Bad King John - Ridgeway Brewing

levifunk

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a - black liquid, but partially see through. light tan head.

s - smells like a light stout. mostly smoked malts.

t - smoked malts. a very faint prune flavor. can taste the alcohol and it tastes like cough syrup. there is a rye dryness.

m - medium body. decent carbonation.

overall - not really that great of a beer. wouldn't recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 02:04:20 | More by levifunk

Pegasus

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Opaque dark brown body, crowned by a moderate, dense, dark tan head, which retains fairly well. The lacing is utterly glass-coating, and quite superb.

Aroma: Lots of roasted barley up front, followed by a fairly strong dark fruit presence, possibly dark plums, or figs.

Taste: Opens with bitter cocoa, and a sharp infusion of earthy hops. As the taste progresses, the hops reach ascendency, while the bitter cocoa is drawn out to a strong and lingering presence. Finishes with a lingering,earthy and bitter hop presence.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, and very pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: Would have benefit ted from a more moderate hop selection, the hops were simply too earthy.

Presentation: packaged in a custom 19.9 ounce (500 ml) brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium brewing chalice.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 04:19:45 | More by Pegasus

Kenzie

Utah

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-18-2013 17:10:54 | More by Kenzie

GoHabsGo

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

04-19-2013 01:19:29 | More by GoHabsGo

Tiernan

Texas

4/5  rDev +7.5%

04-17-2013 01:37:58 | More by Tiernan

BogBoyJD

Ireland

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

03-04-2013 22:15:29 | More by BogBoyJD

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

12-17-2012 03:18:43 | More by t0rin0

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Dec 2012. The last of my Sainsbury's Beer Hunt brews - from 2011! I've been sitting on this for a while; hope it's still OK. The label is edged by a quotation from Scott's novel Ivanhoe, and the name of the beer is presumably also taken from the book.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. Appears black, though it is revealed as a dark reddish-brown when held to the light. Yields a decent head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before settling and disappearing. Aroma of dark roasted malt with hints of chocolate, caramel/molasses, grain, nuttiness, mild dried fruit, faint coffee and earthy yeast. Slightly sweet. A subtle but nicely rounded character.

Tastes of roasted malt with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of burnt grain, ash, liquorice, hints of coffee, chocolate, caramel/molasses, faint prunes, earthy yeast and stewed hops. An acrid quality pervades the flavour, along with a mild sourness. A strident, malt-driven bitterness upon swallowing, along with a touch of alcohol in the background. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with a slight spiciness and decent body. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter roasted malt and stewed hops.

An OK brew - more of a strong dark ale than a stout (not roasty enough in my opinion). The smell is nice, with balanced complexity. The taste is less pleasing - a touch too much roasted malt and burnt grain crowd out the other flavours, resulting in an excessively dry bitterness. Body could be a tad more meaty. Drinkable but nothing too special. Worth trying, but no need to seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 01:07:30 | More by jazzyjeff13

AdrianMendez

Mexico

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

11-14-2012 22:32:53 | More by AdrianMendez

standardcherry

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

09-18-2012 01:33:20 | More by standardcherry

Pelicanrocks

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

09-17-2012 22:51:15 | More by Pelicanrocks

Suigintou92

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

08-15-2012 18:20:42 | More by Suigintou92

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

08-15-2012 03:25:31 | More by MarkyMOD

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Review from 1/2010 notes. Poured into a Caracole small snifter. Pours a dark brown amber, light tan head and light lacing. Mild roasted and sweet malt aroma. Light flavor of dark caramel malt, slight hops. Flavors nice but very subdued. Like most of the beer from this brewery, the flavors are OK, but too bland and low key. Light to medium bodied. This tastes more like a dark ale than a stout.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 03:42:03 | More by LiquidAmber

phattman073

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

07-28-2012 22:27:54 | More by phattman073

raythealeman

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

06-26-2012 01:53:15 | More by raythealeman

Demonhunter

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-20-2012 20:31:33 | More by Demonhunter

JohnBender

Texas

3/5  rDev -19.4%

04-23-2012 22:48:54 | More by JohnBender

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.23/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle (bottle conditioned): best before 17 Feb 2013, poured into my Abbot Ale glass tankard 9 Apr 2012.

Looks good: tan head on an exceedingly dark body.

The nose and taste are a great blend of dark chocolate, liquorice, bitter coffee and burnt prunes.

Not rich in body but flavoursome and interesting: a fine brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 18:48:38 | More by BlackHaddock

Samp01

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A dark clear brown with a small short lived brown head on the pour. Aroma and Taste of roasted caramel malt, some coffee and dark fruit, with some liquorice notes and light bitterness. Palate is a medium body with moderate carbonation. Finish is a sweet roasted caramel malt, cacao, espresso with some light liquorice flavor and some bitterness on the end for balance. Both the aroma and flavor become more pronounced as it warms up. Overall a good tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 19:13:29 | More by Samp01

Kahlerbock

Kansas

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

02-21-2012 15:31:37 | More by Kahlerbock

Arborescence

Finland

4.5/5  rDev +21%

02-19-2012 23:14:05 | More by Arborescence

avalon07

South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a cloudy texture. There was an inch of creamy, fairly long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A very, very muted aroma of malt, coffee, and a little hops.

T: Tasted of light coffee notes, a good shot of malt, mild hops and a burnt quality. The flavor here is decent enough, but is certainly on the mild side.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a super dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not necessarily a bad beer, but not particularly memorable either.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 13:02:29 | More by avalon07

MisledTitan

United Kingdom (England)

3/5  rDev -19.4%

02-13-2012 22:31:33 | More by MisledTitan

StJamesGate

New York

3.65/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Russet-tinged black with steady beige head that leaves few trailers. Blackberry and ash on the nose with a bit of Band-aid.
Dark roast coffee, melted brown sugar, dates, hints of dark chocolate and cola-type caramel, then an assertively bitter hop ending made mostly of branch and autumn leaf.
Sweet comeback, dry linger. Medium, oily, chewy, slick, no burn.

Maybe a bit sugary and simple; not huge depth here. But good roasty notes; more oily than most. Oil and sugar do contrive to be a cloyingly bittersweet after a while, but at this strength you're not sessioning it anyway.

I'd been ready to write off Ridgeway based on rep and some very average beers, this earns them a stay of execution.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 21:44:49 | More by StJamesGate