Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf
"It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, of course - wrong place at the wrong time...but Claus was soon back on the street with the polite apologies of the authorities - no questions asked. All’s well that ends well, surely, but still, the reporters wanted to know...it takes its toll, doesnt’t it? "Indeed" sighed Claus, "my elf is going crazy, and I fear I shall soon go crazy as well" And with that he hoisted a great flagon of his favorite barleywine-style ale, silently contemplating the future and straining to remember why he got into this particular line of work in the first place. Peter Scholey, Brewer.
3.1
467 reviews
North Heath, England
Community reviews
Tap, ADT. Hazy gold with a thin off white head. Deep malt, dried fruit, oak. Alcoholic, syrupy finish.
Copenhagen 18/5 2017. 50 cl bottle from Kokkens Vinhus. The cvriminally Bad Elf is seen on the label with the mouth full of food and with a cup of beer. Pours clear light amber with a dense white head. Settles as 0,5 cm thick layer of foam. Aroma is intensely sweet and rich. Dark sweet fruit with a touch of fermentation., sugar and a strong whiff of alcohol. Very soft carbonation and medium thick palate. Flavor is heavy sweet. Light bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet marzipan and heavy alcohol. Overwhelmingly sweet version of an Christmas Elf. It starts in sugar and ends in syrup. But not a bad way to celebrate Christmas.
500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/16/2016. Pours fairly crystal clear deep orange/light copper color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big golden raisin, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, berry, orange, pear, apple, honey, brown sugar, caramel, toasted bread, light nuttiness/toffee, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Bit of diacetyl, but not overwhelming. Taste of big golden raisin, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, berry, orange, pear, apple, honey, brown sugar, caramel, toasted bread, light nuttiness/toffee, herbal, light pepper/pine, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light pine/herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, berry, orange, pear, apple, honey, brown sugar, caramel, toasted bread, light nuttiness/toffee, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from bitterness, lightly increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly slick/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden; a mild warmth, with zero booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very nice English barelywine. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, clean, and easy to drink for the big ABV. Very well balanced with well rounded malt/yeast complexity for the style; without being bitter or boozy. A very enjoyable offering.
Clear amber pour with a small white head and fair retention. Tiny bit of lacing. Slight flavor of caramel before the alcohol takes over completely. The flavor isn’t bad but 10.5 ABV is just too damn strong. Dangerous elf. Probably tastes better if you’re already blitzed.
Had at Xmas eve 2016. Malty but not syrupy ends a little bitter. Ok Stuff, Serving: Bottle
Tap @ Hugos w friends/Don, Puddel etc. Appearance: pours clear amber with limited off-white soapy head and lacing. aroma/taste: toffee, alcohol and light fruity notes. palette: medium alcoholic and malty aroma, average carbonation, medium body, distinct sweetness, unbalanced by a light to medium bitterness, average duration to long and an oily texture. Overall: way to sweet and 1 dimensional
Golden Amber beer, smells like caramel and Oak. The aroma is dominatet by the Oak cask, caramel, malt and alkohol and last all the way through the sip. The taste has very Small hints of fruit, malt and alkohol.
Bottle at home, bbe 25/9/16. Pours golden amber, nose is caramel, toffee, marzipan, oak, taste is sweet, toffee, marzipan, rich, not bad,
Appearance: Transparent, medium brown/amber; thick, rich head with medium lacing. Nose: Light fruits, caramel, wheat bread, bitter honey, a little bit of hops & booze in the background. Taste: Very sweet on arrival, the booze comes through during the development, but quickly finishes with a balanced hoppy bitterness & honey sweetness. The hops at the end aren’t too overwhelming either. Once warm, though, the malts are more apparent, but the alcohol is greatly intensified and stays all the way through the finish. The sweetness is also transformed into a more citrus sweetness. Mouthfeel: Full body, medium carbonation, very dry finish. Overall: It’s good, that’s for sure, but this isn’t a light beer.
Bottle. Pours is orange clear with thick, unstable white head. Aroma of malts, apple, winous, toast, fruity. Solid malty background, medium finish, touch of bitter notes. Heavy body, oily texture, light bitter finish.
Kirkas, kuparinvärinen olut pienehköllä ja nopeasti katoavalla vaahdolla. Tuoksu runsaan maltainen ja karamellinen, hieman marjainen ja aavistuksen alkoholinen. Maku maltainen, karamellinen, viljainen ja hieman hedelmäinen ja mausteinen. Alkoholi puskee aika vahvasti läpi lämmittäen. Suutuntuma korkeintaan keskitäyteläinen. Jälkimaku alkoholinen ja kielen päällä mausteisen sekä alkoholisen poltteleva. Ei tämä ohraviini nyt ihan jalkoja alta vienyt, toki jos useamman ottaisi niin varmaan nopeastikin.
cognac i smagen, let sprit, ikke meget humle. En rigtig fin øl som helt klart skal smages.
Ärlighet varar längst och kallar man brygden "criminally bad" och lever upp till det är det konsumenten som ska ha dumstruten. Ett gigantiskt alkoholöverslag som mest troligt jagats fram med socker i bryggningen är ett recept på fiasko. Översöt och spritig, vilka malt- och humletoner som finns måste det till en blodhund för att utröna.
Bottle. Light orange body with a minimal head. Aroma has weak raisins and some booze. Thin body and low hoppiness for the style ("It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity"). Sweet taste with old raisins and rather notable booziness. Sweet boozy finish with more white raisins. It’s clear that this weak body can’t support such ABV. Despite the price it feels industrial and tastes pretty cheap... ("silently contemplating the future and straining to remember why he got into this particular line of work hobby in the first place").
It pours honey orange color with a small amount of light beige head, quickly dissipating. Boozy aroma with orange, vanilla, caramel. Tastes of sweet caramel and a touch of syrupy fruit, orange, apricot. alcoholic warmth, some bread crust bitterness. Medium carbonation.
caramel, nuts, resin, spruce, alcohol, raisin, licorice, amber, clear, frothy, medium sweetness, lightly bitter, lightly sour, full body, creamy, lively, bitter,
From tap @ Basement Beer Bar Juleølsmagning. Sweet malty aroma, light hoppy, vinous. Clear amber colour, white head, not lasting. Heavy sweetness, alcohol sweetness. Full body, oily texture, avg. carb., sweet finish, moderate alcoholic feel.
I didn't take any extra notes when I tried this beer for the first time but I'm gonna try it again and update my comments.
Caramel, burnt sugar, bread notes. Slightly cloudy with white head. Smooth and malty for such a potent barley wine. Decent beer.
Draught @ Fermentoren Aarhus. Pours golden with a small offwhite head. Aroma of sweet malt, caramel, some wood notes, sweet fruit. Flavor is sweet, malty, caramell candy, light wood, dried fruit, alcohol. Medium to full body, soft carboantion, sweet finish with warming alcohol. 051115
duft: svag malt duft sødlig. æble lidt æblejuce agtig
smag: sød maltet appelsin honing sirup. var eftersmag. nelliker.
Tap@Taphouse, Copenhagen - Amber reddish pour with white head. Aroma and taste dark fruits, malty, caramel, vague spices, watery.
---Sent via Beer Buddy for iPhone
From tap at Taphouse. Clear amber colour with a small white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, caramel, alcohol, spice and fruit.
Bottle from Spotted Cow 151015. Another "Elf" beer that hits the spot. Looks good, smells good and tastes good. Not much more to say really.
Bottle shared at chriso’s Easter 2015 tasting - London. Thanks to Daniel. Pours clear amber with a creamy white head. The character is dominated by caramel, toffee, doughy malts and butterscotch. Medium to full bodied with average carbonation. Sugary finish, warming, with more toffee and butterscotch. Quite tasty.
Pours a nice amber color, with no real head retention or lacing. Smells malty and of molasses. Tastes sweet and malty as well. It’s not the best barleywine, but it’s palateable. Not a fan of this.
Bottle @deTolly, Tartu. Pours orange almost no head.Aroma is sweet, caramel, bread, berries, rye. Taste is sweet, caramel, alcohol, berries, slight candy. WTF is this? Medium body. Me not like it.
Bottle 33cl. (from drinks-of-the-world.de). Clear medium amber, small frothy off-white head, recedes quickly, almost no lacing; sweet malty aroma, brown sugar, caramel, honey, alcohol, spices (cinnamon, ginger); taste heavy sweet, slightly bitter, caramel, bit toasted; full-bodied, oily texture, soft carbonation, aftertaste light toasted sweetbitter, alcoholic, spicy notes; lacks complexity in taste/aftertaste but overall a pleasant Barley Wine.
300ml bottle given as a Christmas present by Mark - cheers! Poured into a chalice glass and drank on the 12th April 2015. Crystal clear Irn Bru in colour with a fleeting white head which rapidly vanished away. Malty aroma with strong notes of sweet barley sugar throughout. Surprisingly thin mouthfeel considering the ABV and no lacing whatsoever. Mixed malts deliver a spicy maltloaf base with notes of gingerbread and sweet barley twists. There is very little in the way of hop resins lurking in the brief aftertaste. Finish is malty and very sweet with warming alcohol giving a boozy flavour in the palate. Not a patch on Strands Barley Wine as a benchmark however but nice to try none the less for a Barley Wine aficionado.
Redish orange beer, aroma of honey, sweet malt and some booze. Tastewise it is sweet and sligtly spicy and herbal.