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BrewDog Paradox Compass Box
BrewDog
- From:
- BrewDog
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 15%
- Score:
- 93
- Avg:
- 4.36 | pDev: 9.63%
- Reviews:
- 6
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 28, 2017
- Added:
- May 08, 2015
- Wants:
- 5
- Gots:
- 14
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Howlader:
Rated by Howlader from Canada (AB)
4.25/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Apr 10, 2016
4.25/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Apr 10, 2016
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Marius from Netherlands
4.6/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at CBC 2016 - day 2. Pitch black with a medium height tan head. Notes of chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and whiskey. The best in the Paradox series, I think, though Isle of Arran comes close.
Aug 02, 2016Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota
4.45/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from brewdog soho
Tan head. Black in color.
Whiskey flavors are nice. Oak and vanilla. Strong but not overwhelming. Nice and chcolately. Roasted malts. Not peaty. Vanilla and molasses.
Thick mouthfeel. Nice carbonation. Warming.
Very well done. Hides the 15% well. Great beer and worth a try.
Mar 27, 2016Tan head. Black in color.
Whiskey flavors are nice. Oak and vanilla. Strong but not overwhelming. Nice and chcolately. Roasted malts. Not peaty. Vanilla and molasses.
Thick mouthfeel. Nice carbonation. Warming.
Very well done. Hides the 15% well. Great beer and worth a try.
Reviewed by 1600eman from England
4.68/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.68/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
330ml Bottle, pours black, aroma is sweet, just slight whisky/bourbon vanilla and caramel. Taste is big sweet, again slight whisky, caramel, biscuit, roast malt with slight alcohol. Gorgeous Imp and in my top 5. I really could drink this all night, not sure how long that night would be though!
Feb 19, 2016Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
3.33/5 rDev -23.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
3.33/5 rDev -23.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
BOTTLE: 330ml. Served in a whiskey glass at Malja in Kuopio, Finland. Batch 132. BB: 13/03/25.
15% ABV. Reviewed from notes taken in May 2015. Expectations were modestly high given the brewery and style. Cost was 16.40 euro.
HEAD: Quarter finger khaki-tan head. Flocculent, with nice creaminess and a soft complexion. Consistency could be more even. Retention is bad (~30 seconds), but forgivable for 15%. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Opaque solid black. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears aptly carbonated. It's a nice looking whisky barrel aged stout, but it's not unique in its appearance.
AROMA: Faint and reticent notes of peat, coffee, whisky-soaked wood, dark malts, and cream. I find no roasted barley. I'd like more peat, especially since it's whisky barrel aged. No chocolate comes through.
Quite muted and inexpressive for a whisky barrel aged stout.
Aromatic intensity is below average.I don't find any booze, surprisingly.
TASTE/TEXTURE: Traces of char, tobacco, and burnt character seep into the background against the grain of the wood barrel. Not peaty or smokey enough for my tastes. The dark malt core is nice - never coming off too dessert-like or sweet. There's a kiss of subtle orange.
This lacks a seamless integration of whisky barrel; in fact, the base beer is beaten over the head by the dominant overbearing whisky. The base offers little to begin with - lacking even basic chocolate malts, but I do get some treacle and molasses in addition to the sugary black malts.
I dig the tobacco, but otherwise this is shockingly simple for a whisky barrel stout. And it's harsher and rougher on the palate than most good beers in the style, dragging on the palate with an extinguishing feel. Too coarse and dry, fatiguing the drinker. And that coarseness and dryness comes without a commitment to any roasted barley notes.
Lacks the intricacy and subtlety of most good imperial stouts - let alone most world class examples of the style. Shallow and reticent. Flavour duration and intensity are average. Unrefreshing. Lacks a harmony of texture and taste. Carbonation, however, is nearly perfect.
The above nitpicks noted, I do like it in a general sense.
OVERALL: To its credit, it's far more drinkable than its 15% would lead you to believe. But it's not the robust beast of a whisky barrel aged stout Brewdog's marketing wants you to think it is, and as surprisingly sippable as it is, I wouldn't get it again (especially at its unreasonable price point). Still, the tobacco and orange zest are delightful, and this beer makes me want to try Compass Box whisky. But Brewdog has better beers in the Paradox series. This could use a mellowing flavour like marshmallow or vanilla, and the mouthfeel should be creamier and softer.
B- (3.33)
Sep 23, 201515% ABV. Reviewed from notes taken in May 2015. Expectations were modestly high given the brewery and style. Cost was 16.40 euro.
HEAD: Quarter finger khaki-tan head. Flocculent, with nice creaminess and a soft complexion. Consistency could be more even. Retention is bad (~30 seconds), but forgivable for 15%. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Opaque solid black. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears aptly carbonated. It's a nice looking whisky barrel aged stout, but it's not unique in its appearance.
AROMA: Faint and reticent notes of peat, coffee, whisky-soaked wood, dark malts, and cream. I find no roasted barley. I'd like more peat, especially since it's whisky barrel aged. No chocolate comes through.
Quite muted and inexpressive for a whisky barrel aged stout.
Aromatic intensity is below average.I don't find any booze, surprisingly.
TASTE/TEXTURE: Traces of char, tobacco, and burnt character seep into the background against the grain of the wood barrel. Not peaty or smokey enough for my tastes. The dark malt core is nice - never coming off too dessert-like or sweet. There's a kiss of subtle orange.
This lacks a seamless integration of whisky barrel; in fact, the base beer is beaten over the head by the dominant overbearing whisky. The base offers little to begin with - lacking even basic chocolate malts, but I do get some treacle and molasses in addition to the sugary black malts.
I dig the tobacco, but otherwise this is shockingly simple for a whisky barrel stout. And it's harsher and rougher on the palate than most good beers in the style, dragging on the palate with an extinguishing feel. Too coarse and dry, fatiguing the drinker. And that coarseness and dryness comes without a commitment to any roasted barley notes.
Lacks the intricacy and subtlety of most good imperial stouts - let alone most world class examples of the style. Shallow and reticent. Flavour duration and intensity are average. Unrefreshing. Lacks a harmony of texture and taste. Carbonation, however, is nearly perfect.
The above nitpicks noted, I do like it in a general sense.
OVERALL: To its credit, it's far more drinkable than its 15% would lead you to believe. But it's not the robust beast of a whisky barrel aged stout Brewdog's marketing wants you to think it is, and as surprisingly sippable as it is, I wouldn't get it again (especially at its unreasonable price point). Still, the tobacco and orange zest are delightful, and this beer makes me want to try Compass Box whisky. But Brewdog has better beers in the Paradox series. This could use a mellowing flavour like marshmallow or vanilla, and the mouthfeel should be creamier and softer.
B- (3.33)
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri
4.31/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured out an opaque, black color with a small, brown head. It left sticky trails of lace. It smelled of caramel malt, coffee and dark chocolate. Great taste of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt and sweet caramel. It also had a boozy kick.
Aug 15, 2015Reviewed by Bjorne from Norway
4.99/5 rDev +14.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.99/5 rDev +14.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bitter sweet caramel chocolate coffee. Mmmmmm many flavours.
Cant have more than one thow.
15% is a lot for a beer but this one can defenitly handle it.
Jun 28, 2015Cant have more than one thow.
15% is a lot for a beer but this one can defenitly handle it.
BrewDog Paradox Compass Box from BrewDog
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
18 ratings
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