BrewDog Paradox Macallan (Batch 011)

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

Serve in Snifter

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Pours a transparent dark mahogany with a thin, stringy-lacing light tan head. Aroma of sweet dark caramel and chocolate with nice peaty smoke and roasted malty character. Body starts with good fullness and sweet dark caramel and sherry notes along with a complex balance of smoky peat and roasted malt. Finishes smooth and semi-sweet. Well aged and enjoyable.

11.2oz bottle. Batch 011 BB 12/12/09. Poured a dark brown color with red edges and an average to larger sized tan head. Aromas of earthiness, manure, woody, peat, smoke, chocolate, and very light sherry. Tastes of vanilla, wood, light sherry, chocolate, light caramel, and roast. Creamy body with the alcohol content well hidden.

UPDATED: MAY 16, 2009 Courtesy Growler. Pours a dark mahogany brown color with no head or lacing in the glass. The aroma is of dark chocolate, burnt oak, roasted and peat malt, and some dark fruit. The flavor was of dark chocolate, smoked peat malt, dark fruits, and wood. The scotch adds noticeable amount of heat to go with the whiskey flavors and roasted bitterness. Medium-full bodied with low carbonation which lends to a smooth feel and a lot fo heat from the cask in the finish. This was well done with a lot of depth to the flavors.

11.2oz bottle, courtesy of argo0. Thanks, Aaron! We did a side-by-side of four of these (Islay 009, Speyside 010, Macallan 011, Glen Grant 003), and they looked nearly identical: dark, murky brown color; thin, light-tan head with fine-bubbled lacing. Lots of licorice, dark-dark fruits, and charred barrel notes in the aroma; slightly overripe; touch of nougat and dogfood in the nose. Relaxed carbonation. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: tons of dried dark fruits, dried cherries, and sweet maltiness; minimal alcohol coming through; light scotch character, mostly appearing as toasty wood and touches of chewy vanilla. Quite nice. Lengthy finish: again, toasty malts, and dark chocolate; nicely roasted and dry.

Bottle courtesy of Growler. Pours dark brown/black with almost no head. Roasty alcoholic aroma with some woodiness (oak?). Burnt malt flavor with wood, smoke and some scotch. Lots of heat from the alcohol. Full body with almost no carbonation and a thick mouthfeel.

Courtesy growler. Pours dark brown/black with really not much of a head as usual. Smells of some hot whiskey, spice, graham crackers, dark malty roast, and a little bitter chocolate. The flavor was pretty huge on the bitterness, very peaty, while the whiskey was huge and burning on the palate. Not as flavorful as I was hoping for, but not bad. Nice experience, but not my favorite from them.

Courtesy growler. Like all the other Paradox beers, this one pours a dark but translucent mahogany brown color with a tiny, bubbly edge. Virtually no lacing marks the glass. The aroma shows big notes of dark chocolate, slight saltiness, charred oak, and a surprising dose of dark, vinous fruits, which I assume to be coming from the sherry. Flavors back up this claim, as the chocolate is indeed accompanied by a prominent salty smokiness and a lurking background note of indiscernible dark fruits (perhaps even some cherries). The low carbonation works well here, and the smooth, velvety mouthfeel is more substantial than other Paradox’s, as I recall. I found this to be very unique, and one of the better beers within the series.

Thanks to a rep for leaving our store a sample. Dark brown color with a thin head. Lots of roasty malt aroma, strong vanilla and a little sherry. Lightly chalky mouthfeel. A little salt, dry malt, oak and Scotch. Solid quality.

This was from a 330 mi bottle that set me back a whopping $11.49 at Market of Choice in Ashland, OR. Was it worth it? You better believe it! Poured a dark brown, kind of the color of Coca Cola, with almost no head. Swirling it in the glass raised a little foam and left mild lacing on the side of my Duvel glass. But it also raised a terrific nose of smoky malts with ripe fruit and some hints of chocolate, and sherry. Almost made my eyes water. Mouthfeel is rich and kind of like a single malt whiskey. Flavor is complex, and shows oak, some sweetness, and again seems more like single malt whiskey than beer. Finish is slightly sweet. Overall a simple outstanding brew. This my 1000th rating, and I am very pleased to have it be one of this quality I will upload a photo as soon as I am able..

DAmn, very well, done. The sherry barrel adds this extra layer or two that really make its shine. Coco, touch of smoke.