-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Lump Of Coal
Ridgeway Brewing
- From:
- Ridgeway Brewing
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Foreign / Export Stout
Ranked #68 - ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- 79
Ranked #26,692 - Avg:
- 3.46 | pDev: 15.03%
- Reviews:
- 387
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 22, 2024
- Added:
- Nov 25, 2004
- Wants:
- 11
- Gots:
- 73
Yet another bummed-out holiday? Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is liquid consolation. It's a deep, rich, sweetly rewarding stout to take the edge off of that grim family gathering, that cheerless annual festival of alienation. This brew is as dark as it gets, as black as the lump of coal you'll be getting for Christmas. Because, let's face it, you've been pretty bad this year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by OompaMentor:
Rated by OompaMentor from Georgia
4.5/5 rDev +30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +30.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Hint of smoke and rye
Feb 25, 2018More User Ratings:
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota
3.42/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours dark chocolate brown with a tan head that leaves minimal lacing. Aroma is dark roasted malt, anise, and burnt chocolate. Flavor follows the nose. Feel is medium bodied with adequate carbonation. Overall, a passable beer, not special.
Dec 09, 2023Reviewed by detgfrsh from Texas
3.71/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From a bottle. Dark brown color with a half inch of foamy brown head. Roasted malt aroma. Medium body. Nutty roasted malt with an earthy bitterness on the finish. Quite nice, but mislabeled by the brewer. This is not a stout at all, more like a brown ale.
Dec 03, 2023Reviewed by AlCaponeJunior from Texas
3.97/5 rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I find this one to be an underrated and forgotten gem of a brew. Dark and thick, medium sweet with nicely roasted notes and tinge of burnt. And since it's been cold and rainy, it's a perfect day for it.
Nov 13, 2023Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4/5 rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Unknown bottling date; drank 1/20/22 @ the Roadrunner Lodge.
Opaque dark brown appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice tan head; decent lace.
Black licorice, oatmeal & dark chocolate notes in the nose.
Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.
Black licorice, candle wax & dark chocolate flavors up front; creamy oatmeal notes on the finish.
Russian Imperial Stout mixed with oatmeal? Interesting, and ultimately worth quaffing.
Jan 25, 2022Opaque dark brown appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice tan head; decent lace.
Black licorice, oatmeal & dark chocolate notes in the nose.
Creamy, medium thick mouthfeel.
Black licorice, candle wax & dark chocolate flavors up front; creamy oatmeal notes on the finish.
Russian Imperial Stout mixed with oatmeal? Interesting, and ultimately worth quaffing.
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia
3.75/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A fairly decent stout. Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, this beer features a medium sized tan head with good retention (on a hard pour) and some spotty tan lacing. The color is a very dark brown but some reddish light gets through when you hold it to a light. Smell is mostly bready malt and toasted malt, fairly subdued. Taste is more of the same but there is a little vinuous aspect too which I find more often in stronger, richer stouts. Mouthfeel is a bit thin but it goes down smooth for 8% .abv. I had it with dinner and found it to be pleasant but not all that memorable. I wouldn't turn another one down but probably wouldn't seek it out either.
Dec 29, 2021Reviewed by SevenBeersDaily from Finland
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
First of all, this is NOT black. It is dark reddish brown. Second, it is not the stout that it claims. It is a British brown ale, so the makers have arranged for some bad publicity by misleading consumers with false descriptions on the label.
Having said that, it is quite a drinkable ale. Very little head or carbonation, but a lot of lacing.
The taste has a lot of burnt charcoal notes and a bit too much sweetness. This is not an expensive beer, and it shows.
Oct 29, 2021Having said that, it is quite a drinkable ale. Very little head or carbonation, but a lot of lacing.
The taste has a lot of burnt charcoal notes and a bit too much sweetness. This is not an expensive beer, and it shows.
Lump Of Coal from Ridgeway Brewing
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
676 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!