Lion Stout - Ceylon / Lion Brewery Limited

Chsyhkr

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An interesting beer these Tropical or Carribean Stouts. Most folks miss the mark and think they are drinking a Foreign or Imperial Stout.

I consider this beer an Imperial Milk Stout with the low IBU's and residual sweetness.

A very good version of the style.

I would love to hear some history of how these island countries came to brew and drink this beer. It comes across as their version of malt liquor!

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2009 16:31:21 | More by Chsyhkr

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excellent beer! Poured with a dark tan head and some lace. Opaque brown color. Aroma is roasty, malty, a bit sweet and hint of fruit. Flavor's got lots more going on. Kind of reminds me of a cross between a baltic porter and a sweet stout. Has all the aroma characteristics plus much sweeter yet balanced with a bitterness, dark fruit, madiera, and even - cream. Mouth is fine carbonation and creamy, but with a lingering bitter sweetness. A little boozy. A session beer that'd get ya snockered. Impressive brew. Tamil tigers oughta get a few cases and take a break, Ok, cook with it then. sheesh.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2009 04:52:26 | More by drpimento

erosier

Connecticut

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

L: Poured a deep black color with a short and medium sized tan colored head that laced the glass on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet roasted malts, hints of coffee, chocolate, and toffee.
T: Follows the nose pretty well except that the toffee note was a bit more pronounced. It was a very sweet tasting stout with hints of coffee and chocolate.
M: Very smooth, not as thick as it looked, and the right amount of carbonation.
D: Pretty drinkable as it was sweet and not overly bitter. I did not detect the high alcohol levels while I was drinking it either.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2008 10:21:05 | More by erosier

blakesell

Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from the tap into a standard pint glass.

Appearance- Beer pours a good solid black with a finger of creamy tan head. There is a hint of brown at the top of the head as if someone poured cinnamon over the top like with an espresso, making it look much less tan. Lacing is thick and ample.

Smell- Wow! What a nose, grapes, prunes and just a touch of bourbon upfront. Licorice and chocolate malts are quick to follow. Michael Jackson is on point with this one, even the yeast is amazing for a stout on the nose.

Taste- Holy... Yes, this is an excellent stout. Port grapes, non dairy creamer, chocolate, black licorice, star anise, dark fruits and the yeast here, I would steal this yeast for a stout of my own. I'll see if it is bottle conditioned in the future.

Mouthfeel- Creamy, warming, lightly hopped, full-bodied, and medium in carbonation.

Drinkability- This is about as good as it gets on a foreign/export stout level.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2008 12:56:26 | More by blakesell

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A. Served on tap into a Lion mug. Dark as night with a white, poor retaining head.

S. Roasted malt and a hint of booze in there too. Earthy grains. Expresso.

T. A wonderfully balanced export stout. Gives me just enough roasted malt, some earthy hop, peat and moss, some torched brown sugar. Coffee notes with cocoa powder. Very tasty.

M. Also thick, black and full bodied. Just how I like my stouts.

D. As sessionable as an 8% stout can be. On tap it is especially nice. Reccommended.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2008 20:47:18 | More by Stinkypuss

Kemmerlin

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Dark milk chocolate appearance especially in the color with a descent size mocha head leaving a sticky lacing on the glass.

S: Stout mocha aroma with a dense chocolate or cocoa bean smell kicking in.

T: Dark sweet chocolate and peppermint with light coffee flavors in the aftertaste kinda reminded me of irish cream with chocolate.

M/D: Did not have a heavy feel like most stouts but did leave your mouth very dry. It was very drinkable and I would highly recommend this stout although it is not my favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2008 22:42:27 | More by Kemmerlin

JamesS

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very nice dark black with nice tan head and good lacing. Very nice scent, a very good coffee/burnt grain and malt scent, faintly sweet. Nice taste, a very nice dry-type stout, with a great burnt grain/malt taste, slightly coffee in taste, with a semi-sweet finish. Goes down extremely well for a higher ABV beer.

(On-tap at Barley and Hops Bottle Shop, Pittsburgh (Bethel Park), PA)

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2008 13:29:03 | More by JamesS

americanwolfdrea

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured a near black and relatively thick consistency. It produced a nice head, and just looked great in the mug. It had a deep flavor that paired exceptionally with my cheese plate. It had a filling mouth feel(which is great to me) and finished really clean.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2008 21:09:50 | More by americanwolfdrea

AlexJ

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This was an unexpected find at the Classic City brewfest, a strong stout brewed in the tropics of Sri Lanka. It is dark brown, nearly black with a fantastically thick head that stays and stays.

The aroma is caramel sweet, and has delicate hints of chocolate, coffee, plum/prune, and has a slight metallig twang that English stouts and porters often have. Pleasant aromas, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Flavor profile follows suit. It is dominated by bittersweet choc and coffee accents of the roasted dark malts. There's a bit of creamy vanilla in there too. It has a definately prune (or Lekvar-brune butter) quality throughout that adds a hint of fruity acidity. Overall it is very mellow and quite subdued.

It has a medium body, which is creamy in texture and very smooth. There is zero indication of the 8%, it would make a fine sessionable brew. Tame, but enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2005 21:01:00 | More by AlexJ

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Black body with mahogany highlights topped by a dark tan head. Sweet roasted malt aroma. Some nice dark fruits and a touch of hops spiciness as well. The sweet, roasted malt continues into the taste, with a noticeable alcohol note as well. Just a hint of chocolate as well. The aftertaste is like a bite of a sweet plum followed by a cup of coffee. Maybe it's a jelly donut followed with a coffee chaser. In any event, it's good. The mouthfeel is robust and smooth, having a bit of a creaminess to it. The drikability is good as well, even as the slight tobacco juice note starts appearing towards the end of the glass. A beer that I should have tried sooner.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2003 16:20:58 | More by aaronh

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of those beers that are just classic. I love it, possibly my favorite all around stout that I have tasted. It really is amazing, hell, even Michael Jackson endorses this one, but then again his opinion is just that another opinion. The Lion Stout pours a very dark opaque tone of deep blackish brown with hints of ruby at the edges when held to the light. The head that complements the body is an incredible milk chocolate hue of brown head, and leaves a sturdy even lace down my imperial pint. The aroma is saturated with dark malts especially the chocolate roasts. Very well done, and the flavor of this brew contains the perfect combination of sweet creamy chocolate, full of coffee roasts, and a smooth dryness that mellows the finish so nicely. With the medium light body and the creamy mouthfeel to each sip, this beer is so drinkable that besides the ABV there is no reason why it shouldn't deserve a five. Quite the impressive work of art straight from who would have thought Sri Lanka. MJ make some room cause this BA would like to sign his seal of approval on the Lion Stout.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2003 15:00:54 | More by WVbeergeek