BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 001)

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

Bottled, $10.50 (ouch). Wow, this is unreal. Smells like the richest, stinkiest, briniest scotch you’ve ever encountered. There really isn’t much beer left here... I think I’d rather just drink scotch. However, it is still pretty interesting. Aroma is salt, brine, seaweed, some smoke. Flavor is all Islay scotch, except at the very beginning and very ends... up front there is a touch of thick, stoutiness, and in the back there is a dry, chalky, clean finish, though that is also covered by some slick, moldy rocks and brine.

The intensity from the scotch barrel makes this incredibly difficult to drink. Though I like much of the flavors here, they are too intense, and don’t blend well with the beer at all, unlike the batch 003/Glen Grant cask, which I found to be extremely balanced and wonderful. I would like to try more Islay cask examples, however, at $10.50 a bottle, I doubt that will be happening any time soon.

Bottle from lithy, thanks bro! I ended up with an extra bottle thanks to an erroneous shipment from liquidsolutions. So I decided to give it a try. Wow, what a cool beer. Black pour with a small head that barely lasts 20 seconds. Aroma is pure peaty malt. Some might think it smelled of sausage, but to the scotch drinker this is all scotch. Flavor is more scotch than beer, but the beer certainly there. The two are harmoniously blended in this beer. Bravo!!

Bottle, 11.2 oz. Opaque pour with a fine tan head. Wood and whisky in the aroma for sure - smoky, chocolate, peat, dirt, musty, and an underlying hoppiness. Alcohol is apparent. The aroma is a pleasant suprise, not hugely balanced, but enjoyable. Flavor isn’t as appealing to me - soy sauce, bitter smoky peat, mushy earthiness, overripe fruit, and a surprisingly flat finish. Tremendously smoky and not as hot as I’d expected, even at cellar temp. Medium bodied, which is strange considering ABV. Probably needs some time.

12-oz. Thanks, Rene! Pours black with caramel highlights. Thin but fairly sturdy tan head and lace. Big enormous seaweed and peat nose. Creamy medium body. Roasty, salty, briney. Peaty and seaweedy. Tons going on here. Gets a little phenolic at the end, along with being a little bit bitey and boozy. Very powerful but even some of the odd bits all seem to work together. Then again, I’m an Islay whisky freak, so I probably expected to like it.

Bottle 33cl (batch 006). Pitch black body with a small dense brown head. Smoke, smoke and smoke in the nose. Rather light body (lighter than expected) with lots of whiskey like notes and lots of smoke. Smoke and tar notes in the finish. Strange and very untraditional beer.

12oz bottle. Poured a dark brown with red edges and an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of peat, earthy, smoke meat, chocolate, and some whiskey. Tastes of some whiskey, vanilla, chocolate, lighter earthiness, woody, and roasty. Some lacing left on the glass.

Score given for batch 001. Both 001 and 006 are black with a red hue and a small, nougat colored dense head. Batch 006: Aroma: roasted malt, peat, smoke, tar, whisky. Flavour: Roasted malt, burning peat, smoke, tar, burn plastic, a light sweetness. The burnt plastic is do dominating. Batch 001 – courtesy of Cgarvieuk. Aroma: smoke, roasted malt, peat, soil, tar, wood and hints of burnt plastic. Flavour: Peat, smoke, tar, soil, wood, hints of whisky, chocolate and only a little burning plastic. Much more complex and well balanced than batch 006 IMO.

(Bottle, Batch 001) Pours a dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of peat, sausage, roasted malt, dust, black pepper, and salty. Flavor of roasted malt, peaty scotch, wood, ash, and bitter dark chocolate.