Ridgeway Lump of Coal

Looking forward to a depressing holiday? Here is liquid consolation. This 8% bittersweet chocolate stout is the best you could hope for in these dark times. Come to think of it, considering how bad you’ve been this year, this little coal-black gem is more than you deserve for Christmas.

Concocted by the vastly talented -- though, frankly, a little too cheery -- Peter Scholey

3.2

706 reviews

North Heath, England

Community reviews

3.4 Flaska från systembolaget. Svart öl med litet beiget skum. Maltig med toner av choklad, frukt, rostad malt och mjölk. Torr avslutning.

3.3 Mjuk rost, krydda. Ala England.

3.6 Bottle from Systembolaget. Dark malty smell with roasted aromas. Similar taste. Toasted and roasted. Medium body. Fairly easy to drink. Clean.

3.3 Black color, small beige head. Aromas of bananas, yeast, roasted hints and chocolate. Taste of roasted malt, coffee, cacao and yeast.

3.5 0,33 l bottle from Systembolaget Barkaby. Good stout, suits well with goat cheese.

2.9 Low expectations for a gag-gift beer. BUT not bad. Burnt malt taeses out some nice cherry flavor. Fully fermented and made at a brewery who knows what they are doing. Alas, little more nice to say about it though. Aroma is solid. Reminds me of that <$3 wonderus jug of black and tan Trader Joe's sold/use to sell, guessing there is a good reason

3.8 Black color with medium creamy light brown mostly lasting head. Aroma is roasted malt with notes of chocolate. Sweet and spicy flavor. Creamy palate.

3.4 Bottle, 7.5% ABV Clear very dark brown with a light tan head that doesn't hang around too long. Aroma is roasty with dark fruit, burnt coffee & licorice. Not as welcomingly soft as their FES but a balance of sweet, roasted and fruity before a drying and bitter finish.

3.5 ottiglia 50 cl, ABV 7.5%, schiuma fine color cappuccino media persistenza, colore marrone intenso quasi nero, al naso cacao caffè vino porto, in bocca malto tostato e leggero affumicato caffè cioccolato al latte vaniglia e leggermente speziata, lieve acidula, corpo leggero, watery, alcool perfettamente bilanciato e pericolosa, carbonatazione piatta, corpo leggero, amaro moderato. Manca un po' di carattere ma in ogni caso è una buona birra per le feste. c. Bottega della birra Arona. 28.12.19

3.1 (7.5%) Black appearance. Aroma is malt, wood, dark fruits and roasted. Flavour is nutty, roasted, boozy, malt, dark fruits and coffee.

3.1 Bevuta in bottiglia. Buona stout. Forse poco corposa. Buoni aromi. Nulla di particolare.

3.2 16.9 oz bottle 1/25/19 (Cost Plus World Market Clearance) 38° in English Pint. Pours cola like with a small ring for a head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate. Taste of the same with so,e bitterness, caramel, and vanilla. This medium bodied brew is not bad as I was expecting worse but it is a bit thin.

3.3 Dark brown with initial large tan head which quickly dissipates. Good chocolate coffee aroma. Good mouthfeel. Very easy drinking, chocolate, caramel, slight dried fruit. Good finish.

3.5 Dark beige creamy head left a good cover on a very dark brown still body. Caramel, malt & dark chocolate aroma. Medium bodied, smooth on the palate with a greasy feel & clean aft. Rich dark chocolate, malt, demerara & fruit spice tastes followed by a very light citrus finish. Very nice......

3.6 Bottle from BevMo! in Redwood City, CA. Aroma is roasted malts, some caramel, mild coffee grounds. Taste is bitter roasted malts balanced by some nice caramel. I was expecting much worse, liked the balance of bitter and malt sweetness (but not overwhelmingly so).

3.7 Aroma of chocolate and vanilla. Black pour with thin tan head. Upfront milk chocolate and vanilla. Medium palate. Sweet finish with gentle warmth afterglow.

2.7 16.9floz (500ml) bottle, no date, imperial nonic glass. An inoffensive, hum-drum stout that is dark brown in color and has small tan head. Smells of caramel and smoky roast, which seems to suggest something gritty. It's not, just brown toasted with dose of brown sugar and butter. Mouthfeel is wet, medium-full in body, and carbonation is low.

3.8 500ml bottle from Windsor Hy-Vee, in a Sam Smith pint glass. Smell of malted barley, wet grain, cocoa powder, caramel and fruit preserves. Pours oily dark with more than a finger of fluffy tan head and good carbonation visible at the bottom of the glass. Opens chocolatey and sweet with just the right bitterness coming in for balance, dry biscuit maltiness on the mid-palate with hints of something like dry grass. Moderately long creamy-sweet finish with lingering chocolate bitterness. Medium-bodied, on the lighter side for a stout, extremely drinkable with a very slight mouth-coating sweetness. A solid brew. Something new in town from Ridgeway this year I thought would be fun for Christmas, and well worth it for the fiver. Wish I'd picked up a second one. To your health!

3.2 Tap @ klosterkælderen w friends/gutternes julefrokost. Appearance: pours clear dark brown with ok beige soapy beige head and lacing. aroma/taste: caramel, chocolate, light liquorice, light alcohol and some leather notes. palette strong relative dark roasted malty aroma, average carbonation, medium body, average to notable sweetness, somewhat balanced by a medium bitterness, average duration and a light oily texture. Overall: relative easily drinkable

3.1 Very thin beer for a stout. It drinks more like a heavy Porter. Although I did enjoy this Holiday offering, I was looking for a richer stout. Nonetheless, it is a nice beer.

4.0 B-. Pours a dark black color with khaki head. Bittersweet chocolatey flavor.

2.2 Bottle. C: pitch black N: malt, red berries, red grapes T: brine, sardines?!, yeast Final: the alcohol beats through the taste, a bit unbalanced to my liking...

3.5 Draught at Kompasset Ølbar, Cph. Near black with a thin off-white head. Sweet aroma with caramel malts, chocolate, liquorice, spicy notes and herbal hoppy notes. Taste is sweet. Medium to full body with a creamy texture and a soft carbonation. Finishes sweet and fruity with dark malts and a spiced note. Neat Winter Warmer.

2.4 Very thin beer for a stout. He drinks more like a heavier Porter. Not very exciting at any level of the drinking process. I was hoping for a more rich and deep beer from a stout.

3.4 Fine roasted flavor and very dark brown color. Solid body. Leans sweet. From World Market.

3.4 Bottle. Backlog rating from bottle collection and historic scoring. Source not recorded. No tasting notes kept, just rating.

3.8 On tap @ BAJT. Very dark brown with a small tan head. Fruity and malty tones. Malt, fruit, coffee and hops. Medium body with a nice bitter fruity finish.

3.3 Pours brown with almost no head. Aroma is caramel, honey, roast, some barley. Taste is sweet, roast, caramel, toffee, light sour notes, dried fruits, soft metal, light sourness. Nice beer!

3.1 Copenhagen 8/5 2017. 50 cl bottle from Kokkens Vinhus. Big lump of coal on the label with the motto: "Much more than you deserve for Xmas this year". Pours very dark opaque brown with bubbly beige head. Settles as thin patchy layer of foam. No lacing. Aroma is not very intense but pleasant enough. Caramel, chocolate of the bitter variety, roasted malts and cocoa. Medium carbonation and surprisingly thin palate. Flavor is rather sweet. Followed by a medium bitterness reminiscent of bitter dark chocolate. Aftertaste is sweet toffee. A very Christmas-like stout. A bit on the sweet side- But What the Hell - It’s Christmas.

4.0 Pours a dark brown color with tan colored head. Roasted dark malts, earth, cocoa, and some coffee on the nose; follows onto the palate. Medium bodied. Finishes with roast and chocolately notes.