No matter what your faith, only a true scrooge frowns when given a most excellent seasonal craft beer - and there's no better beer to warm the scroogiest of hearts than Hardywood Park Craft Brewery's Ginger Bread Stout (GBS).
Spicy, sweet, hints of vanilla and cinnamon - all of these flavors erupt in your mouth and slide down your throat with great ease as you take in a sip of the heavy, dark brew. Hardywood's GBS is not only an excellent seasonal craft, for some is the first mark days of the holiday season.
The whole process, and the birth of the GBS, started many years ago - co-founders Patrick Murtaugh and Eric McKay were home brewers and stumbled upon a sweet and seasonal vanilla bean stout. This recipe proved incredibly popular among close friends, and when they go into their first winter in 2011, the first GBS batch was born.
Hardywood Founders Murtaugh and McKay with Hospitality Manager Kerry Anderson
That same year, the new brewers sent the GBS out to Beer Advocate, where it received a perfect 100/100 score. The brewers though it was a fluke, but when the GBS won bronze at the World Beer Cup, they knew they had something unique.
Murtaugh stands behind the glowing bar of the Hardywood tasting room. “I think that unique ginger flavor and wildflower honey really comes through,” said Murtaugh, talking about the locally sourced ingredients used to make the GBS. Hardywood prides itself on using local products.
Honey from Louisa County Bearer Farms, baby Hawaiian Ginger from Casselmonte Farms in Powhatan, and finally Vietnamese Cinnamon from Carytown's Penzey Spices - all of these pieces come together to form the beautiful puzzle that is the GBS.
The honey is delivered in 60+ lb buckets
But it's these local flavors that also make the process of brewing the GBS so complicated and time sensitive. Ginger isn't harvested until after Labor Day. Once Hardywood receives this key ingredient it becomes a race to brew. “It takes a little bit longer to ferment this beer because it’s so strong,” said McKay about the GBS's 9.2% ABV. The entire process takes about 5 to 6 weeks.
Brewer Rachel Cardwell is one of the many people responsible for the final product.
“It's a bigger malt bill - it takes a little bit longer. Different secondary processes involved. it's a different ball game with a little more work involved,” said Cardwell, who got her start brewing with Hardywood two years ago. But she knows her work, especially when it comes to the GBS, is important to her fellow Richmonders.
“It's the excitement around that time of the year. People start asking about it," said Cardwell. When they hit early fall, the rumors of the GBS start spreading through town. "The hype starts to build up. You know you’re getting Richmond ready for a big release that they are anticipating.”
Cardwell moving flats of brew
The strong flavor behind the GBS makes it welcome in the family of the Hardywood beers, which all have a special affect on the imbibers taste buds. “We've made our signature unique flavors and unique takes on beers," said Murtaugh. "Through the additional ingredients or through the process that bring out flavors that stand apart.”
Of course you can expect the GBS to sell out - even with Hardywood expanding its batch by double what they produced last year - but you should be able to find it on grocery store shelves and in restaurants around the Richmond area. But the Richmond area is as far as you're gonna find it. Even as Hardywood expands their market to Northern Virginia, Murtaugh said the GBS will stay in Richmond this year.
“Those Northern Virginia restaurants will have to wait till next year, but hopefully this will have a positive impact on local stores and restaurants and the economy.”
Your first chance to get your fingers on a bottle of the Gingerbread Stout will be this Friday night at 9 PM after normal brewery tasting hours. But you'll have another chance to get it straight from the source on Saturday at 2 PM
Both events take place at the Hardywood Brewing Park - 2408 Ownby Lane, Richmond, Virginia 23220.