Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Bourbon Barrel GBS

**Aroma:** “Suddenly, it’s Christmas! Cinnamon/clove/nutmeg spice with a bit of ginger, too. Moderately strong coffee. Moderate vanilla and caramel. A bit of chile aroma with a touch of chocolate. As it warms, more earthy coffee notes with a light amount of alcohol.” **Flavor:** “The ginger is stronger than the nose, but I still get the other Christmas spices in spades, along with vanilla. The roast malt grounds it with an earthy bitterness which emphasizes the perception of gingerbread. Mild cocoa and a hint of coconut with mild warming alcohol. Moderate coffee.” **Overall:** “This is the perfect balance of coffee, chile peppers, and sweetness in a low roast, high chocolate beer! The coffee notes are earthy, which plays well with the light amount of roast astringency. Nice alcohol warming stays in the background and really highlights the coffee.”

**Aroma:** “Moderately strong roasted malt that comes across as coffee and chocolate. Complex mix of toasty and rich malt support it. Strong dark stone-fruit esters blend well with dark roasted malt. Banana esters as well. Slight molasses.” **Flavor:** “Awesome malt complexity with chocolate, coffee, bread crust, toast. Moderately sweet up front that fades into an assertive bitterness with a hint of acidity. Somewhat dry finish with a light chocolate and roastiness that lingers. A fun blend of chocolate and banana with some underlying cherry notes. Medium-heavy body and medium-high carbonation. Big roast notes with a moderate smoke note that extends into the aftertaste. A slight herbal spice note at the end of the sip. The roast and carb dry out the beer.” **Overall:** “Great malt complexity with chocolate, coffee, and toast. Full body supports the malt and makes this really fun to drink. The bitter dry finish helps scrub that palate and prepare you for another sip. Every sip is just as impactful as the first. I love the chocolate-banana milkshake that this tastes like.”

**Aroma:** “Cinnamon, cayenne, ashy roast, dark and milk chocolate, and yes, tobacco. The ash is a little unpleasant, but everything else works well together. Moderate mint, with cinnamon and light chile pepper. Deep richness, with notes of tobacco and leather. Chocolate, with a hint of mole spice, and some fruity notes of cherry, as well as chile powder, earth, and maybe a touch of Brett.” **Flavor:** “More chocolate that other Mexican chocolate stouts, with the cinnamon and cayenne being fairly subdued up front. The flavors grow the longer the beer sits on the palate. Chocolate mint, with cinnamon, vanilla, and just a hint of vanilla spice. A rich, creamy mouthfeel reminiscent of oats or lactose in the grain bill. The capsaicin and alcohol heat hits, then fades into the aftertaste, leaving a vague Thin Mints finish, along with more heat. A very balanced finish.” **Overall:** “Love the body of this beer, mainly because it is so chewy, but then it finishes dry and hot, making you want more. So much complexity, which is typical of the style, but it blends together better than most. It’s quite smooth for a beer with chile spice—nicely subdued, but still present enough to add an interesting background. It’s a nice mix of sweet, chocolate, spice, and roast.”