Ridgeway Brewing's Bad King John Black Ale

I've started to like all Ridgeway beers, and a black ale as opposed to a black lager is intriguing, so I have high hopes for this one.

Pours like a stout, although not as opaque as some. Nice tan head and a good, roasted grain smell to it.

Excellent taste to it. I'm not sure what the difference between a black ale and a stout, but it feels just a little lighter in the body so maybe the gravity is the distinction. Either way, it's about like a Saint Arnold's stout, which I think is one of the lightest out there. It's even got a little more flavor than St. A's. Good beer, from a brewery that's working its way up my list.

Ridgeway Brewing's Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout

Dark? We'll see about that. I'm hoping for a stout that's maybe somewhere close to an RIS, or at least bigger than most straight-up stouts (I'm looking at you, Guinness).

Nope. During the pour is looks like little more than a rauchbier. It's dark, but you can see right through it. It's opaque in the glass though. Thin light tan head that thins further to a collar even faster. Low carbonation is visible at the edges, helping the head evaporate.

Alcohol. That's the first thing I smell here. Once the head is completely gone that fades to a very vinous deep fruit smell, much like a porter.

Wow, it's like a merlot, without all of the vinegar. The alcohol bite, odd for a beer with only 8% ABV, makes up some of that difference though. So, maybe a strong burgundy? I'm a closeted wine drinker (hell, I can't even tell my friends I drink so many different beers), so I can stand to drink this, but it's a weird beer. It also has a strange feel to it like a flat Coke and has more of a twang than any bitterness. Roasted grain comes out next, mostly in the aftertaste after the wine and twang are gone.

I was thinking about buying Ridgeway's Bad Elf series of beers, but not any more. I'll also skip this one in the future.

Ridgeway Brewing's IPA

My first Ridgeway beer that I know of. We'll see. I generally like British beers, so I'm hoping for the best.

Pours a clear yellowish amber with a neon-like glow that is usually indicative of a hollow taste. In a hoppy beer like an IPA, it can be more twangy than bitter.

Smells more yeasty than an IPA should. Plenty of sweet malt and a very floral hops smell, but it has a yeasty smell that a bottle conditioned beer can have when it doesn't have enough of its own flavor to stand up to the yeast.

Yeah, kind of hollow. Smooth body but kind of a soft drink feel and taste to it, like a bitter coke. It has the right amount of bitterness for an IPA, but finishes fast and disappears.

I'll probably try one or two more Ridgeway beers, but I'm guessing they're going to fall far short of Sam Smith.