Foreign Export Stout - Ridgeway Brewing

deg

New Hampshire

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A pitch black stout with a full, tan colored head. I couldn't smell anything. But I could taste a lot. The beer had a rich, heavy, but pleasant roasted taste. I noticed at times a slight and unpleasant sour tinge. I did not notice the sour taste with every sip, but it was there often enough for me to make a note of it. I couldn't taste the alcohol, the beer went down smooth, a little too smooth for my tastes for an 8% ABV beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2009 03:35:48 | More by deg

ohiobeer29

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

04-25-2013 07:07:51 | More by ohiobeer29

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-10-2013 20:07:49 | More by spycow

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%

02-02-2013 01:03:12 | More by rolltide8425

andthevolcano

Delaware

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

01-27-2013 04:56:29 | More by andthevolcano

FrankShirley

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-27-2012 03:22:16 | More by FrankShirley

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

02-05-2012 20:12:01 | More by jfcaa193

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a nonic)

A- This beer pours a jet black body with a brown hue at the base. There is a tan bubble head that turns creamy and last a good bit. There are a few bubbles that trail up the glass.

S- The dark dry toffee aroma has graham notes and dark raisins, prunes and a touch of dark cherry tartness in the finish. There is also a hint of wet wood that comes through as the beer opens.

T- The dry wood hint blends with raisins, dark caramel malt and cardboard hints. There is also some sherry and dark malt flavors in the finish. There is just a touch of roasted malt bitterness with prunes and cherry tartness that linger after each sip.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat.

O- This beer is a nice soft stout with a bright fruity ester tartness. The alcohol is well hidden and it drinks like a meal in a glass. The flavor and depth really grow as the beer opens and warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 17:17:32 | More by rhoadsrage

cdwil

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

12-29-2011 20:47:05 | More by cdwil

MONKandTUCK

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A - Poured freely into a Mager's glass. It is dark like coffee and forms a thick, foamy cap that takes minutes to settle. I don't suspect much Flaked Barley was used, but certainly enough.

A - Brady and estery. It's clearly English, but I'm not picking up the roasted notes I expected. Maybe my nose sucks. Maybe I should have also picked up a bottle of Guiness Foreign Extra to compare it to.... I advise you do.

T - Pedestrian. The yeast adds a blast of banana at the end. Another reviewer mentioned cheese... I definitely pick up cheese aroma in the finish. It's very "raw" like that. The caramel is prevalent, but the beer isn't sticky. The roast quality is remarkably subdued. I am unimpressed.

M - It's nice, but not silky enough and finishes rounder than drier. I prefer a dry finish.

O - It sure kicks the siht outta those overly boozey and syrupy Russian Imperial Stout Behemoths. But it doesn't merit enough to have the bottle finished. I wish they would try harder. Guinness proves it's so simple to make an exceptional Dry Stout with little effort, why not start there and go bigger?

This is better than a lot of beers out there, but so far below my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 01:03:45 | More by MONKandTUCK

BeerDocT

Georgia

2.15/5  rDev -44%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

-Appearance 2.5: Poured out a slightly off-black, meaning that it had some visible brown. Absolutely no head whatsoever and, in an attempt to generate some head, I really tilted the pour when I first starting noticing this. Didn't matter. Zip. No head at all.

-Smell 4.0: Wonderful bouquet with intense chocolate and toasted grains. Also a slight hint of vanilla. Tantalizing.

-Taste 1.5: Big difference from the smell. Nothing up front. No taste at all. Middle is sour and there is a slight taste of toasted grains along with a very subdued chocolate taste. Finish is very strange...I've tried to place it and came up with...bleu cheese. Aftertaste is this same bleu cheesiness and toasted grains. Strange brew.

-Mouthfeel 1.5: Unimpressive mouthfeel. No "big," sweet feel typical of stouts of this type. Carbonation is almost non-existent. Very watery and thin in the mouth. Not typical of this type of beer at all.

-Overall 2.0: I have to type it again: strange brew. This has so many things wrong with it that I do not wish to go through them again here. See above and buy at your own risk. Maybe I picked up a dud bottle?

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 05:14:44 | More by BeerDocT

avalon07

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick consistency. There was an inch of creamy, tan-colored, head. Not much lacing.

S: A nice aroma of coffee, chocolate and malt. A typical stout.

T: Tasted of roasted malt, coffee, and some chocolate. This is one of the better examples of the foreign export stout. It's much more robust and flavorful than its cousins.

M: This beer has a clean, smooth finish. Medium-bodied.There's a good amount of carbonation.

O: A very good, drinkable beer. Slightly boozier than the style usually merits, but still very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 14:35:00 | More by avalon07

Offa

California

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a good, but not great, export stout, that has some good character, but ultimately is somewhat thin and one-dimensional.

Black, it has a small tan head streadily shrinking to a foamy ring and no real lace.

Aroma is very nice, rich prune with some dried fig, brown bread, root beer, earthy roots and wood, and toastiness. It is very nice with some complexity and depth.

Taste briefly seems to live up to the aroma but soon fades. At first, it has nice, rich , somewhat sweet prune, fig, and earthy brown bread up front, followed by drier earthy toasted bread-coffee bitterness in the finish. However, this all soon degrades a bit, becoming thinner, more bland, and muddled, with the coffee-roasty earthiness fading away mostly and leaving the beer more of a sweeter and alcoholic character, although it is never overly boozy or heavy. It is not as good as, and does not maintain the complexity and depth of character as well as, Guinness Foreign Stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 20:35:58 | More by Offa

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ridgeway FES.

Solid black, creamy cocoa-tinted head.

Aroma, roasty espresson tinges, soft and creamy, bits of cocoa, a whiff of dates and figs. Some hop bitterness, some fruity sweetness, but chocolate and caramel malt reign.

Taste: dry and sweet, even-tempered, with cocoa king again. On comes raisins and figs, anise, getting deeper, darker, delicious. Grassy hops matched with tasty dark malts. Chocolate espresso cake. Coffee cake. Dusted with cocoa. Mmm. Just right. Bitter and sweet, and bitter and sweet.

Full bodied, long and lovely finish, just the right notes of ...what'd I say?
Nice. Ni-ice.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 23:34:55 | More by feloniousmonk

rarbring

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is clear, but almost black with ruby hints, a tan airy head with large bubbles, no lacing.

The beer's smell is slightly acid but predominately buttery.

The taste is sweet, fruity, canned peaches, dried figs, almonds, butter and some licorice.

A small carbonation, soft and oily, a complex body, a slightly dry finish.

Starts good, and wins in the long run.

Serving type: cask

11-18-2010 21:14:14 | More by rarbring

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500 mL bottle pours a near-black color with a dense, fine-bubbled beige head. Awesome retention and good lacing. A fine looking stout here.

Nose is fruity chocolate with a little bit of chalky minerals and baking cocoa. Definite bready yeast character. Nice.

Sweet and doughy, what I imagine chocolate bread were to taste like if it existed. Sharp fruit, mild hops and some burnt malts all contribute to a rather abrasive finish. Hmmm, just does not seem to all come together in an enjoyable fashion. Body is ok, but lacks a silky creaminess that the best of stouts seem to have. It's ok, but I dont think I would seek this out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 18:03:07 | More by twiggamortis420

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours deep brown with a tan head that dissipates quickly. No lacing.

Coffee and bitter chocolate are primary scents.

What a clean beer. Coffee (not sour, just pure flavor), some bitter chocolate or cocoa, burnt toast. Clean even solid flavors. Lingering bitter finish is very pleasant and consists of charred malt and, well, coffee like elements.

Not quite medium bodied, but not full either. The palate clears easily.

This is a very easy drinker - which is scary at 8%. Not a hint of booze in this one. Not the thick, densely-flaovred export stout you'd expect. Balanced and properly subdued. Worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 23:47:17 | More by OtherShoe2

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark, opaque sable with a decent light tan head that sticks around a little bit. Aroma is malty, spicy and chocolaty with a hint of coffee. Flavor is like decent mocha with hints of malt and molasses and just a touch of spice, mainly cloves. Texture is smooth, just a teensy watery, a little bit fizzy. Not the best stout I've had, but worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 02:28:48 | More by Cyberkedi

TheJollyHop

California

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Cocoa, cinnamon, toast, and butter.
Opaque black with a deep head tan flaunting cloying lace.
Milk chocolate and slightly crisped almond aroma.
Green grapes, light caramel, anise, and buttered
raisin bread flavor. Hints of watered down flowers, cocoa middle, with a light, sweet grain and dark chocolate finish.

Carbonation is medium while the body is almost medium as well.
Alcohol is hidden and the mouthfeel pleasant.
Balance of flavors is exemplified between fruit, roast, and alcohol.
Very drinkable with enough complexity to remain interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 03:24:02 | More by TheJollyHop

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ridgeway's whimsical Christmas beer series has been one disappointment after another, perhaps I should stick to their more sensible offerings. Here's hoping!

Appearance: Pours out a dark brown body with a simple, smallish head of ecru froth.

Smell: Nose of dark malted barley with notes of chocolate, basic coffee, and caramel. Slight dark fruitiness in behind, as are some supporting hop hints.

Taste: Modestly sweet, malty beginning of chocolate and cocoa powder followed by some subtly spicy licorice tones and touch of dry caramel. Dried dark fruitiness, mainly raisins. Earthy, leafy hops with a light amount of restrained bitterness for balance. Small shot of mildly roasty coffee in the drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. The moves around fairly deftly on the tongue.

Drinkability: Decently drinkable stout that's pleasant though not particularly pronounced.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 22:44:23 | More by ChainGangGuy

Mora2000

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown to black with a large khaki head. The aroma starts off with roasted malt but then I get a little bit of a slight medicinal smell, similar to cough medicine. The flavor is great, with roasted malt and no medicinal notes. The mouthfeel is very creamy and the carbonation is medium to low.

Not sure what was causing the aroma to smell the way it did, but it was the only flaw this beer had. Luckily, it didn't affect the taste in any way.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 17:27:51 | More by Mora2000

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nose is chocolaty and creamy, rich and roasty, with mild sour fruit (grape, apple). Smells good.

Pours very dark cola brown, clear despite immense darkness. Mild head. Looks pretty good.

Lots of dark malt (coffee, chocolate) and fruit (raisin, grape, fig) with soft smoky roasted dryness and tartness. Moderate bitterness is roasty in nature. Moderate sweetness provides nice balance and lends a brown coffee vibe with the roast and creaminess. Finishes dry with woody roast and touch of alcohol. Moderate carbonation. Tastes good. Feels good.

Good drinkability. A solid beer and a fine example of a Foreign Export Stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 03:11:33 | More by MrHungryMonkey

rtepiak

Poland

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a good stout with a typical look. a bit mocha head. nose is a nice english toasty malt and mild sherry grape. palate is a nice blend of earthy bitter, coffee and chocolate, pinot noir grape and vanilla bean ice cream. creamy body. nice finish a bit warm too bring out the sherry quality. great feel. no abv noticable on the nose even though i had it at cellar temp.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 21:31:08 | More by rtepiak

ebraun

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up this bottle on the recommendation of Suzanne at Central Market in San Antonio. This one is newly available in the area. It was an easy-drinker for the style, which would be great, except that it was $10 for the 500 ML bottle.

A: Very dark with a fluffy, not so creamy head.
S: Rasins, coffee, sugar. Smells like a Belgian Dubbel. Hint of hops there too. Some nice warming.
T: Much like the smell, raisins and coffee with some pleasing sweetness. On the back end some really nice hops come through, just enough for a pleasant dry finish. Complex, a lot going on here.
M: A little thin for the style, but it really tasted more like a Belgian dubbel and the mouthfeel matched that.
D: At 8% alcohol it's scarily drinkable.

Definitely liked this one. Price was a little high, but I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 02:38:40 | More by ebraun

bark

Sweden

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The colour is black; the finger thick head is brown. Some lacing occurs.

The smell is lightly roasted with some sour notes and a touch of rye. It is quite mild.

The taste is sweet-sour. Roasted nuts, some alcohol (and a hint of solvents) and green bananas. Flour thickening in the aftertaste, I also found some sour notes and a hint of gravy. Some alcohol and a mild bitterness in the finish.

The carbonation is mid-strong, small bubbles and a medium smooth liquid.

An OK stout, maybe a bit too neutral. The alcohol was quite well hidden.

Serving type: cask

11-05-2009 11:51:07 | More by bark