BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 009)

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

Bottle... Black ale with a small, fizzy, lightly tanned head. The chocolaty, smoky, Scotch whiskey nose is a blend of campfire, charcoal, molasses infused pouch tobacco and a whisper of Madagascar vanilla bean. Medium to full-bodied with a 2%-milk mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Semi sweet dark chocolate flavor unites with smoky, woodsy essences and rich Scotch earthiness. Restrained heat. Leans a little too far onto the sweet side of balance for me, but pretty damn tasty nonetheless. Sweet, smoky, chocolaty finish. Bottle courtesy of Magic_dave6!

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured a black color with a moderate to large frothy brown head that mostly lasted and produced fair lacing. Good roasted peaty malt and woody aroma. Full body with a smooth texture. Complex peat and smoke stout flavor with a smooth woody finish of moderate to long duration. Good earthy and smoky stout.

Bottle, at Fin’s excellent UK Imperial Stouts tasting, sampled with Fin, Loz and Traci. Thanks mate! (The Paradox part of our tasting done blind.) Dark brown. Much more, and more persistent tan bubbles than the previous Paradox in our tasting. Peat fire aroma, and an odd, but kind of appealing spearmint quality. Old barn wood flavor, drying phenol smokey exhale, chalk finish. Really interesting character imparted by the barrel here, but to my tastebuds, the Ardbeg flavors seem a little at odds with the Paradox flavors. (As much as I do like Ardbeg on its own.)

Bottled. Poured clear, deep brown with a swirly, short-lived cap of tan head. The aroma was smoooookey with oak and peat over darker chocolates and caramel.. the second wind brings sweet whiskey and vanilla.. this really came together well. The flavor opened with sour oak and peaty whiskey with caramel, dark chocolate, and a little coffee coming in behind.. more oak, vanilla, and smoke on the back, becoming a bit too bitter right at the end. Medium-ish bodied with lower carbonation on the palate.. a lot of the barrel character (sourness, sweetness, and flavors) worked great, but the bitterness at the end wasn’t a good closer. All in all a tasty brew.

11.2 oz bottle. Ebony with a pocked tan head and wet lace. Nose is peat, leather, currants and coffee. Milky body with an alcohol buzz. Taste is licorice, tobacco and dark chocolate with ash. Oaky drying with cigar and dust. You can really taste the age on the barrels. I was skeptical the scotch would work but a smoother touch than the bourbon stuff. I’m still not won over.

Bottle. Pours black with a small tan head that left some spotty lacing. Aroma of peat, smoke, wood, roast and whisky. Flavor is smokey, peaty, roasty, with oak barrel whisky and a hint of chocolate. Medium to full bodied with a nice warming alcoohol finish.

Bottle. Black/dark brown, thin but creamy head. Heavy smoke, tar, leather aroma. Complex flavour of smoke & peat & seaweed & salt (Ardbeg!), coffee, chocolate, cream. Sweet start, dry finish - nice touch! Overpriced.

Can you say peat? I have never smelled a beer quite like this one. Pours a dark black with traces of lingering head. I think aging this in the scotch barrells has given this beer a more medium bodied feel. On my palate I get scotch the peat flavor from the barrels, oak. Very nice and hides its alcohol very well.