Lion Stout - Ceylon / Lion Brewery Limited

eyefeelgood

Pennsylvania

1.53/5  rDev -61.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

I sure hope I just got a bad one because this was arguably the worst beer I've had in years. Color was excellent, smell in the bottle was okay but all downhill after that. In the glass it smelled like sewer water and didn't taste any better. It was bought and stored the same as a dozen great beers so it was either bad when I bought it or its just lousy.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 15:34:34 | More by eyefeelgood

wallpaperbag

Alabama

1.73/5  rDev -56.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Gross.
I don't waste beer, even bad ones, and after several attempts to hand out my 6-pack I almost threw the last couple into the woods.
I love big stouts but this was strong in a uniquely bad way. All the wrong dark fruits soaked in salt water and dipped in cheap chocolate.
The only good thing I got out of this was a deeper sleep and a lesson in buying stouts from Sri Lanka. Please give me a Sierra Nevada Stout or a Bell's Double Cream.

Serving type: can

01-19-2011 09:40:18 | More by wallpaperbag

HimerMan

New Jersey

2.23/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle at the House of Brews in NYC. (Michael Jackson picture on the back of the bottle.)

Pour was a nice almost black with dark brown flat head.

Taste left a lot to be desired - as it was very different from what I am used to in a stout. Interesting to say the least, just not exactly what I prefer in taste.

I would suggest trying this if you like a less creamy more carob syrupy flavor beer with a roasted flavor (somewhat smokey).

Give it a shot - always worth it to formulate your own opinion.

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 02:03:20 | More by HimerMan

pjohnston007

New York

2.23/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Poured it and then sat down to drink it while reading the reviews on here. Noticed the first swig full of flavor and inviting. It was all downhill from there. It started getting sickly sweet or something offensive. I'm not sure if it was the mouthfeel or the flavors. Before a gag reflex set in, I rushed to the sink and poured the glass and what remained in the bottle down the sink. I switched to a Sam Adams Winter Lager but that would not enough to cleanse my palate. There's a reason a large bottle of this is only $3.50. Stay away.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 02:25:15 | More by pjohnston007

CMUbrew

Michigan

2.3/5  rDev -41.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

11.2 oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours very black, and looks fairly viscous. About a finger an a half of brown head which dissipates somewhat quickly. Looks like a nice stout.

S: Here's where the trouble starts. Smell is quite strange. Somewhere between skunky and slightly sour. Highly grainy. Not good.

T: Grainy, with a bad lactic sourness in there. Pretty weak roasted flavor. Some dark fruit, dates. Crappy, highly tannic coffee on the finish.

M: Might not have been bad here if it wasn't for the high astringency.

O: Not pleasant. Drainpour. Big disappointment. Pricepoint is the only reason behind the 2.5 here. Really sad I bought two bottles.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 03:00:10 | More by CMUbrew

charlzm

California

2.33/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Consumed May 3rd, 2012 at The Tin Cow, Pensacola, FL. Poured into a pint glass.

Extremely dark brown with a finger-high mocha colored head.

Aroma is a little on the red grape tip with some subtle roasted malts.

Flavor is a mess. Chalky, thin, weird. Red grapes, weak, lightly roasted malts, mineral notes. Low bitterness.

Unremarkable mouthfeel, save for the chalky, chewy bit.

Think I'll take a pass on this one next time I see it.

Serving type: can

06-13-2012 05:15:36 | More by charlzm

Onenote81

North Carolina

2.38/5  rDev -39.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Had this beer at a cookout this last weekend. Someone knew I liked stouts, so they grabbed this for me. Poured it into a mug. Pours a thick oil-like black with a large tan head on top. Very good retention; left lots of sticky lace clinging to the glass. Scents of dark fruits, milk chocolate, and some roasted malts.

The body was pretty wet and slick. I expected more here. Too watery. The taste was not doing it for me. Some sourness present reminded me of some milk stouts. Other flavors noted were grape, and faint chocolate notes. Nothing standout here. I couldn't even finish this one. Something about it just wasn't pleasant. I'll pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 13:16:34 | More by Onenote81

cokes

Wisconsin

2.45/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Much less a lion, and much more a feral cat.

A ruby shade of blackness, with a skinny tan edge.
Aromas mirroring the inside of of a raisin box. Cardboard, wax, and stale dark fruits.
Astonishes the mouth with its lack of flavor, especially decent flavor. Slightly roasted with faint chocolate covered prunes. Rummed coffee towards the back of the throat. Some oxidization, wet paper, and building vinegar sourness to round this out.
Not exciting in the least, actually, not even pleasant.

Next.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2003 22:22:13 | More by cokes

nsmartell

Wisconsin

2.45/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I enjoyed this beer while playing cards at a friend's house. From bottle to pint glass.

Appearance: Nice and dark, but with no head.

Smell: Chocolate and malt.

Taste: Too bitter with a really bad metallic taste. I felt like I was eating tin foil.

Mouthfeel: - thick-bodied.

Drinkability: I'm guessing the metal taste was only part of tihs bad batch we had. Would try it again, but am not holding out hope.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2008 16:06:02 | More by nsmartell

SeanChouffe

New Mexico

2.53/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance: A deep dark brown color with a full, foamy, tan head (low retention. Aroma is dull and muted: Roasty and chocolaty with a light hop presence. Metallic notes. Flavor: sweet start with a dominant roasted taste, chocolaty, and a lightly dry and metallic finish. Palate: medium bodied and creamy with low co2. This beer seems to have under utilized the assets of the ingredients. Not a bad beer, but not well balanced and not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2004 22:06:44 | More by SeanChouffe

ThickNStout

Georgia

2.53/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle from the Wienhous (Asheville, NC). $2.69. No bottling info. Poured into a snifter. 

Near black with 1/2 finger tan head. Almost zero lacing. 

Dates and figs with a hint of bakers chocolate. Overall a bit sweet. 

Sweet dark fruit and mild chocolate. There's a little roast/smokeyness in there. I can taste the alcohol too- I wasn't expecting that, seeing as the abv isn't that high at all. All around flat.

Medium bodied. Heavier carbonation that is really necessary. Dry finish. 

Meh. As far as I'm concerned, Sri Lanka can keep it. It's not awful but I'll never look for it again. There are too many other worthwhile stouts out there to waste any more time/money on this. 

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 06:11:46 | More by ThickNStout

ibbjamin

California

2.55/5  rDev -35.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Paid $1.99 for an 11.2 oz bottle from City Beer Store in San Francisco.

One inch tan head after an aggressive pour. Moderate head retention for a stout. Some lacing that slowly disappears. Black color.

Smells of breads, alcohol, sweet and roasted malts and some yeast esters.

Tastes a bit over-roasted. Alcohol is present.

Thick and moderately creamy. Little carbonation. Full bodied. Not the easiest to drink.

Not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2008 01:19:29 | More by ibbjamin

Spiekerbox

Michigan

2.55/5  rDev -35.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown-black appearance with thick dark head. Head lingers for a short time not as long as many I have seen

S: Somewhat chocolaty with hits of coffee, rather bland, nothing exceptional but still decent.

T: Hints of chocolate and hints of coffee, more bitter than what I would expect of a stout, slight hoppiness that is hard to notice at first.

M: Thick mouthfeel with strong taste of alcohol, the 8% alcohol comes out strongly, not covered up well by beer itself.


D: The 22 oz. bottle I drank it from was enough for me, after finishing to bottle was full and had little desire to drink the other beer I had bought for the night.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2010 02:55:18 | More by Spiekerbox

getch

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a-extremly dark and black, not brown a black color, thick head and overall a very thick beer.

s-a dull chocolate smell, like a old chocolate that has been sitting at your grandparents house and is still there because your scared to try it, beause of how old it possible could be.

t-a bitter taste with a bad after taste, maybe its the alc. content in the beer, but i guess with the dull smell comes the dull taste, my beer is alittle chilled, i waited for 10 mins after I took it out of the frig, but i cannot image this beer warm, or any warmer than i have, maybe some hidden taste?

m- extremly thick, i like that it is thick and lingers in the mouth for some time, but because of the taste of it, it makes it worse.

d-I will not have this beer, again, i rate it average just because it prob tastes a lot better where consumed in the country of origin, Sri Lanka

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2008 02:48:52 | More by getch

JBuff41413

Colorado

2.88/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hadn't seen this stout before so I thought I'd give it a try.

A- Oil black with a small light tan head that dissipates to just a film.

S- Coffee, dried fruit, and very small amount of bitter chocolate.

T- Was not impressed. Burnt coffee fading into dried fruit which then becomes incredibly tanic and sour. Not a fan.

M- Medium mouthfeel, slightly creamy, decent mouthfeel for the genre.

D- If you like the taste I imagine the drinkability would be ok. Unlike many other stouts the 8% ABV definitely shows.

Other BA's seem to like this brew, I, on the other hand did not. Maybe my taste buds are not sophisticated enough lol. For $7 a 6-pack, give it a try and see what you think.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2008 04:26:36 | More by JBuff41413

jbertsch

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance:
As black as black gets. Completely eclipses any light on the other side of it. No color glow on the edges. I poured a 625 ml bottle into a tulip glass that produced a two-finger head that appeared as a thick and frothy tan. There is some pretty ringed lacing.

Smell:
Pleasantly rustic, and a bit musty, but sweet with a strong mocha presence. The former is due to some spicey dark fruit notes and a little smokiness. The smell of alcohol is noticeable.

Taste:
Interesting...I can't tell what kind of stout it's trying to be. The coffee/mocha aroma doesn't really translate through in the taste that much. There's a molasses sweetness that fades into a finish of bitter, dark roasted grain. There's even something else there at the end that just tastes foreign. Maybe it's that spice that I smelled. I know Sri Lanka is a mecca for spices.

Mouthfeel:
A bit on the flat side, and finished wet and long.

Drinkability:
I wouldn't drink more than one bottle, nor would I buy it again. But I enjoyed the bottle I had enough.

This beer looks and smells better than it tastes. But I felt that I would have enjoyed it more if I had a smokey aged cheese and artisan bread to go with it. It needs an edible companion.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 03:30:39 | More by jbertsch

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

2.88/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

330ml bottle. Snifter glass. Enjoyed on jul´11. Pours pitch black in color. Tan froth creates a creamy lasting & thick crown. Ripe grapes, raisins & hints of chocolate to the nose. Flavors & mouthfeel are dominated by a heavy sweetness. Quite cloying sensation.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 17:55:53 | More by GONZALOYANNA

pezoids

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer poured out an almost opaque black with slight tints of a deep ruby coming through when put up to a light. The head was impressive, rich and a dark tan color. The aroma is alcohol, caramel and heavy sweet malts. The taste was strong in alcohol, bitter roastiness with an astringent aftertaste. It's a complex tasting
stout, but the flavor misses the mark for me - although I do prefer dry rather than sweet stouts in general. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2003 19:10:41 | More by pezoids

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

2.93/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours a nice dark walnut with a decent head. The head is short-lived and leaves no lace.

Sweet, roasted nose with coffee and dark chocolate. The coffee and dark chocolate are also present in the taste, along with some toastiness. The beer is a little too sweet up front, but has a decently bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is confused, with sweet syrupiness followed by thinness.

Passable, but there are more enjoyable stouts to be had.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 21:03:13 | More by TerryW

Gueuzedude

Arizona

2.95/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with a dense, creamy, initially four-finger thick, deeply brown stained, full tan colored head. The beer is a full black color that shows just a flash of ruby to it when held up directly to the light. Weird, the aroma is quite weird; buttery, but with an almost chemical undercurrent. What is weird is that this might not be diacetyl, this is the most likely culprit, but for some reason it just seems a bit different than your typical diacetyl signature. Buttered popcorn aromas clearly dominate, but there is just a hint of roast character noticeable towards the finish.

Quite sweet with a fairly agreeable flavor until the finish which has a phenolic, chemical edge to it. The body has a nice fullness to it as well as a nice soft, chocolate tasting, roast grain flavor to it. That strange buttery note is not nearly as noticeable in the flavor, but the chemical note still manages to mute my enjoyment of this beer pretty significantly.

This is newly arrived in Arizona, so I don't understand why this is so bad; and to be honest the flavors of this beer seem pretty fresh, it is just that there are also some significantly off components to this beer as well.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 04:12:50 | More by Gueuzedude

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured int Sam Adams Sensory Glass.

Pours an opaque black, slightly brown around the edges of the glass. Pours a tan head the leaves good splattered lacing about the glass.

Aroma is very smokey. I smelt something like teriyaki sauce and it reminded me a lot of Sam Adams Triple Bock. It was very malty.

Taste was pretty much identical to the smell. It was was too smokey and nothing I enjoyed very much.

Mouthfeel was very creamy, but I couldn't withhold the taste so I couldn't keep it in my mouth too long. There was no alcohol present and it had decent carbonation.

Overall this is probably my least favorite stout to date. I don't plan on buying or drinking another one of these.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 21:53:02 | More by mothman

BigDank

South Dakota

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz can into a goose island matilda goblet. In the air the pour stream is a very dark brown but once in the glass becomes enough to be opaque / black. The head is a light brown and very tall so the carbonation must be somewhat high. Head reduced to a lumpy foam then dissipated completely in a short time. Smell is light, not too rich or outstanding. Taste is somewhat light and sweet and not really anything amazing as far as I'm concerned. Not a bad beer but not really what I would look for in a stout. To each their own I suppose. Drinkability is high as the abv is not too high and the mouthfeel is smooth and easy. The beer rolls across the tongue lightly with the bubbles biting just a little bit. Overall drinkable, but not my cup of tea (or beer). Was worth the try.

Serving type: can

12-28-2009 01:12:40 | More by BigDank

SamN

Colorado

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Lion Stout in a can. It's gotta be done.

Pours a pretty thick blackness. Head is notable; beautiful notes of brown and tan. Loose and and little filmy. Excellent crown to a big black stout. Smell is a little sour; some vinegar, coffee notes, molasses. Not the typical stout smell; sweeter, a little sour, no oak, vanilla or bourbon notes to be found. Taste follows smell pretty closely. This definitely has a sweet edge to it. I also get some grape skins in the taste. The main roasted malt taste is upfront, which gives way pretty quickly to a sweet/sour and tinny finish. Some coffe and cocoa detectable. Not bad, interesting tastes, not a stout I'd drink very often. I can see drinking this fresh off the tap on a tropical island, beachin it up.

Has a distinct sour bite to it I don't care for. Don't know if it's a bad can; is that possible? I seem to like it much more out of the bottle.

Serving type: can

04-23-2011 05:30:25 | More by SamN

idResponse

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Average porter. Average price. Average... ho hum... blah... move on... If you want something interesting, certainly don't look here. This beer is a porter... sure... it's a porter... yup... it sure is a porter! I'm pretty certain it's a porter. It tastes and looks and smells like a porter. It's a porter allright! I'm bored of this porter. It's unremarkable and average all the way through. Certainly an excellent find if it's on a bargain shelf but I'm sure you can find better tasting porters near you and not from halfway across the world... Unless you live in Sri Lanka!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 02:24:20 | More by idResponse

sweemzander

Illinois

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz can poured into a snifter.

(A)- Pours almost pitch black in color. Some tan froth and lacing.

(S)- A raisin heavy roasted maltiness; almost smoky on the finish.

(T)- Again, quite heavy on the raisin with subtle molasses combined with an almost smoky but roasted malt profile.

(M)- A smooth carbonation level. A good malty balance that is a bit on the lighter side but plenty of flavor.

(O)- An easy drinking stout with smooth and mellow carbonation. Surprised this came in cans.

Serving type: can

06-04-2013 19:49:08 | More by sweemzander