BrewDog Paradox Glen Grant (Batch 003)

Brewed by BrewDog
Style: Imperial Stout
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Black, no head, a bit flat. Aroma-peaty malts, sweet, salty. Taste-subdued cask flavors, old wood, mellow and eathy. Finishes crisp, salty, peaty aftertaste, which has more going on than the initial taste.

This ended up being much better than anticipated since I’m not a big fan of bourbon barrel beers. Pours quite dark with a fairly small head that’s much lighter in color - more of an off-white / beige. The aroma has dark roasty malt, dark caramel, woody / cardboard, some chocolate and a milk duds sort of maltiness. Very thick body that’s very lush and has minimal gentle carbonation. The flavor has roasted malt, well integrated bourbon, chocolate, light soy sauce and a hint of oak. The finish has some spiciness added and some dryish bourbon. Very well done impy stout.

In short: A big chocolate cake with plenty of wood barrel. Surprisingly very nice
How: Bottle 12oz, consumed a few months before expiration date, about 2 year old maybe
The look: Near black body topped by a very small beige head
In long: Nose has plenty of barrel with notes of tar, a touch of smoke. Taste is like a big alcohol dessert. Cake malts, chocolate cake, sherry, lots of vanilla, wood, molasses, a bit of bourbon, a bit of rum. Carbonation is very relaxed and the body is velvety. Alcohol is a little apparent and feels just right in that beer. The wood really dry out the beer and it doesn’t really feel too sweet. This is a sipper, and a pleasant one at that. This is by far the best of the BrewDog Paradox I’ve had. Problem is the $10+ for a small bottle. I liked it a good deal but it is not a good deal. It would be a good deal if I liked it a great deal. But what the deal with those expensive Paradox bottles? Deal or no Deal? Fridays only on NBC.

Dark brown near black, thin tan head. Aroma of alcohol, milk chocolate, vanilla. Taste is sweet and bitter chocolate. Smooth butter milky texture. Low carbonation.

Bottle: Pitch black with a lovely parfait head that moves from light tan to brown hues that left a ton of lace upon the glassware. An easy 5 for appearance. The nose shows notes of grassy and herbal hops, chocolate and vanilla, walnut, pipe tobacco, light earthy peat and mineral water. The taste is a tad of a let down, mostly sweet and earthy tones with a shocking minimal brash bitterness or alcohol tone (10% really?). It is the earthy, herbal and grassy notes that keeps this moving forward. A bit chalky and medicinal on the finish. The mouth feel is a tad of let down too, a bit thinner than I expected but then it is also smoother than expected. I dunno, I like some aspects of this brew and there are others I do not really enjoy. A middle of the road example from Paradox IMO.

Listening to some of my favorite Scottish and Irish folk music while drinking this to put me in the mood.

Sampled with scottyp and curly. Pours a dark near black with minimal ring of brown head. This is a nice bourbony chocolatey stout. Still way too expensive, but great to sip on. Has some bitter chocolate notes on the finish.

Vanilla aroma with plenty of oxidation quality, too. Impy stout character here is made the slave of the cask, which changes the character quite considerably, mellowing the flavors and providing different edges. Bitterness at the end, chocolate in late, but overall not awesome (esp. for the price).

A Mes rate. Bottle at Borefts 10am day after hotel tasting.
Black with a tan head. Well, duh, it’s a Paradox. Erm... I’m running out of steam for Paradox rates in all honesty. This one is a little lighter on the whisky and a little more chocolate up front. Underneath, it’s Paradox. An excellent imperial stout plus all the loveliness that comes from those special Barrels that the BrewDog folks pay so much money for. Crap rate. Great beer. Again. Oh, and thanks to Craig for giving me the chance to try one of the ones that I never would have had the chance to as it all goes over the pond.