BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 008)

Formerly brewed at BrewDog
Style: Imperial Stout
Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Serve in Snifter

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(Cask at Gallows Bird on 2008-01-26) Nose and taste both contain clear Islay whisky aromas. Also roasted malts. Some hops can felt, as well. I enjoyed this.

Sample glass BeerFest 2008. By far my favourite of the Paradox’ I have tried (3). Full whiskey alcohol nose. Black. A very good sipping beer. Not overpowering. Noticeable alcohol bu the strong malt, carbon notes and whiskey blend really well in this one. Smooth.

Bottle and served in my Bells snifter (tasting along side of the 5 & 9): Close to pitch black with some reddish highlights peeking through and topped by a fading head that left okay clinging lace upon the glassware. The aroma has notes of classic island scotch with peat and iodine vapors in addition to the charred and chocolate malting, grassy and herbal hops, prune and star fruit, and some tannic wood. The taste mostly followed suit with a kick in teeth of scotch overtones supported by lovely rich and sweet malt. The finish is smoky, woody, and earthy with some coffee twang. The mouth feel is soft but aggressive and biting, astringent finish. Now this is what I expected from this series of brews, a beer that highlights the scotch character along with a noticeable Imperial Stout at its heart. Mikey Likey!

Poured pretty black but not completely opaque with a small head. Aroma was of smoke, tobacco, light chocolate, and little bit of scotch. The flavor seemed to mostly dominated by the barrel. Not much of the stout flavor was still there. Usually this would be not as good but it actually worked here because the scotch flavor did not overpower or add any burn. A lot of smokiness and maybe a tad of some fruitiness. It was tasty but definitely different from other imperials. I dont really know where to rate this one and I would love to try another bottle but it might be tough at the price.

Nose: This nose is very reminiscent of Bowmore--ferny and vegetal peat, salt, and faint iodine mix with the stoutish notes of burnt caramel, bitter coffee and dark chocolate. Palate: Big toasty oak, espresso, smoky peat and continuing scotchy notes of cask, sea and earth continue through to the lingering oaky, peaty finish. Overall: As a scotch drinker and a beer drinker, I find myself in, well, a paradox. It is a bit overwhelming and intense for a beer and comes off as a bit unbalanced and disjointed. Bowmore is good whisky, but maybe not good beer.

Black pour, moderate to large tan head. Aroma is great. Notes of smoke. whiskey, chocolate, caramel, roast, lightly fruity. Medium to full body, quite sweet with huge smoke flavors. Some heat comes through, but it’s all good. If only it wasn’t $12 for a 330ml bottle.

Now available @ Liquor Max. Pours brown, but appears black in the glass. Nose dominated by single malt scotch, with hints of malt nuances. Flavor is terrifically complex, with hints of fudge, cocoa, chocolate and raspberry, combined with the barrel elements of peat and toasted wood. It has a lot of depth and the finish seems to go on and on. Really outstanding now, but young, give it a year or two and it could be sublime.

Bottle smells like wood and earth and leads to a nice stout taste with a peat finish. This one makes me want to try the other paradox brews. The first one I had was too overpowering. Nice brew.

330 ml bottle from cgarvieuk. Pour very dark brown with some garnet highlights when held to a light. Khaki head with thick lace. A really wonderful earthy smoke character that will not be denied. The very earthy, and even salty, smoke flavor is there, as well as some fudge and roastyness too. Medium/full body. Below average carbonation. Dry smoked finish. You could easily put this in the smoked category. Well done.

UPDATED: MAR 28, 2009 11.2 oz. bottle from River’s Bend. Pours a very dark brown color with a small disappearing beige head. The aroma is in your face smoked peat that has me thinking scotch not beer. There is also roasted malt present. The flavor is a complex mix of the smoked peat and wood from the barrel along with the roasted malt and dark chocolate from the stout. Mouthfeel is solid. This one grew on me more as it warmed. I have not really been a fan of Scotch, but this was at least interesting.