Paradox - Islay (Batch 008)
BrewDog in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland 🏴
Stout - Imperial Series Out of Production|
Score
7.25
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NOTE: Marked batch 008 on the bottle label. Matured in a Bowmore 1987 cask although this is not detailed on the label.
This Imperial Stout has been matured in specially selected Islay Malt Whisky casks.
This aging process infuses into the beer all the threatening smoke, the encapsulating peat, the Atlantic essence and raw power of Scotland’s most distinctive Whiskies.
This Imperial Stout has been matured in specially selected Islay Malt Whisky casks.
This aging process infuses into the beer all the threatening smoke, the encapsulating peat, the Atlantic essence and raw power of Scotland’s most distinctive Whiskies.
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7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
33 cL bottle, courtesy of chris_o. Pours dark brown to black with a minimal tan head. Roasted malty and light fruity aroma with a mild smoke note. Smooth flavoured. Smoked and mild roasted malty flavour. Smooth roasted and mild smoked finish. Nicely balanced smoked with a smooth composition of flavours.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Oct 2008
at 03:26
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pour is a dark brown with minimal head... it has almost completely died down. It looked kinda thin as it poured. Aromas are heavy with smoke, peat, charcoal and scorched coffee. On first sip I think this is kind of a weird mix of whiskey, charcoal, peat and some sort of fruity sweetness. I don’t know... I thought this would be a much better beer than it is... Malt presence comes off as thin and underdeveloped... there’s just not enough there to balance/blend with all of that smokiness, so the thing comes off like a drink of \"Liquid Smoke\" or whatever that crap in a bottle is that they put on your burger in the really seediest diners. It still has some good and redeeming categories, but could/should be better... especially at the prices they’re charging here in the States.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2008
at 00:33
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Brown bottle, 330 ml, best before 22/12/08, purchased at deVine Wines and Spirits on September 15 2008, savoured on September 25 2008; eye: black, opaque, creamy cappuccino head that disappears almost completely, lacing; nose: peat, smoke, scotch, roasted malt, burnt, dark chocolate, camp fire, black coffee; mouth: peat, smoke, scotch, roasted malt, burnt, chocolate, camp fire, finale in smoked peat with a good presence of roasted malt that hides somewhat all of the hops, light astringency, creamy, velvety, rich, rather bitter, full body, lightly oily, below-average carbonation; overall: quite good and the only beer that I have burped and it smelled like camp fire FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 330 ml, meilleure avant 22/12/08, achetée chez deVine Wines and Spirits le 15 septembre 2008, savourée le 25 septembre 2008; oeil : noire, opaque, mousse cappuccino crémeuse qui disparaît presque complètement, dentelle; nez : tourbe, fumée, scotch, brûlé, chocolat noir, feu de camp, café noir; bouche : tourbe, fumée, scotch, malt torréfié, brûlé, chocolat, feu de camp, finale en tourbe fumée avec une bonne présence de malt torréfié qui voile beaucoup de houblon, légère astringence, crémeuse, velouté, riche, plutôt amère, corsé, légèrement huileuse, carbonatation sous la moyenne; en résumé : très bonne, et c’est la seule bière qui sent le feu de camp quand je rote
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Sep 2008
at 17:09
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
330ml bottle (bb.22.12.08) picked up at Utobeer in London and very much enjoyed at home in Tromsø. Bubbly, beige head on top of a very dark body with ruby highlights. Peat smoke aroma added a touch of heather . Flavour repertoire of sweet biscuit, prunes and smoked malts. Soft bittersweet anise to the finish. Medium to full palate (02.08.2008).
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Aug 2008
at 13:47
5.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. Viscous dark chocolate brown pour with no head and no cabonation. Aroma of smoke, peat, whisky, tobacco. Taste is much the same with the peat and alcohol very pronounced. Too smoky and too dry for my tastes, which is a shame.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Jul 2008
at 04:04
6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 6
330 ml bottle brought over by my Aberdeen friend, Bjorn! Nose of cardboard and smoky peat, smelling much like the artificial BBQ smoke; clear dark brown with a small tan head; flavor of smoke, peat, and burnt wood. By far the worst of the three versions but 009 wasn’t far behind. 005 was the only one I really liked!
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2008
at 00:28
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled (BB 01/2009)
Pitch black color, not much head. Smokey Scotch single malty whisky is dominating the aroma, but there is also underlying sweetness and licorice. Medium to full bodied - suprisingly easy to sip. Oak, smoke and tar dominate, almost more like drinking whisky than imperial stout. Aftertaste is not so aggressive than expected. Smokey, tarry, some hoppy bitterness. Balanced brew. I am not a whisky drinker, but I like smokey single malts, so this beer is pretty enjoyable.
Pitch black color, not much head. Smokey Scotch single malty whisky is dominating the aroma, but there is also underlying sweetness and licorice. Medium to full bodied - suprisingly easy to sip. Oak, smoke and tar dominate, almost more like drinking whisky than imperial stout. Aftertaste is not so aggressive than expected. Smokey, tarry, some hoppy bitterness. Balanced brew. I am not a whisky drinker, but I like smokey single malts, so this beer is pretty enjoyable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 May 2008
at 08:19
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
[i] [b] Tasted blind along with three other Paradox Imperial Stouts on an Imp Stouty Tasting evening with Case, Traci and Loz 14-03-08, [/i] [/b] Poured very dark brown with just a small amount of beige bubbles. There is a much lighter smokiness to this one compared to the other Islay cask which was really smokey there is also quite a nice tang, bit earthy really nice. The one downside to this beer was that it finished leaving you with a, ’i’ve just licked an ashtray’ feel in your mouth which wasn’t there with the other beer, otherwise very good. [i] [b]big, big thanks to Craig, cgarvieuk for getting me these beers, cheers mate.[/i] [/b]
Tried
from Cask
on 16 Mar 2008
at 02:08