Lion Stout

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

Tosa Tasting - June 24, 2006

After ten months, this finally got opened. I’m not sure if you are supposed to age a foreign stout that long but it certainly held up well. A great value at $2.99 for a 625 ml bottle and fairly common in smaller sizes as well. If you have had this, you ought to give it a try.

Aroma / Appearance - An interesting combination of chocolate, caramel and bananas reminded me of an ice cream sundae. That is, if you roasted malt and sprinkled it on top as well. There were also some grainy notes lurking in the background. The deep black one-finger head left sticky tan lacing oozing down the side of the glass. The body itself was pitch black, trapping all light that had the misfortune to try and pass through it.

Flavor / Palate - This was chewy and bitter with a rich roasted malt impression being the first thing to hit my senses. An underlying cocoa powder flavor joined hints of coffee and wheat. Every sip had a nice full body that satisfied the palate with a balance of bitterness and maltiness. If I had to chose when to drink this it would be a cool fall day when the leaves are turning red, brown and orange.

Can’t really make up my mind about this one. I feel almost as if I alternate every other sip being turned off and turned on by it... which suggests a nice complexity. This could be one that I need to drink 3-4 times to get. I’m enjoying this one, and admittedly I was a bit turned off by it the first time I had it. Dark pour with large bubbly mocha head. Strong roast smell: burnt coffee and bitter chocolate. Also strong grain and creamy presence on the nose. Taste reveals a milk chocolate-y sweetness and a somewhat sour milk/metallic note that’s not entirely unpleasant. A little dark fruit. More roasty bitterness and some hops as well. A little too sweet for me. Points for complexity, and I agree with a review below that says it’s surprisingly refreshing for a strong stout.

I found this beer to be quite a nice, well-rounded little treat. The malt character is luxe and the hoppy notes are team players, not ball-hogs. The beer pours a nearly opaque, very dark brown color with a large, frothy, tan mostly and quickly diminishing head. The aroma is malty with big, heavy notes of roasted grain, lots of coffee and plenty of chocolate; hoppy with moderate, understated notes of resin/pine and herbs and a light note of clean, dry, straw; Yeasty with a light note of damp basement; Miscellaneous notes of moderately heavy smoke, light notes of raisin and alcohol. The flavor is heavily sweet and lightly bitter with a long, lightly bitter, lightly acidic, moderately sweet finish. Alcohol is quite well hidden, only apparent as tummy-warmth. The body is medium-to-full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is soft.

Totally black in color, with a fluffy light brown head. Aroma of cocoa, coffee, and molasses. Strong hop character with a nice smooth roasted malt flavor.

Nice dark oily brew with a nice tan head. rich roasted malts and dark chocolate.Tastes very good as I got what my nose was telling me: rich roasted malts,I like that.

Bottle. Pours red tar, tan head. Aroma is molasses and pine. Flavor is strong molasses, anise, caramel, coffee, toffee, chocolate.

This was pretty cool. coffee and chocolate undertones to this roasted smoked tasting malts. good flavors coming through of campfire and nutty alcohol flavas

625ml bottle: Deep brown, near black body with a large mocha tan head, nice lacing, that lasts. Aroma of chocolate, dark chocolate, coffee, yeast, mild roasted malt character, and light sweet fruits towards the finish. Moderate carbonation, creamy, full mouthfeel. Taste is initially milk chocolate, dark chocolate, then a slight yeast/sweet fruit/extract twang?/bitter hops, roasted coffee, bitter roasted malt, and a hint of alcohol in the nose. Finishes moderately dry with hints of dark fruit, chocolate, roasted malt, and mild earthy hops toward the end.