Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: Barley Wine
Horsham, England

Enjoyed side by side with Ridgeway’s other three Elves in a horizontal tasting.

This... THIS is where "Bad Elf" wanted to be!!! Same damn copper color (maybe a TAD darker than the rest) with that same, incessant, creamy off-white head! There is still a slight annoyance of metallics in the aroma, but the hops and malts are bumped up to a level of "juiciness". Hops linger loudly on the tongue while strong, sweet malts follow in the guise of bakery-quality grains... all washing away to a resurgence of hops and alcohol (although the 10.5% here doesn’t seem as strong as the previous 9% nor 7.5% brews). In a word, "delicious". If anyone decides to experiment with these brews and have a tasting of their own, I would suggest to skip "Very" and "Seriously" and jump straight from "Bad" to "Criminally".

Merry Christmas, everyone!

<font size=-4>Pint bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/highla Wine & Spirits, Highland Park, Illinois 60035</font>

I can’t believe the low rating on this one. Maybe it’s beecause it’s actually a drinkable barly wine {my first}. I guess it doesn’t hold true to the style. Super sweet, makes your lips sticky. In my opinion it would make a great dessert beer. Lots of orangy ond citrus aromas and flavors. Near the end of the bottle it became almost undrinkable because of the sweetness. I’d surely order this again, but share it next time.

Complex aroma of toffee, cinnamon, and elderberries, with a coppery tinge to it. Clear copper with constant streams of carbonation, medium tan head, nice lacing. Figs and cherries dance on the tongue. Delicious plum and vanilla finish. Full bodied, but not thick, and relatively easy on the palate. Alcohol present but tastefully downplayed. There is an apparent attempt to balance the sweetness that has come to dominate this style with bitterness. I really appreciate this, especially during a season when some of us are sessioning multiple barleywines and strong ales. I must give credit to the Brits, they do a fine barleywine.

Nice taste, barley-wine flavored explosion in a bottle. It has a 11.5% AC and is worth every penny.

Bottle. Beer was a medium amber with a rust colored hue. Head was small, off white with little lacing. Aroma was of darkfruits, vanilla and alcohol. Nice creamy mouthfeel.

Very nicely balanced ... wow! crazy well hidden alcohol ... a wad of cookie dough ... pleasing aroma, makes me want to trounce a maitre de ... dark maple syrup smell .. one of those beers that makes you wonder if the abv is truly what they say .. sweet plum, sugar flavours .. not a bad effort!

courtesy of oh6gdx - clear amber colour, little elusive foam; aroma of passion fruit and lichee with some notes of alcohol; oily and strong malt body; sweet and deeply bitter with a long malty, fruity and hoppy finish followed by a warming alcohol touch

The beer came in a light brown bottle that proudly exhibited the bad elf behind bars. The generous 50 cl. size and the 10.5% ABV meant a serious session ahead for this solo drinker. As I cracked it open and poured into an oversized wine glass, the clarity of the pale amber body surprised me. The beer also looked thinner and more fluid than a typical barleywine. The aroma, although mild, was distinctive with a balance between spicy hops and orange marmalade like malt sweetness. The taste was well crafted with neither of the bitter, spicy, and sweet flavors dominating the others. The finish was dry and dusty, and the alcohol was notably absent throughout. The only fault I could find is the lack of richness in the thin body. But considering the drinkability of the concoction, this was but a minor quibble.