Lion Stout

Brewed by Lion Brewery (Sri Lanka)
Style: Foreign Stout
Biyagama, Sri Lanka

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

(bottle, best before Nov. 2005) Almost black coloured with a big brown foam. Roasted malt aroma with burnt caramel, dark cacao and dried plums. Bittersweet flavour, full bodied, smooth carbonated. Moderarately sweet initial taste with roasted malt, chocolate, crusts of german Schwarzbrot, caramel and liquorice. Warming alcohol in the bitter and nutty finish, thus it is quite well integrated. Very complex and quaffable Stout.

Dark roasted/burnt malt aroma, and possibly chocolate and dark fruit. It’s a mix. Opaque black color with a tan head that sticks around. Thin bodied. Mild carbonation. Starts with a tarry, burnt malt flavor. Dark fruits transit, and the finish is darkly burnt, with some substantial bitter. It is truly something. The finish is toasted and bitter. It hardly gets better than this.

A Mes rate: 33cl bottle from Selfridges. A new rate for me but I am previously aware of its quality. Sri Lanka is not somewhere I would think of when considering quality beer but this is well worthy of its lofty position. The nose is obviously stout like but there is a wonderful note of vanilla cake too. The roasted malt is a given but here it is well pronounced and quite excellent. Hints of plum in there too. The body is deepest darkest brown with a thin tan film. Flavour is just like the aroma but with a noticable kick of alcohol. It is almost too much but just before it starts to be unpleasant there is a dollop of sweet malt and a very late rush of bitter hops. A well balanced full bodied gem. An excellent beer.

dark black colour, creamy dark head which quickly disappears; complex aroma of black chocolate, plum and raisins, tart, some acidity, lot of character, nice bitter and slightly fruity finish

Entirely opaque black colour. Small, diminishing head. Woody, slightly fruity, aroma. Lots of licorice in the flavour - like liquid Pontefract cakes. Pruney fruity and nuts too, with chocolate in the background. Rich texture. Becomes progressively bitter and dry, finishing sweet and sour. Plenty of backbone and complexity. Very nice. And that’s another country ticked off. 330ml bottle from beersofeurope.co.uk. BBE 31July 2004.

Bottle: Very dark, almost black coloured, mid-sized brown rocky head, sticking to the glass; sweetish malty nose, traces of liquorice and cacao; quite malty, dry coffeish flavour; medium to full bodied; long, dry malty and chocolatey-bitter finish; strong complex stout, well hidden alcohol, very pleasant and warming !

Bottle. Poured black with a moderate brown head that diminished slolwly. Complex roasted malt and chocolate aroma. Medium to full body with a creamy texture. Full well balanced flavor with medium finish. Good not great.

Dark black beer with a deep dark brown head. Aroma of dark licorice, leather and sweet dark fruit. Lots of plums and treacle. Heavy, rich dark chocolate and heavy char. Roasty flavour with a rich sweet dark chocolate flavour. Rich character and a lingering rich sweet raisiny character. Excellent example of the style.