Lion Stout

Reviewed 12/25/2012. 11.2 oz bottle into a pint glass. A: Pours a very dark red color with nice opacity. The head is a huge, foaming three finger khaki color that descends to one finger after a while. Plenty of lacing is left behind, as well. S: Big, massive, hugely sweet chocolate. Some dark fruits, as well. Actually, come to think about it, there’s a minor whiff of sour cherries - infection, perhaps? We shall see. I still enjoy the aroma greatly, but that foamy head should have been a giveaway. T: The flavor takes on more of a roasted barley and coffee bean tone, especially at first, while waves of chocolaty sweet and - unfortunately - tart cherries seemingly via an onsetting infection. After a while, the tartness takes center stage. Some herbal hop flavors also try to pop up in the finish, as well. So what we have here is a lightly soured stout, and it kind of works. Not perfectly by any means, but there’s enough sweetness here to keep it in check. M: Quite light in its loafers with wimpy carbonation. There’s actually an esophageal burn and a bit of stomach turning which completely tanks the mouthfeel score for me. On the palate proper, it’s not particularly dry, but nicely bittersweet’n’sour; whatever the blue hell that’s supposed to mean. O: Infected - it just has to be. But thank Odin it’s a minor infection that actually gives it a pleasant twist, instead of twisting my mouth sideways and dissolving my tongue. This clearly isn’t the final product as it’s intended to be - thankfully I have a penchant for a good Flemish-style ale along side my stout tooth, so I still think it’s quite okay. If you’re bottle has "123881841" on it, just be wary.