Lion Stout

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Fully ebon hue, rich, tan hand, thick and rocky...good looking stout, so far. Nose, soft and creamy, with notes of nuts and cocoa. Taste is smooth at first, but fills the mouth well. Huge malts, caramelly, thick and nearly chewy, very full bodied. Perfect integration, wonderful balance, sweet and tasty, but never too, with a delicate fruitiness, just underneath. The ABV peeks in just a bit, but doesn't mar the enjoyment of what's nearly a perfect stout! Beats the hell out of Guinness, but gets me yearning for an Expedition. Hearty and proud as it's namesake, Lion is a stout fit for a king. Lightly spicy in the end, nutty, and never-ending tastiness.

Pours with a two-finger light brown head that fades slowly and leaves a good lace. Totally black color. Good carbonation. Nose is coffee/caramel. Strong coffee/carmel flavor, nice, sweet, beefy stout. $6.49 for a 6-pack of 330ml bottles from Colonial Spirits, Acton, MA.

from a bottle under the alias Sinha Stout. I have limited exposure to Asian beers (usually worse than North American macros), so this was easily the best I have ever had. nice dark color with tan head. light to medium body allowing the flavours of nuts, toffee, wine and some alcohol to show through. finish is fairly smooth considering the alcohol content. sweeter than I would have thought. A great "light" imperial stout.

UPDATED: JAN 14, 2005 Bottle: Excellent aroma of malts with coffee, cream, and chocolate. Pours a very dark brown, virtually black with a big tan head with great retention. Excellent lacing. Great flavor. The balance of coffee and chocolate malt provide and excellent combination. Mild hops in finish never become too dominate as they do in some stouts. Pleasant mocha and coffee aftertaste. Not too sweet, not too bitter. No strong alcohol presence considering the 8% abv, which I like. Alcohol becomes a little more noticeable near the end of the bottle but never to the point where it’s overpowering. Creamy mouthfeel. This is just an excellent beer. I don’t drink too many repeat beers because I’m always looking to rate something new, but I’ll make an exception for this considering it’s quite the bargain at $2.49 for 625 ml. Complete opposite of their lager. Finally did this side by side with Speedway Stout and had to knock the score down a few points.

Excellent Stout. This is not Guiness. It should be classifed as an Imperial stout with all that alcohol. So many flavors you won’t be able to drink just 1.

Rich, complex flavors: chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, mocha, caramel... Ans a superbly creamy texture. Everyone I’ve ever served this to becomes a convert.

This is a fantastic beer. Very creamy texture. The high alcohol content is not noticed in the taste. The flavor is of chocolate and mocha.

Bottle. Black beer with dark beige head. Bitter dark burnt malts. Intense. Really nice, velvety with good burnt malt finish. Toasty, smokey, charcoal. Really rather nice.