Lion Stout

Brewed by Lion Brewery (Ceylon)
Style: Foreign Stout
Nuwara Eliya & Biyagama, Sri Lanka

Bottle @ GBBF upon Kendall’s recommendation. Deep brown with a tan head. Nose of sweet roasted malts and oatmeal. Taste is toffee, chocolate, coffee and malt with a little hop at the end. Medium bodied. Was a good beginning to the session.

##600 Excellent night cap at the Cleveland’s Winking Lizard; wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Nuwara Eliya & Biyagama, Sri Lanka, but this one was a pleasent surprise. Dark chocolate and figs with a quote from Micheal Jackson on the back! Lacing and oileyness concerned me at first, but it was much grander in flavor. A surpising only 8%-- there are real bourbon like flavors, smooth warming finsh.

3/14/05 bomber. Gem Deli Manhattan. Black with large brown head. Very prominat coffee aroma. Coffee, dark chocolate, somewhat vinous flavor. Some alcohol present but not distracting.

Pour: deep chocolate. Head: dark tan, creamy. Aroma: woody, soy, charred, moth balls. Flavor: burnt, char, soy, smoke. Palate smooth. Finish: char.

Black, a bit of brown glow. Generous tan layer that leaves a viscous lacy ring and lingers all the way through the glass. Aroma is exotic and complex: raisins lead, with smokey molasses and a bit grilled meat. Almonds, cola. Heavily black roast flavor, creosote, smoke, but a surprisingly dry, utterly clean finish, that is almost refreshing (quite a feat for such a strong dark beer). Lots of sparkle to the mouthfeel, but fine textured and not aggressive. Been looking for this one for quite some time--fun to finally get to try it. I have to give this a bonus points for having a good story; the treacherous mountain journey to get ingredients to the brewery. Then the treacherous journey to get this bottle from Sri Lanka, to Aarhus, Denmark where I found it, to London (narrowly escaping a last minute baggage weight purge--other bottles were not so lucky), coach to Oxford, to Woodstock, to my glass, which I raise back to these intrepid brewers.

Pours a dark brown with a medium creamy light brown head. The aroma is sweet, shows soy sauce, a slight smoked character, wood. the flavor is soy sauce, a mild sweetness, warmth, some chocolate and coffee. Cool smooth palate. A bit underwhelming.

Bottle pours out black with a ruby boundary and a big rocky tan head with excelelnt lace. Roasted coffee, dark chocolate, some alcohol, and a hint of licorice in the aroma. Body is only medium, but nicely smooth with medium carbonation. Pleasing dark malt flavors transition to a soft bitterness and a pleasing dry finish without harshness. This has good balance and drinkability, a stout worth seeking out.

Bottle; poured a dark brown/black with a frothy medium brown head. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, molasses, and a hint of roastedness. Nice mouthfeel, palate a little light (for style), but worked well. Alcohol completely hidden. Flavors were good, not overly bold, but nice flavors of chocolate, coffee, caramel, roasted malt, vanilla and some general sweetness. Very enjoyable.