Reindeer Droppings
Ridgeway Brewing

Reindeer DroppingsReindeer Droppings
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From:
Ridgeway Brewing
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Pale Ale
Ranked #148
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
79
Ranked #26,599
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 12.35%
Reviews:
30
Ratings:
54
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 07, 2023
Added:
May 22, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  6
Falling from the sky like little bombs of flavour come the reindeer droppings! Each one is sweet like California raisins, but bitter and pungent like a freshly peeled grapefruit, lip-smackingly tasty... then "pow!" it's gone. How did that happen?
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Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I normally avoid the novelty holiday beers with tacky names--especially those from overseas--but they were literally giving away 16.9 oz bottles of this for free and frankly I'd drink strychnine if it were free.

I'm expecting it to be stale and since I'm a very moral person with very high standards I wasn't gonna review it. But, to my surprise, it's not conspicuously stale. Nor is it even bad. It's not great, certainly not worth the 7 bucks it was originally priced at, but it's absolutely okay.

Bit hazy for the style with a lively white head. The aroma is British fruity malt esters and the faintest whiff of hops. The flavor is more rounded--still quite fruit-forward, nicely tangy, with a wee tiny bit of spicy hops at the back end.
Mar 07, 2023
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

2.45/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
L- Quite light amber, clear, pours with 5mm white head of foam. Holds surprisingly well.
S- A clear citrus note; that's all I get.
T- Dry, thin, prominent grapefruit-soda, I don't get beyond the grapefruit + dry-hopping.
F- Might refresh in high summer; why this beer is pitched for Xmas escapes me. Perhaps it's all a cynical seasonal marketing exercise...
O- About the opposite in all facets of what I would expect from a winter or Xmas beer. The beer's name, image and labelling are painful, embarrasingly naff. I pity the Americans; the lable states this beer is one of a series brewed for their market. - I can finish this despite not enjoying it, but noooo way would I wish to buy or drink it again.
500ml bottle. There is a BIG variance in the ABV%, this bottle is marked 4.7% vs the 6% indicated in the headers
Bought from Trembling Madness/York. BB: 25/03/2021.
FWIW pls note I am drinking this in December, two weeks shy of Xmas. If I were drinking this in Summer the branding vs beer-style might irritate less...
Dec 14, 2020
Photo of VoxRationis
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

3.1/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75
Decanted from a 16.9 oz (500 ml) bottle into a custom taster pint; production stamp F15 246.
A: Pours a nearly clear, amber to light copper color with a clear orange cast and ochre highlights, little or no head, barely a rim, and no lacing to speak of.
S: Aromas of caramel, banana, cherry, raisin, apricot, and white pepper. Inviting.
T: More semisweet than semidry at first, but sweetness increases as one acclimates to the bitterness, with flavors present in the nose, but way, way too much bitterness. Almost a cumin, burnt wood bitterness.
M: Medium bodied, but almost no effervescence (just very briefly at the pour). Oddly watery.
O: Enjoyed the novelty, even if the name is somewhat less than inviting. That's about all, though. I might have been better off consuming the real thing.
Dec 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.69 by dcmchew from Romania

Dec 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.51 by WDJersey from Colorado

Dec 17, 2017
Photo of RonaldTheriot
Reviewed by RonaldTheriot from Louisiana

4/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reindeer Droppings has a thick, off-white head, a clear, bubbly, amber appearance, and narrow lacing left behind. The aroma is of sharp, yeasty, barnyard whiffs, with some sourdough bread and dried fruits. Taste is of the same elements, with zesty, horseblanket yeast, spiced holiday white bread, and mellow hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is low medium, and Reindeer Droppings finishes on the dry side.

RJT
Dec 18, 2016
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.82/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
$ 4.24/16.9 oz bottle ($ 0.251/oz) at Fairgrounds Wine & Spirit, Danbury, CT
Bottle marked F16 24D at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter, allowed to warm to 50 degrees
Aroma – very faint malt
Head small (Maximum < 2 cm, careful pour), off white, frothy, diminishing to a three mm ring with drag marks and a rocky partial layer
Lacing fair – broken partial rings of tiny to small bubbles
Body medium amber, chill haze
Flavor – begins with a little malt and sweetness, ends with some mild bitterness and a hint of diacetyl; no alcohol
Palate light, watery, soft carbonation

This is a very mild and delicate beer when compared to what I usually drink and I have to resist the urge to gulp it down. It is certainly not a bad beer but definitely has to warm a bit before the nuances begin to appear. This was store-aged on a shelf at room temperature under fluorescent lights for at least six months before I bought it, yet it’s still decent – makes me want to try it fresh!

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 4, Palate 3.5, Overall 4
Jul 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.31 by mmmbeerNY from New York

Jan 01, 2016
Photo of tbryan5
Reviewed by tbryan5 from Louisiana

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Typical run of the mill amber ale. Good but not great flavor with some bitterness so it isn't overly sweet. Got as a gift and would not buy again. I am guessing that most people that are reviewing this beer though did not buy it themselves.
Dec 30, 2015
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.13/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Best before 9/2/16.

Pours a hazy honey orange with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, earth, floral, and citrus fruit aromas. Taste is much the same with toast, earth, dirty citrus zest, and slight grapefruit juice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that smells decent, but the flavor has an odd dirty citrus fruit quality that I am not a fan of.

Serving type: bottle.
Dec 01, 2015
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Pours brilliant dark amber under a clingy 1” sudsy white foam collar. S: Bread aromas, traces of fruit. T: Spicy malt with a little toast and nuts and a moderate dose of hops that balances the malt flavors well. F: Medium to medium light body, medium low carbonation. O: Not spectacular but decent.
Jul 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by Zuidman from Illinois

Mar 18, 2015
Photo of jwhancher
Reviewed by jwhancher from Pennsylvania

3.39/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Pours a clear golden copper with long lasting white head and carbonation that seems to keep going. Smells of honey, white grapes, green raisins, and a touch of grapefruit peel. Aroma is sweet overall, almost honeydew like. Taste takes a big back seat to the aroma. Almost neutral tasting, sorta weird considering how much character the aroma gives off. Tastes grainy with some honey sweetness. Feels medium-light bodied with upfront sweetness that gives way to an ample touch of bitterness. No astrigency, no noticeable alcohols.

Overall, a promising beer in the aroma which somewhat disappoints in the flavor. I'm wondering if they mashed higher or added more residual sweetness or even more body, this one might score a bit better. Somewhat disappointing.
Jan 25, 2015
Photo of dhannes
Reviewed by dhannes from Wisconsin

2.67/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75
L=Not amber, but dark gold, like Miller or other AAL's...but a 3 finger bright white head helped.
S=Biscuits and skunk.
T=Rather skunky, like a green bottled beer. This bottle may have been brewed back in July, so it may not be representative of the beer at its freshest.
F=Not too shabby--low carbonation, and nice drinkability.
O=Not on my 'to buy again' list...while I got it at a decent price, there are too many other better beers to try instead,
Jan 19, 2015
Photo of micropale
Rated by micropale from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful beer with a great smell, taste, and a smooth feel.
Dec 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3.38 by thebigredone from Wisconsin

Dec 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 21, 2014
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A 500ml bottle with a BB of July 2015. ABV is stated as 4.7%. Acquired ages ago from Sainsbury's as part of their 2013 Beer Hunt. An English amber ale with a gimmicky name.....

A: Poured into a straight pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A bright golden-amber hue with fine sediment and plentiful carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy white foam with excellent retention; this settles as a thick surface layer. Slight lacing.

S: Aroma of fruity hops and grainy malt, with hints of citrus, mild white grape, floral notes, faint raisins, ale yeast and subtle stewed leaves. Not bad.

T: Tastes of grainy malt with a hoppy character and a dry, bitter finish. Notes of citrus, mild peel, a touch of white grape, grass/hay, grain, ale yeast, earthiness and stewed leaves. Well-attenuated, followed by a crisp, hoppy bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, with spritzy carbonation and decent body. Slightly astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of subtle aromatic hops, earthy yeast and stewed leaves.

O: Not very Christmas-like but a decent pale ale. Looks great, while the aroma and flavour achieve a balance between light grainy malt and mild aroma hops. Pleasant bitterness. Body is OK. Goes down without complaint; worth trying if you chance across it.
Nov 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by wrightst from Maryland

Nov 11, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by malfunxion from New York

Aug 27, 2014
Reindeer Droppings from Ridgeway Brewing
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 54 ratings