Richmond and Goochland, unveils its in-demand, high-octane Gingerbread Stout series.
An exclusive boxset for 2022 has been released and includes the following with descriptions provided by Maddie Wood: the new-to-the-series The Flannel (12.3 % ABV, Inspired by a classic cocktail, this blend of Apple Brandy, Rum, and Cognac barrel-aged Imperial Stout and Golden Ale has been conditioned on allspice and a touch of orange peel and will leave you feeling warm and cozy); Toasted Fluffy (9.2 % ABV, All the flavors of a gingerbread cookie s’mores with flavors of toasted marshmallow, graham crackers, chocolate, and classic GBS spices); Granny’s GBS (12.1 % ABV, Fresh out of the oven, this fruitcake-inspired holiday libation is a blend of 11-month Bourbon barrel aged Belgian Quadrupel and Gingerbread Stout aged 9 months in bourbon-finished Port barrels brought to us by our friends at A. Smith Bowman’s Distillery. Decadent, warming, and just like Granny’s fruitcake, this beer is finished with dates, cherries, dark fruits, and a touch of citron); The Original Gingerbread Stout (9.2% ABV, Imperial Milk Stout with Virginia-grown Hawaiian White Ginger and Local Wildflower Honey, 100 Rating BeerAdvocate Magazine, 2012 Bronze Medal, Herb and Spice Beer, World Beer Cup, Top 25 Milk Stout in the World, BeerAdvocate.com); Christmas Morning (9.2% ABV, Gingerbread Stout with Locally Roasted Guatemalan and Colombian coffee from Blanchard’s, Top 25 Milk Stout in the World, BeerAdvocate.com, 2015 Gold Medal, Specialty Beer, Rate Beer Best); Christmas Pancakes (9.2% ABV, Gingerbread Stout with Local Maple Syrup, Outstanding Rating, BeerAdvocate.com); Gingerbread Porter (9.2% ABV, Imperial Porter with Local White Ginger and Local Wildflower Honey, Lactose Free); Bourbon Barrel GBS (11.5% ABV, Gingerbread Stout Aged in a combination of A. Smith Bowman and Heaven Hills Bourbon Barrels, 2017 Gold Medal by Style, Rate Beer Best, Top 20 Milk Stout in the World, BeerAdvocate.com); Kentucky Christmas Morning (11.5% ABV, Gingerbread Stout Aged exclusively in Kentucky’s own Heaven Hills Bourbon barrels with Locally Roasted Guatemalan and Colombian coffee from Blanchard’s, Top 10 Milk Stout in the World, BeerAdvocate.com); Bourbon Barrel Caliente GBS (13% ABV, A colossal version of the Gingerbread Stout conditioned with ancho chiles and extra cinnamon, aged 26 months in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels); Apple Brandy GBS Blend (11.7% ABV, A Blend of Imperial Milk Stout Aged 16 Months and 8 months in Laird’s Apple Brandy Barrels Spiced with all your favorite Gingerbread Spices); Gingerbread Bourbon Barleywine (14.5% ABV, Gingerbread Spiced Barleywine Aged for 8 Months in McKenna Bourbon Barrels, 2022 Virginia Craft Beer Guild Bronze Medal).
In addition to the packaged boxset items, many of these will be made available on draft at the Hardywood taproom. A partial taproom-only schedule includes Gingerbread Porter & Stout (November 5), Christmas Pancakes & Bourbon Caliente (November 19), and Christmas Morning & Kentucky Christmas Morning (November 26).
Gingerbread season concludes on December 17 with a GBS Fest at Hardywood’s West Creek facility in Goochland.
