Lion Stout - Ceylon / Lion Brewery Limited

6470zzy

Massachusetts

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

A- Pours out a deep opaque almost black shade of brown with a healthy dark tan head. As the head recedes it leaves in it's wake a mild amount of lacing.

S- I find a distinct pleasant aroma of soy sauce and cocoa.

T- Up front bitterness with coffee, black strap molasses and a hint of chocolate.

M- Medium bodied with a nice degree of carbonation for the style.

D- I could definitely enjoy this stout on a regular basis, Micheal Jackson was right to put his endorsement on this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2008 21:03:09 | More by 6470zzy

tanousa

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Beautiful dark tone with a nice tan head.

S- Mocha , roasty smell and bitter chocolate.

T- Nice tasre of molasses , chocolate and coffe, very complex flavors mixed in this stout.

M- Nice body, little to medium carbonation , cramy and delicious.

D- you can drink more than one because its so good but remember the 8 % ABV , this beauty can get you in trouble!

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 23:26:38 | More by tanousa

gruberbeer

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

As my esteemed beer colleagues have noted, this beer is malt-ball malty. However, I dare to disagree with some impressions of its appearance and carbonation.

The appearance is lovely, black as night, and it has a frothy beige-brown head that foams and lasts long enough to tell you that this beer is appropriately carbonated.

My only qualm resides in this beer's overly enthusiastic chocolate flavor. I'm usually a fan of chocolate, but this beer's bitter chocolate mixes with the strong smokey ash flavor to make this taste more like I dropped a Hershey's bar into a campfire and then licked it clean.

Nevertheless, it augments a piece of pizza and will effectively hide any cumin flavor (if that's what you want) with its powerful smoke-screen.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 00:05:57 | More by gruberbeer

adsomers

California

4.4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I went from having a dismissive attitude about this beer to considering it a favorite. That it is so cheap and accessible is a welcome bonus.

I'll skip the detailed review and just say that it ain't your everyday stout. It has.a fruity sweetness to it but is not overly rich. There's a sight tartness to it that make it quite refreshing IMO. The head is creamy and leaves a nice lace. Most of all, this beer is digestible, like a good abbey or Trappist ale.

Highly recommended but leave yuor expectations at the door.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 04:01:07 | More by adsomers

sleepingbear

Michigan

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Chocolate City meets the Pacific.

I must admit I had a slew of predispositions about this beer.
I was thinking a Sri Lankan brew, really?

After watching the rolling, silky, fat-girl-in-satin-nightie pour- the first taste coaxed me into submission until I was lapping at the lion's paw.

A beautiful soft, round mouth feel is accented with rich, delicately sweet notes of cacao and coffee muted with a beautiful slightly sweet finish.

There’s something about a beer with a purpose that turns me on.
I mean anytime I eat any coconut curry (Indian or Thai) I will either be drinking this beer or thinking about drinking this beer. The Lion Stout even at room temperature is absolute fantastic combination with all hot curries dishes. This will be in attendance in the cellar for its occasions.

*side note: This brewery stopped brewing its beer to bottle water for victims of the tsunami.

Viva Lion!

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2006 06:04:09 | More by sleepingbear

TokyoCO

Colorado

4.29/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a bottle in Japan, poured into a goblet.

A: Dark black with slight amber on the edges. Large head!

S: Sweet malts, milk chocolate, dark fruits. Quite a robust smell.

T: Starts off creamy and sweet, fruits are present. More bitter malts and slight chocolate/coffee taste is present in the middle. Ends with bitter chocolate and slight alcohol burn.

M: Creamy but not overly heavy.

O: This is good! No one taste is overwhelming as it is well balanced. Not as strong coffee and chocolate as a lot of stouts but the sweet malts and fruit are great. Definitely a sipper!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 09:14:10 | More by TokyoCO

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

GavDomDadGH

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A nice extremely dark brown to black. Very thick. Great 2 finger dark tan head that disapates slowly.

S - Very strong smell of chocolate and caramel. Almost a roasted nut smell. Delicious none the less.

T - One of the better tasting stouts I have ever had. Starts with a blast of earthy flavors and then blends chocolate and caramel in the mid drink. Finishes with a great mocha/coffee taste.

M - Thick and creamy. Flows around just like any high-caliber stout should.

D - The only reason I gave this a 4 is, as with any stout, you can't drink very many! It is a great start or end beer, but don't plan on drinking this bad boy all night!

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 02:22:54 | More by GavDomDadGH

Bmuncy

West Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black, though slivers of light barely make it through the edges. Creamy mocha head forms a one finger and though it goes away quickly, a small bit remains throughout.

Smell: Deliciously smelling beer. Dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, slight hops and strong malt aromas fill the nostrils. Not overly complex but still very pleasant.

Taste: Chocolate and mocha right off, some bitterness and some sweetness as well. It's extremely delicious and the flavors work well together in a great synergy.

Mouthfeel: Probably the weak spot. It's a medium bodied brew that is very creamy and somewhat smooth. It's certainly above average but it stands out as being the weak link.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 03:34:19 | More by Bmuncy

Bachus

Rhode Island

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

11.5 oz. bottle with a best before date printed on the bottle. Bottle cap has the head of a lion.

Appearance--Black with some walnut brown hues. Pours a fantastic, rich tan head that looks like puffy clouds that you could jump in. Nice lacing with every sip.


Smell of carmel, dark fruit--raisins, figs.

Tastes of sweet malt, caramel, mocha, molasses, raisins. Not a big alcohol taste, but can feel it in warming in the stomach and right to the head. Mouthfeel is nice, rich.

Overall a nice, sweet stout. However, not one that I would trade my Stone Imperial Stout for.

Long love beer!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2004 01:00:49 | More by Bachus

cubsfan2004

Illinois

5/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- An inky black with a mocha colored head. Nice lacing.

S - An exceptional mocha coffee smell.

T - Vanilla and mocha coffee. Slight bitterness on the back end.

M - Appropriately thick. Well carbonated. Goes down extremely smooth.

D - Exceptional taste, slight alcohol presence and extremely smooth. Dangerously drinkable.

One of the finest stouts I have had the pleasure to enjoy. I have a feeling that the six pack will not last long and I will be going back for more.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2008 02:02:10 | More by cubsfan2004

generationmy

Maine

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hell ya! This is a great stout! Ruby chestnut edges to a extremely deep brown brew. Beach sand head. Plenty of lacing down the crystal. Only a slight off flavor in this beer, but drowned out by the delicious maltiness and pleasant mouthfeel. Nice balance of flavor -- simple and to the point. Tasted at cellar temperature.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2008 21:53:19 | More by generationmy

nate4g63

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A = Nice and dark like typical stouts, nice foam head at first, settled to a lower 1/2 layer as it settled.

S = I feel it had a very strong, almost boozy smell, definitely tastes different than it smells. A little bit of a malty chocoalte smell, but not overpowering.

T = Good chocolate and coffee flavors throughout. It seemed to kind of juggle them back and forth.

M = Pretty thick like normal stouts, nothing crazy or surprising here for me.

D = It's has a great drinkability. Just watch out on the 8% ABV, it could catch up with you faster than you think. I wouldn't go out and get smashed on this stuff, but it can be drank all night if you pace yourself.

Overall, give this beer a try, most stout and porter drinkers should enjoy this.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2009 11:07:50 | More by nate4g63

MorningDove

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

the bad - Jackson promoted it

The good.

Tastes great, chocolate and molasis (actually tastes more choclaty then your average chocolate stout or porter)

Smells good, sweat strong stout

I like the lion look, some people may not care for cats

Drink, leaves you wanting more

I also have to state here a plus. This beer is relatively cheap. 7bucks for a 6 pack in AZ. This a great beer for the price

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 23:26:33 | More by MorningDove

seagis

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First, let me say that stout in general is probably my favorite type of beer.

That being said, Young's Double Chocolate Stout was my favorite stout until I found Lion Stout. This has to be some of the best stuff ever put into a bottle. :-)

It pours a reasonable amount of head, even though I poured it rather slowly (it took me close to 2 minutes to fill a pint glass.) It poured to a totally opaque black color, with a very pleasant aroma. There was a hint of what I detected as raisins, but my wife and children all smelled coffee. To each his (or her) own, I suppose.

Very nice mouthfeel. Not too heavy, not light enough to think that this was someone's first attempt at stout, either. It retains it's light raisinesque flavor, but it expands to a deeper flavor as it goes down. A very nice finish, having a small note of caramel on the very end.

A truly pleasing drink. If you ever have the opportunity to purchase a bottle of this stuff, I heartily recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2005 04:05:56 | More by seagis

buliwuf

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From notes...

Presentation - 12oz bottle, gold foil around the top, endorsed by the mighty Michael Jackson

Appearance - pours jet black with a generous tan head, which slowly dissipates into a nice lacing that sticks to the glass throughout the session. As the glass drains, the blackness seems to fade into a dark brown.

Nose - an interesting mix of fruity malt, vague notions of chocolate, and an extremely vague notion of smokiness, all blended nicely to suggest something complex. As it warms, a subtle wood aroma develops but this is not as noticeable as the sweet malt profile that grows with temperature increases.

Mouthfeel - nicely full without being chewy. Creamy, smooth, and not overly carbonated.

Taste - dominated by a sweet malt fullness, complemented by a mix of chocolate, prunes, and coffee. There is just a slight tinge of bitterness, maybe sourness. But only "just". Taste is primarily the same from beginning to end, from first touch of the tongue through the swallow. There is an 8% ABV attached to this beer, which one feels mid-beer and afterwards, but well hidden in the taste. Warmth enhances these flavors somewhat, but I drained my glass rather quickly so there wasn't much time to fully appreciate it. Maybe next time, I'll have two in a row.

Overall - This is a very nice sweet stout, well-balanced and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2007 16:06:02 | More by buliwuf

karlf

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A strong beer alcohol wise, but a very good one nonetheless. The beer poured out a very dark, basically black color. The smell was of roasted coffee and the taste had hints of chocolate, coffee. Lastly an alcohol taste comes at the finish. Not a beer to drink with heavy foods but definitely something to try and a good example of an imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 06:39:18 | More by karlf

monkbrewed

Michigan

3.76/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This is a chocolately beer overall, however it's that classic roasted chocolate malt with no real no real chocolate chocolate flavor so you're deceived. It has a good mouthfeel and has good focus of qualities, but lingers in too specific of a range to be considered a classic. Don't let this review fool you, it's a significant achievement from a region of the world that doesn't have a history in this style of beer. It was a Sri Lankan student of mine who recommended this to me and almost concurrently, I discovered it on on my own. Great beer from the south pacific. If you like Youngs Chocolate Stout you will like this as a dialed-back derivation.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 06:46:52 | More by monkbrewed

nrrd

California

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

Pours dark with a little thick head, very little carbonation.

Smells sweet with a touch of coffee, not perticularly strong. Taste is dark chocolate and slightly burnt cofee, malty, bitter, but very pleasent and drinkable, especially as it warms up. Finish is a tad sweeter.

Overall, this is a very solid and drinkable stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 03:34:51 | More by nrrd

goo

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Pours a pitch black with tinted head. The head fades quickly into lacing.

S: Smells distinctly of coffee with a bit of chocolate. Pretty Fantastic

T: Tastes the way is smells. Some nice sweetness to the drink and a decent amount of coffee comes through.

M:Mild/Moderate carbonation maybe a bit creamy goes down nicely.

D: Dangerously drinkable, i never looked at the ABV until after I drank it and I wold have never guessed 8%

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2006 01:13:09 | More by goo

dwalters

Michigan

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

Got from Joe P. Been sitting on for about a year - Thanks Joe! The appearance is black with a light brown head that is mostly diminishing. Good lacing as I'm drinking it.
The aroma is a little coffee, a little chocolate and a port smell, kinda like cherries.
The taste is a little roasty, coffee and some bitter hitting the back of the tongue. Pretty good for sitting for a year. Don't taste chocolate but I'm getting a cherry or raisin taste.
The mouthfeel is creamy with a slight watery feel. The body is light to medium and the carbonation is soft.
A very good beer/stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 01:36:12 | More by dwalters

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

boynabubble

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a pitch black with an impressively thick tan head. Settles down to a hardy lacing which clings to the sides after every sip.

S- Definitely coffee and chocolate and a faint smell of dark fruit.

T- Good carbonation. Coffee and semi-sweet chocolate dominate over smoke, bread and earth tones. Finishes dry.

M- Not as slick on the tongue as a lot of stouts. I was surprised by its dry finish since most stouts I have tried feel pretty thick on the tongue.

D- A wholesome brew that is easy to drink and not too overpowering. A good choice for any lover of stouts.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 02:54:10 | More by boynabubble

FliryVorru

Alabama

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - The beer pours a very dark brown with brown head that dissipates rather quickly. Some lacing remains but not as much as I expected.

Smell - The smell is floundering. Sometimes you can get a solid whiff, but other times I practically smell glass! The smells I do get are light and fleeting and very pleasant. Coffee, caramel, sourness, and licorice.

Taste - Very heavy in coffee, a little bit of sour mash, and a hint of brown sugar as the beer warms up. A crisp aftertaste that slowly fades and you're left with a charred cedar aura in the end.

Mouthfeel - The beer starts out decently carbonated for a stout, but almost as soon as it passes over your tongue it loses most of it. if you like carbonated beers drink this one a bit faster than usual to preserve the nice bit of carbonation because it fades as it warms.

Drinkability - This is very drinkable given that it's a stout and is a great one for summer. The ability to have you want more than one on a hot day is a rare thing for a stout, though it's best had in the fall.

Other comments
This is really one of my favorite stouts and is good on any occasion. It fits in multiple seasons, it pairs well with several dishes (especially grilled red meats), and best of all: it's very reasonably priced! Check it out next time you want a 6-pack of stout for your Thanksgiving holiday.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 23:08:02 | More by FliryVorru

ohiohophead

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +18%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: Poured into imperial pint glass. Mocha colored thick head of foam. nice, brownish lacing the whole way down the glass. Beer is a deep, black color.

aroma: Nutty, light alcohol scented aroma. Nose on this beer is quite small. Thought I detected a hint of chocolate and roasted coffee bean in the aroma. After a few minutes, I picked up vanilla in the aroma.

taste: Initial flavor is actually is lightly sweet cocoa with a hint of alcohol and quickly fades to a dry, roasted malt flavor that finishes with a light coffee finish.

mouthfeel: This beer has a light, crisp mouthfeel to it which is quite surprising for an export stout with 8% ABV.

drinkability: Fairly high drinkability, especially for a high ABV stout. Watch out, you can drink quite a few of these before the alcohol catches up to you.

I let the beer sit for a while to warm up a bit and the slightly warmer temp brought out more complexities in both the aroma and the flavor. Overall, this was a surprisingly good beer. This will definitely be put on my "purchase again" list.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2008 03:28:45 | More by ohiohophead