Alright, hope everybody had a great weekend. Were it not for sports, I sure would have. At least Navy came through for me. Well, beer will never let me down, right? Today we've got Lump of Coal; a stout from Ridgeway Brewing in South Stoke England. This one was bought for the name only. I figured it'd be one that I'd be able to come up with a pairing for. And pair we shall, with How the Grinch Stole Christmas! And hey! It's all online so everybody at home can play along!
Lump of Coal appears initially to be a deep, dark, imposing looking brew. When it's held to light though a beautiful clear reddish brown beer with bright scarlet highlights is revealed. A tall layer of finely bubbled tan head sits on top and leaves great lacing.
The aromas here are all classic English stout. Roasty notes of dark chocolate, a milky creaminess of iced coffee, and a touch of acrid smokiness. Simple, but inviting.
At first sip I wasn't wild about this beer. It seemed insubstantial, nothing really to write home about. But as I drank on, as it opened up, my opinions began to change. Lump of Coal is rich and creamy with a medium-full body. Cakey chocolatey malt leads the way and is followed by a bitter coffee character note that lingers through the sip. A light smokiness and very subtle dark fruit notes of plum and a hint of licorice add complexity. It finishes with a surprisingly robust bitterness. Not a bad little stout at all!
Everybody knows How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I don't really need to recap it here. But my experience with this beer sort of mimics the tale of the Grinch. After the first couple sips I was ready to award this beer the coal on it's label. But as time went on and I kept drinking, it redeemed itself. Lump of Coal gets to carve the roast beast as far as I'm concerned.
HD
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