Lion Stout

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

Gotta love the pic of Michael Jackson on the side of the six pack. Poured with a fairly large tan head. Some ruby highlights show up when held to light. Aroma is sweat socks and day old coffee. Couldn’t get much else in smells. Awful aroma. The mouthfeel is slick with a light playfulness, suprising for the style. Also, plenty of carbonation. The taste has some sugar sweetened coffee. I hate to say it, but I hate sweet coffee. Also a hint of tobacco and some bourbon. This is decent, but nothing to get excited about.

Complex, sweet doughy, lightly roasty, ashy, salty aroma has notes of chocolate, brown sugar, corn and some light, leafy, vegetal tones. Opaque dark brown, almost black with some lighter brown highlights. Decent, fine-bubbled tan head recedes to a lasting cover with plenty of sudsy lacing. Chocolate, cereal, dark roasty malts and lightly salty soya sauce like flavours with a sugary finish. Dry well-attenuated medium body with moderate carbonation. Some alcohol warming but other wise alcohol is well-hidden. Bottle (trade - Nov. 2004) enjoyed with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, Olivier_MTL and Rastacouere. Thanks, Silphium!

Deep black with reddish highlights around base and top, creamy tan head and very good lacing. The aroma hints of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, cashews, sour milk, dried figs, and earthy yeast esters. The taste is boldly mocha and anise. A bitter bite and espresso undertones. Ripe fruits (figs, prune, and raisin) adds depth as well a hint of vanilla bean. The mouthfeel is smooth and dry, some alcohol is detected towards the completion of glass. Overall, a darn solid stout with nice complex nature. Could have done without such a big bite on the palate, but still very drinkable.

Bottle at home ... Solid Black ... smokey roast malt ... fruity cherry little liquorish ... lots of roast malt ... quite sweet ... little spirit but doesnt show its strength... good balance.

Justifiably famous, this fruit and nut concoction is made from the waters of Lovers Leap waterfall 7,000 feet above sea level. The fruits are dark but lively - blackcurrant and prune, with tawny port overtones. The nuts are almond and pistachio. This is a complex and flavoursome beer which offers something new with each mouthful. Stouts are not to everyone’s taste, but this is mellow enough to be an excellent introduction. As a lover of dark brews this gets full marks from me.

Bottle. Brown lasting head. Very dark, against my lamp red body. Aroma. Weak choccolate and something I cannot really spot, something lemonlike. Pleasant choccolate / coffee flavor with low bitterness.

Sixth beer during Cellar’s Wine & Spirits Friday beer tasting of "Lawn Mower Beers." Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thick tan head. The thick head slowly diminishes and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma of milk chocolate, plums, raisins, mocha and toasted malt. Flavor is smooth, a little citrus and full bodied. Finish is sweet, creamy and nice hop bitterness.

Absolutely beautiful pour! Nice midnight black with a solid 1" well-retained caramel head. Intricate lacing as it went down. Aroma was fantastic even before it warmed to drinking temp. Dutch cocoa, coffee, caramel, and vanilla all came through. There was some slight bitterness in the aroma too. Flavor started and finished with bitter notes. The middle had a strong roasted chocolate backbone, with some dark fruit and caramel sweetness. Very smooth mouthfeel. This was an excellent brew all around!