Ridgeway Very Bad Elf
"Is it just my imagination," queried old Santa, surveying the scene, "or is my Elf only getting worse and worse every year? What’s next? Seriously Bad Elf, I’ll wager. Mark my words."
This Very Bad Elf is one fine ale - rich, hardy, and flavorful, brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest addition of English Fuggle aroma hops. ’Ere’s to your elf!
This Very Bad Elf is one fine ale - rich, hardy, and flavorful, brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest addition of English Fuggle aroma hops. ’Ere’s to your elf!
3
413 reviews
North Heath, England
Community reviews
Aroma: clean light hop, some stewed stone fruit fruity
App: lightly hazy, white head, sudsy lacing
Flavour: some grainy side note, loads of malt, crystal malt
Palate: long stewed fruit, dusty hop finish
50cl bottle at home on 17th Jan 2019, poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard. Clear copper body, large billowing pillow of bubbles for a head. Rich malty brew with a dry hoppy finish which contrasts the initial sweetness from the malts. Nice!
Frothy off white head stayed on a translucent tea coloured body.
Heavy malt & demerara aroma.
Full bodied, thick & oily over the the tongue with a cloying finish.
Malt, tea, spices, brown sugar, spices & dark berry tastes.
Pours a clear dark gold color. Similar taste to an ESB. Better than their Bad Elf. The 7.5 ABV is fairly well hidden.
Copenhagen 3/12 2018. 50 cl bottle from SuperBrugsen, Kbh N. A very Bad Elf sporting a pair of scissors on the label.
Pours clear dark amber with small white head. Settles as thin, patchy layer unable to cover the surface of the beer.
Aroma is slightly burnt caramel, sugar, butterscotch, light roastiness. Ominous if not unpleasant presence of alcohol.
Medium carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft texture.
Flavor is quite sweet but nicely balanced by a solid bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter and lightly roasted. Lingers for a while.
Fine Bitter which manages to hide a solid ABV quite well.
500 ml bottle purchased at Total Wine Pembroke Pines, FL for $5.99 Not bad.
God og velsmagende strong ale. Dejlig fyldig øl med tilpas sødme. Fin eftersmag og aroma
Bottle from Bitter Virtue. Drinks like a barley wine. Wasn’t too keen at first but has improved immeasurably as I’ve got further down the bottle . Like to believe temperature rather than anaesthetic
1 pint 9 ounce bottle pour at home
Clear honey color and quickly dissipating white head
Not much aroma
Nice malt with bit of hop bitter and some alcohol heat
Smågrumset, flot gylden, lille hvid top i glasset. Småperlende og knitrende kulsyre. Tæt på en ipa. Nydt på tom mave til duften af en kanelkage i ovnen. Dejlig bitter eftersmag. Datter på 14 får lille slat og siger " fy for pokker det er den slags øl jeg hader". Det er en very bad øl. Den er kun for 👬.
I love this beer for the Christmas season. Per the brewer: This Very Bad Elf is one fine ale - rich, hardy, and flavorful, brewed to an original 1795 Thames Valley recipe, with a very special pale amber malt that is rarely used nowadays, and balanced by a modest addition of English Fuggle aroma hops.
Refrigerated 0.5 L brown bottle poured into a cup. Deep golden with small white head. Aroma is malty, medium body, lower carbonation, and little lacing. Taste is malty and some cardboard.
Pours cloudy golden with low white head. Aroma of malt, bread, citrus, light butterscotch. Taste is bitter, slightly buttery, bready finish. Light and smooth body with soft carbonation.
Pours light amber with substantial head. Aroma is caramel and sugar. Taste is toffee with a building bitterness. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. An OK winter beer.
En kraftig øl der har en stor maltet sødme. Jeg har fået den til ost hvilket den passer godt til da den tager den skarpe smag fra osten.
To be fair my bottle is a few years old 2-3. The beer pours a very hazy copper color with an extremely thin off white head that dissipated within a minute. The aroma is brown bread, alcohol, spices, some faint hints of caramel, and yeast. The flavor is caramel, brown bread, spices, some alcohol, and not much hop presence at all. The mouthfeel is medium. Not really a big fan of this beer.
Bottle 50cl. poured into a pint glass. Clear pale amber, tall frothy off-white head, good retention and lacing; aroma toasted malts, caramel, yeast, spicy notes; taste light heavy sweet and medium bitter, malty, toffee, spices and herbs; sweetbitter aftertaste, malty, alcohol, herbal notes, very dry on the finish; medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation; decent strong ale.
Sampled on draft at Vintage Estate this beer poured an orange-caramel color with a large creamy off white head that left good lacing. The aroma was sweet and tangy with sugar and mixed fruit jelly. The flavor was mixed fruit jelly, sugar and a bit of yeast. Medium length finish. Medium body. Pretty tasty.
Deep gold yellow with a small head. Grainy and metallic. Thin body. A forgettable beer.
500ml bottle. Clear amber color. Huge size, thick yellowish-beige head, stays. Grainy, some herbal hops, sweetish and some caramel in aroma. Sweet, grainy, dusty hops, honey in taste. Alcohol is surprisingly well covered. Nice medium body. Medium hoppy bitterness. Perhaps tad too sweet for me.
Shared 50cl bottle. Pours clear gold with a white head. Malty aroma.Taste is malt, bread and earth. Bitter English hop finish.
Aroma: malty with a tinge of something else that I can’t place; Appearance: clear amber pour with thin white head that lingers; Taste: lots of malt but not as bad as expected; Palate: medium body with long, sweet finish; Overall: okay but not interested in trying it again.
From World Market. Light in color than I would have guessed, slightly old bottle, strength sneaks up on you. Good not great. Serving: Bottle
Bottle from World Food Market. Bold golden body with medium head. Nose is alcy, caramel, malts. Taste of malts, caramel, brown sugar, spices. Okay. Warming finish.
Bottle:
Pours clear amber with a small, soapy, off-white head.
Fruity, grainy aroma.
Apple, grain malt, toffee malt flavour.
A very mild alcohol/grainy bitter.
Pleasant.
Appearance: Transparent, dark amber; medium white head that thins out quickly leaving a tiny bit of lace. Nose: Almonds, peanuts, raisins, apples, wheat bread, and light hops. A little bit of a cinnamon & maple syrup come through once the beer is warmed up. Taste: The grains appear up front with a creamy/buttery note. The sweets develop quickly and then gradually fade out beautifully into a soft, bitter hop finish. Once warm, the creaminess & hop flavors are more apparent. Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation, very dry on the finish. Overall: The ABV is a good average; it’ll give you a bit of warmth, but not so high that it’ll be a punch in the face. It’s certainly easy to drink, but I wouldn’t have more than one bottle.
Amber pour, thin white head. Aroma is sweet, grass, straw. Flavor is light, medium body. Mostly sweet with just a little bit of hops. Alcohol is masked. It takes a hit in my book because it’s so sweet. It could have supported much more hops.
Appearance: very clear golden almost amber color, pours with a large beige head,
Aroma: faint caramel, nuts, maybe hints of smoke
Taste: very nutty, smokey caramel malt sweetness, just enough hops to balance the sweetness
Palate: average carbonation, slight bitter aftertaste, light mouthfeel
Overall: basically a nice amber beer, has a pronounced nutty flavor, pretty good
Toffee, bread, caramel, fruitcake in the aroma. Clear copper with small white head. Nice malty taste balanced with mild hops. Needs more body. Too bitter, astrigent. Okay beer. Nothing exciting.
500 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 9/10/2011. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/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 around the glass. Aromas of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, plum, pear, herbal, floral, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, plum, pear, apple, herbal, floral, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, light fruits, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Good complexity, balance, and solid robustness of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and earthy hop flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth and lightly creamy/silky/buttery mouthfeel that is okay. Feels too thin for an English ale of this ABV. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a solid English strong ale style. All around good complexity, balance, and solid robustness of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. A pleasantly enjoyable offering.