Bad Elf
Ridgeway Brewing
- From:
- Ridgeway Brewing
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- English Pale Ale
Ranked #153 - ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #33,714 - Avg:
- 3.54 | pDev: 13.28%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 10
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 24, 2025
- Added:
- Dec 08, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
83
Good
83
Good
'Tis a heavy hand what adds the hops to this festive golden ale. Truth be told, there's near to three pounds of fresh hops goes in every barrel of this treasured brew. Pull up a sturdy chair, let's fill up yer best flagon with the season's finest natural ale, and I'll tell you a dark tale of elf and woe. 'Ere's to your elf!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by DraftMonger from Denmark
3.41/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
3.41/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
Copenhagen 7/8-2017. 50 cl bottle from Den Gamle Købmand, Skt. Annæ Plads, Kbh. K. From his big basket of offers. Sneaky looking Christmas Elf with a mug of beer on the label.
Pours hazy orange with small white head. Settles as very fine thin layerof foam covering the surface of the beer.
Not much Christmas Seasonal over the aroma. Quite sweetish, fresh and fruity. Peach, pineapple and orange. A little fermentation.
Light carbonation and slightly thick palate.
Flavor is moderately sweet followed by quite strong bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with dry finish.
Pretty light and bitter Winter seasonal. A little too light maybe - but refreshing.
Dec 24, 2025Pours hazy orange with small white head. Settles as very fine thin layerof foam covering the surface of the beer.
Not much Christmas Seasonal over the aroma. Quite sweetish, fresh and fruity. Peach, pineapple and orange. A little fermentation.
Light carbonation and slightly thick palate.
Flavor is moderately sweet followed by quite strong bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with dry finish.
Pretty light and bitter Winter seasonal. A little too light maybe - but refreshing.
Reviewed by RonaldTheriot from Louisiana
4.71/5 rDev +33.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.71/5 rDev +33.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bad Elf has a thick, off-white head and a mostly-clear, golden appearance, with some lacing. The aroma is of yeasty, white bread. The flavor is similar, with some hop spice and a touch of metallic. Bad Elf has a medium body and a dry finish.
RJT
May 31, 2025RJT
Reviewed by BillAfromSoCal from California
3.47/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.47/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
short lived loose, thin, sudsy white head atop fairly clear medium gold liquid when poured into a mug. Very little in the smell or taste consistent with expectations for a “winter ale”. Some mild bitterness. medium to light body. Overall a mediocre novelty beer that fails to live up to the “Winter Ale” moniker.
Jan 06, 2024
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland
3.44/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.44/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
500 ml bottle poured into a nonic pint glass.
Not bad. Fresh piney and zesty hop aroma and flavor supported by slightly sweet toasted pale malt. Finish is somewhat grassy. Moderate to assertive bitterness, Minor skunk character shows at times. Medium light body has moderate carbonation and is more soft than crisp. Decent session beer.
Dec 17, 2023Not bad. Fresh piney and zesty hop aroma and flavor supported by slightly sweet toasted pale malt. Finish is somewhat grassy. Moderate to assertive bitterness, Minor skunk character shows at times. Medium light body has moderate carbonation and is more soft than crisp. Decent session beer.
Reviewed by jngrizzaffi from Texas
3.56/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a somewhat hazy golden color with a small foamy head. Retention is decent. Lacing is good. Earthy ,Belgian yeasts on the aroma and taste. Coriander as well. Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Dec 10, 2023
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana
3.52/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500mL bottle stamped L24 221 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 4.5 % ABV per label. The beer pours bright light golden amber with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with grassy & barely skunky notes and pale malt. The taste is semisweet English pale malt with significant grassy hop flavor. There's a hint of orchard fruit coming through from the yeast and some minerality & skunkiness as well. Moderately bitter. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, mixed bag. Love the English malt and grassy hops, but the weird mineral & skunky notes detract from my enjoyment.
Feb 26, 2023
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri
3.68/5 rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.68/5 rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
I’m surprised that I’ve never reviewed this beer. I know that I’ve tired it several times. From a tall, thick, brown bottle, this beer is a completely clear golden amber. Nice English ale aroma…a bit malty, earthy, with some distant ripe fruit underneath. The tase is clean, balanced, and has a firm bitterness. Medium body and quite smoothly drinkable. Nothing spectacular here, but not bad at all.
Dec 28, 2021
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England
3.24/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.24/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
L- Bright deep golden, clear, pours with a 2mm white head. ps 15mins later - holds up pretty well, forms lacing.
S- Some quite deep grain notes, little else for me to positively ID.
T- Quite dry on the front, notable hops, overall a bright palate. It tastes more like a 'Golden Ale' than a beer I'd associate with winter. Ps the lable refers to it as an Amber Ale.
F- The sort of beer that could be suited for refreshment on a hot summer's day. A light body, a bright and hoppy taste, pleasant enough, nothing obviously out of place or balance but not one I'd look to buy again.
O- I can buy the epic Fuller's 1845 (Avg Rating 4.13/My Rating 4.32) , which is clearly an ale suited to winter from Waitrose for £2/500ml, in fact I did so this afternoon. In comparison this cost me £2.60 and presents like a summer beer simply branded as a winter one perhaps for the US market.
500ml bottle, labelled for US market with US Government health warning etc, US non-metric bottle volume and so on.
£2.60 Bought from Trembling Madness/York as part of a mixed case for home delivery to London.
Dec 12, 2020S- Some quite deep grain notes, little else for me to positively ID.
T- Quite dry on the front, notable hops, overall a bright palate. It tastes more like a 'Golden Ale' than a beer I'd associate with winter. Ps the lable refers to it as an Amber Ale.
F- The sort of beer that could be suited for refreshment on a hot summer's day. A light body, a bright and hoppy taste, pleasant enough, nothing obviously out of place or balance but not one I'd look to buy again.
O- I can buy the epic Fuller's 1845 (Avg Rating 4.13/My Rating 4.32) , which is clearly an ale suited to winter from Waitrose for £2/500ml, in fact I did so this afternoon. In comparison this cost me £2.60 and presents like a summer beer simply branded as a winter one perhaps for the US market.
500ml bottle, labelled for US market with US Government health warning etc, US non-metric bottle volume and so on.
£2.60 Bought from Trembling Madness/York as part of a mixed case for home delivery to London.
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia
3.23/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.23/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
From the bottle, it pours a clear golden amber with a modest off-white head that slowly reduces and leaves lacing. In the nose, it is light and a touch malty. In the mouth, it is the same - light malt, but it is a touch bitter.
Sep 06, 2020
Reviewed by Premo88 from Texas
2.84/5 rDev -19.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
2.84/5 rDev -19.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
16.9 oz. bottle poured into nonic
(F20 227 code printed on label)
L: almost flat gold, some amber in it; no head or even a full skin, just a colony of large soapy bubbles
S: yeast, peach tart, hints of sweet malt
T: yeast ... loads and loads of yeast and a farmhouse funk flavor, not sour or tart but a strong aged hop flavor, greenish and earthy, cilantro, lime peel
F: light, a bit watery but despite looking almost flat it does have enough carbonation to make it work
O: disappointing because Ridgeway generally delivers high quality stuff; this one didn't take the bottle conditioning well at all would be my guess — the yeast flavor is very strong like a farmhouse ale
Dec 09, 2018(F20 227 code printed on label)
L: almost flat gold, some amber in it; no head or even a full skin, just a colony of large soapy bubbles
S: yeast, peach tart, hints of sweet malt
T: yeast ... loads and loads of yeast and a farmhouse funk flavor, not sour or tart but a strong aged hop flavor, greenish and earthy, cilantro, lime peel
F: light, a bit watery but despite looking almost flat it does have enough carbonation to make it work
O: disappointing because Ridgeway generally delivers high quality stuff; this one didn't take the bottle conditioning well at all would be my guess — the yeast flavor is very strong like a farmhouse ale
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