Lion Stout

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

11.2 oz bottle. Ebony with an active tan head. Nose is coffee, grapes and brown sugar. Medium light with fizzy carb. Taste is sweetened coffee and molasses. Bitter vegetal finish. Solid, enjoyable.

Pours a deep, dark red color with a thick, brown head. The aroma is a bit off--not bad, but a little boring and lifeless. I also found the flavors to be a bit lackluster. Some chocolate, coffee, smoke and roasted malt, but nothing really stood out as exceptional. Good, but not great.

Pours black with foamy tan head. Smells sweet and chocolatey. Big chocolate taste, roasted malts. great mouthfeel, smothers the palate with flavor.

330 ml bottle from West Lakeview Liquors. I’ve wanted to try this before, but I rarely trust the condition of this beer. most places that i’ve seen this, have a thick layer of dust on its glass shoulders, but WLv had a clean looking bottle so I grabbed it. I like the lion on the black cap, but my opener bends it out of shape .... so i toss it and focus on the beer. Black color with a tall beige head that looks like swiss cheese from the side, its rocky on top as the foamy head pockets keep collapsing. Toasted malt aroma, chocolatey, roasted, sweet ... its nice I really like it. Very thin in the mouth chocolate, sweet, milk, roast, molasses, and rum. A little roast warmth in the back of my throat, this has too much alcohol burn. Hmm .. the sweetness is getting to me too. Too much sugary milk. I thought foreign stouts should be more hoppy, I didn’t notice that ... it looks like this near perfectly fits the ratebeer description of foreign stout. I like it but it could be better ... i think foreign stout is my least favorite style of stout.

Pours almost black and opaque w/ a tall lasting head. Aromas of roasted veggies and chocolate. Medium full nectar w/ mellow residual effers creating an oily texture. Flavors are very old world w/ a defined souring and a mild sweetness. Dark cocoa, coffee bean, black cherry, leather, and earth. The finish lingers w/ a sweetness and mild bittering. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall: it’s a solid example with an old world disposition. Drinks better as it warms.

Thanks to MrManning for the bottle. Pours black and slightly watery with a thick fluffy tan head. Roasted grain, slightly sweet malt, chocolate malt aroma. Light roasted grain and chocolate malt taste. Not overpowering, but subtle and tasty. I find it to be more of a baltic porter, but without the heaviness. Really good.

33cl bottle from systembolaget. I almost freaked out when I saw this on the shelf at system. never thought that they would have this up here, but there it was. Pours black with a small tan head that dies quickly. coffee, dried fruit and chocolate aroma. flavor is mostly sweet chocolate roastiness with a little bitterness at the end. body is full, but not thick, with medium carbonation. Very nice. I could drink a few more of these right now. Alcohol is almost unnoticeable... dangerous. Amazing beer, and from Sri Lanka? love it. (8,4,8,5,17=42)

Rerate: 12oz bottle. Finally got around to revisiting this after all this time. I can’t say that I feel the same way about it. The nose is still quite nice with a fat coconut fudge character. The flavor is fruity, with alcohol adding to the impression. Some cocoa and very mild yet balancing hops as you move through. Still one of the better foreign stouts, but the alcohol is a bit much for the thinner body to handle.

12 oz bottle. Poured a dark brown color with a two finger tan head. The aroma was chocolate and roasted malt. The flavor was roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. The body was a little on the thin side, but overall this was a very serviceable beer.