Ride The Lion | Clown Shoes
Brewed by:
Clown Shoes
Massachusetts, United States
clownshoesbeer.com
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.00%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
None provided.
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 469 | Reviews: 66
4.13/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Copper brown body with minimal head and a lace ring around the glass. Boozy, malty aroma with caramel and toffee. Sticky, heavy body, sweet vanilla, caramel, toffee and clean finish with well-hidden abv and a woody smoothness. This beer, for me at least, the version I’m having on tap, is just sweet and easy to drink and hits the spot.
341 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Copper brown body with minimal head and a lace ring around the glass. Boozy, malty aroma with caramel and toffee. Sticky, heavy body, sweet vanilla, caramel, toffee and clean finish with well-hidden abv and a woody smoothness. This beer, for me at least, the version I’m having on tap, is just sweet and easy to drink and hits the spot.
341 characters
3.86/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
BOD 061914
10 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
BOD 061914
10 characters
4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.97/5 rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Consumed on November 5th, 2016. That makes this bottle about two and a half years old. Poured into a tulip glass.
Beer is a very deep brown with dark garnet highlights. A two-finger light tan head of dense, creamy foam slowly recedes to a crown around the rim.
Aroma is boozy and metallic. Sugar cane and vanilla notes are in there as well.
Flavor is very sweet with melanoidin characteristics in the finished. Only mildly bitter. Cane sugar, vanilla, and some woody notes round out the palate.
Mouthfeel is slightly thick, a little creamy, and hot with alcohol. The time spent in the cellar did nothing to mellow the booze bite. Or maybe it did? The mind boggles.
Overall, not one of the best wee heavy ales I have ever had. Certainly drinkable.
756 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Consumed on November 5th, 2016. That makes this bottle about two and a half years old. Poured into a tulip glass.
Beer is a very deep brown with dark garnet highlights. A two-finger light tan head of dense, creamy foam slowly recedes to a crown around the rim.
Aroma is boozy and metallic. Sugar cane and vanilla notes are in there as well.
Flavor is very sweet with melanoidin characteristics in the finished. Only mildly bitter. Cane sugar, vanilla, and some woody notes round out the palate.
Mouthfeel is slightly thick, a little creamy, and hot with alcohol. The time spent in the cellar did nothing to mellow the booze bite. Or maybe it did? The mind boggles.
Overall, not one of the best wee heavy ales I have ever had. Certainly drinkable.
756 characters
3.98/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
June 2014 bottle, and I have low expectations relative to when I had it fresher. Now pours a murky light brown, with a smidgeon of light foam that quickly dissipates. Smells a bit tangy from oxidation and barrel oak, along with brown sugar, spiced apple cider, and amaretto. The taste still has a nice malt backbone but also has a hint of tartness to it, suggesting it has passed its prime.
I still have one more bottle, which I'm planning to open alongside bottles of the base beer, Royal Standard, and a cognac-aged version, Ride the Wendigo. Shame that they can't all be fresh at the same time, but it should make for an interesting tasting.
646 characters
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
June 2014 bottle, and I have low expectations relative to when I had it fresher. Now pours a murky light brown, with a smidgeon of light foam that quickly dissipates. Smells a bit tangy from oxidation and barrel oak, along with brown sugar, spiced apple cider, and amaretto. The taste still has a nice malt backbone but also has a hint of tartness to it, suggesting it has passed its prime.
I still have one more bottle, which I'm planning to open alongside bottles of the base beer, Royal Standard, and a cognac-aged version, Ride the Wendigo. Shame that they can't all be fresh at the same time, but it should make for an interesting tasting.
646 characters
4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.63/5 rDev -10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottled 6/18/14. Been in my cellar for about 18 months.
Pours a clear deep, dark brown amber color. A good finger of a creamy tan head.
Aroma is carmel, brown sugar, bourbon-soaked dark fruits (plums and raisins), oak, and some vanilla.
Taste starts with rich carmel and brown sugar sweetness along with dark fruit and bread. The barrel presence makes itself known mid-palate and brings oak, bourbon, and some vanilla. The bourbon barrel and dark fruit flavors intensify into the finish, but some (what I would guess is) oxidation also creeps in. It's an astringent metallic and tangy note, almost like a sherry flavor. Pretty dry finish given it's sweetness up front.
Medium body. Smooth, creamy, and oily mouthfeel.
Overall, this would be a solid barrel aged wee heavy if it wasn't for the weird tangy finish. Not sure if this is oxidation (which I can't really blame on them) or if this was an intended flavor. As it warms, this flavor starts to fade a bit. Decent stuff.
981 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottled 6/18/14. Been in my cellar for about 18 months.
Pours a clear deep, dark brown amber color. A good finger of a creamy tan head.
Aroma is carmel, brown sugar, bourbon-soaked dark fruits (plums and raisins), oak, and some vanilla.
Taste starts with rich carmel and brown sugar sweetness along with dark fruit and bread. The barrel presence makes itself known mid-palate and brings oak, bourbon, and some vanilla. The bourbon barrel and dark fruit flavors intensify into the finish, but some (what I would guess is) oxidation also creeps in. It's an astringent metallic and tangy note, almost like a sherry flavor. Pretty dry finish given it's sweetness up front.
Medium body. Smooth, creamy, and oily mouthfeel.
Overall, this would be a solid barrel aged wee heavy if it wasn't for the weird tangy finish. Not sure if this is oxidation (which I can't really blame on them) or if this was an intended flavor. As it warms, this flavor starts to fade a bit. Decent stuff.
981 characters
3.49/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
May 2014 release opened 1/15/2016, so this has aged on the store shelf for 18 months or so. Consumed about half the bottle. Stoppered the rest, consumed it on 1/16. Dark, orangish, muddy, hazy. The look is not particularly attractive. Little to low carbonation. 1 inch cream-white head after a vigorous pour that fades at a moderate rate leaving some lacing, ending in a ring with bubbles. Aroma dominated by whiskey with sweet malt. Hints of dark fruits, earthy, but it mostly smells like whiskey. Substantial to thick mouth feel. Smooth initial taste, malty, but transitioning quickly to whiskey. It is hard to pick up the more subtle flavors of the beer due to the dominance of the whiskey flavor. Stong whiskey aftertaste with alcohol warming in the back of the mouth and the breath. The overall impression is a sipping whiskey, not a beer. Tasty, just like a smooth, but thick, bourbon. But if you are looking for malts and hops, this is not the beer you are looking for. I have no idea how to rate this beer, since I have no baseline, so mostly I'm rating on my like/don't like scale. But, it seems to me they overdid the barrel aging flavors.
1,149 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
May 2014 release opened 1/15/2016, so this has aged on the store shelf for 18 months or so. Consumed about half the bottle. Stoppered the rest, consumed it on 1/16. Dark, orangish, muddy, hazy. The look is not particularly attractive. Little to low carbonation. 1 inch cream-white head after a vigorous pour that fades at a moderate rate leaving some lacing, ending in a ring with bubbles. Aroma dominated by whiskey with sweet malt. Hints of dark fruits, earthy, but it mostly smells like whiskey. Substantial to thick mouth feel. Smooth initial taste, malty, but transitioning quickly to whiskey. It is hard to pick up the more subtle flavors of the beer due to the dominance of the whiskey flavor. Stong whiskey aftertaste with alcohol warming in the back of the mouth and the breath. The overall impression is a sipping whiskey, not a beer. Tasty, just like a smooth, but thick, bourbon. But if you are looking for malts and hops, this is not the beer you are looking for. I have no idea how to rate this beer, since I have no baseline, so mostly I'm rating on my like/don't like scale. But, it seems to me they overdid the barrel aging flavors.
1,149 characters
3.73/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep amber brown with 2 fingers of creamy tan head. The nose is pleasant, just not very full; lotsnoc caramel malt, raisins, toffee, vanilla and some boozy bourbon. The taste is similar with caramel malt, toffee, vanilla and bourbon dominating but finishing a touch metallic and astringent. Good creamy body and carbonation. Overall, a really nice beer.
365 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep amber brown with 2 fingers of creamy tan head. The nose is pleasant, just not very full; lotsnoc caramel malt, raisins, toffee, vanilla and some boozy bourbon. The taste is similar with caramel malt, toffee, vanilla and bourbon dominating but finishing a touch metallic and astringent. Good creamy body and carbonation. Overall, a really nice beer.
365 characters
3.98/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
22oz bottle poured into a teku. Bottled 6/19/14
A- pours a deep ruby brown with a one-finger creamy off white head that retains long after the pour
S- bourbon forward aroma with notes of sweet caramel/toffee malt, raisins, fig, peat moss
T- sweet caramel & toffee malt with notes of raisin & fig. Plenty of bourbon on the mid palate with woodsy notes and barrel juice, more bourbon on the linger
M- medium-heaven body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a slightly warming finish
O- nice and sweet, bourbon forward wee heavy
552 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
22oz bottle poured into a teku. Bottled 6/19/14
A- pours a deep ruby brown with a one-finger creamy off white head that retains long after the pour
S- bourbon forward aroma with notes of sweet caramel/toffee malt, raisins, fig, peat moss
T- sweet caramel & toffee malt with notes of raisin & fig. Plenty of bourbon on the mid palate with woodsy notes and barrel juice, more bourbon on the linger
M- medium-heaven body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a slightly warming finish
O- nice and sweet, bourbon forward wee heavy
552 characters
3.6/5 rDev -11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.63/5 rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
"Descended from a notorious clan of Scottish lore, head brewer Dan Lipke channeled the Tartan tapestry encoded in his DNA to create a formidable Wee Heavy. The beer has been aged one hundred percent in fresh bourbon barrels. Ask yourself, 'Who needs a reason to ride the lion?'" Brewed in the style of a Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, available in limited release 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a snifter glass.
(Appearance) Pours a frothy foam head of a caramel cream color over a medium hazy caramel-amber body with faint sediment and little carbonation. Retention is below average and lacing is light and patchy. 3.5
(Smell) Toasted caramel malts with a moderate graininess, mild sweetness and mild, tangy acidity. Reserved alcohol notes. Potency is moderate. 3.5
(Taste) Viscous syrupy caramel malts with a mild graininess, tangy and acidic finish. 3.75
(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, residual, mildly syrupy, medium dry. Carbonation is medium, generating a medium frothiness and a medium crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, medium/heavy overall. Balance is nearly evenly sweet to tangy and funky. Alcohol presence is light and there are no off characters. 3.75
(Overall) I'm not sure if it was intended or not, but this wee heavy ale has a uniquely different tangy and acidic side to contribute to the sweet viscosity, which distracts notably from the wee heavy body. At best, it's a variation from a traditional style with mixed results- at worst, a bottle infection and an unintended flavor and aroma. I think my biggest criticism of this beer is a reserved malt profile, very underdeveloped for the style, allowing these subtleties, welcome or not to shine through brightly. Not a very elegant spot in Clown Shoes' lineup. 3.5
Clown Shoes'
Ride The Lion Wee Heavy Ale
3.63/5.00
1,827 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
"Descended from a notorious clan of Scottish lore, head brewer Dan Lipke channeled the Tartan tapestry encoded in his DNA to create a formidable Wee Heavy. The beer has been aged one hundred percent in fresh bourbon barrels. Ask yourself, 'Who needs a reason to ride the lion?'" Brewed in the style of a Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, available in limited release 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a snifter glass.
(Appearance) Pours a frothy foam head of a caramel cream color over a medium hazy caramel-amber body with faint sediment and little carbonation. Retention is below average and lacing is light and patchy. 3.5
(Smell) Toasted caramel malts with a moderate graininess, mild sweetness and mild, tangy acidity. Reserved alcohol notes. Potency is moderate. 3.5
(Taste) Viscous syrupy caramel malts with a mild graininess, tangy and acidic finish. 3.75
(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, residual, mildly syrupy, medium dry. Carbonation is medium, generating a medium frothiness and a medium crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, medium/heavy overall. Balance is nearly evenly sweet to tangy and funky. Alcohol presence is light and there are no off characters. 3.75
(Overall) I'm not sure if it was intended or not, but this wee heavy ale has a uniquely different tangy and acidic side to contribute to the sweet viscosity, which distracts notably from the wee heavy body. At best, it's a variation from a traditional style with mixed results- at worst, a bottle infection and an unintended flavor and aroma. I think my biggest criticism of this beer is a reserved malt profile, very underdeveloped for the style, allowing these subtleties, welcome or not to shine through brightly. Not a very elegant spot in Clown Shoes' lineup. 3.5
Clown Shoes'
Ride The Lion Wee Heavy Ale
3.63/5.00
1,827 characters
4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.85/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.37/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Ride The Lion from Clown Shoes
Beer rating:
4.05 out of
5 with
469 ratings
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