BrewDog Paradox Smokehead (Batch 015) - Smokehead
BrewDog

BrewDog Paradox Smokehead (Batch 015) - SmokeheadBrewDog Paradox Smokehead (Batch 015) - Smokehead
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From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
10%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.68 | pDev: 19.84%
Reviews:
164
Ratings:
264
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Tuesday at 01:10 AM
Added:
Jan 12, 2009
Wants:
  13
Gots:
  28
Identical to Batch 010 as the casks were re-used.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Scotchboy:
Photo of Scotchboy
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho

3.72/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
11.2 bottle I've been waiting to crack since Christmas 2010. Bottle is dated 2009, split into pint glasses.

A: Not as dark as I had thought it would be, lots of transparent red visible.

S: Smoke, peat, oak, iodine, seaweed, salty seawater. Malt is buried for sure.

T: Very Islay-forward...saltwater and peat are dominant, hints of smoke, the whisky barrel characters are overwhelming the base stout at this point...there is still alcohol here too.

MF: Medium feel, thin, a bit of alcohol burn, fairly spot on carbonation, bubbles are visible but its a creamy lower carbonation mouthfeel.

O: Probably a must have for an Islay Scotch lover. Its a touch aggressive on the Scotch, and I say that delicately as a Scotch lover, though I prefer the Highlands and Speyside to Islay offerings.
Mar 19, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of woemad
Reviewed by woemad from Washington

2.24/5  rDev -39.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
Whoa! Just found a review I had jotted down years ago!

Bottle purchased at Enoteca, in Post Falls, Idaho (which is sadly no more). Bottled on August 15, 2009.

The pour, into a 12oz snifter, was viscous and virtually black, and betrayed no lighter shade when held up to direct light. There was just the thinnest skiff of a mocha colored head. Vigorous twirling of the glass produced thin, sporty lace.

Brash aroma of smoke - and nothing else.

Massive amount of smoke flavor. Taste was smoky, bitter and boozy, with just a tiny bit of a brown sugary sweetness emerging as the beer warmed up. That sweetness was not enough to redeem this beer.

Surprisingly watery mouth feel. Virtually no carbonation.

This was a drain pour.
Tuesday at 01:10 AM
 
Rated: 3.5 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jul 13, 2019
 
Rated: 3.6 by dsshuck from Delaware

Mar 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.8 by drahodo from Missouri

Apr 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by fosters9 from New York

Mar 22, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by Can_has_beer from Texas

Feb 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by CraigMack61 from New Jersey

Jan 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by paresis from Massachusetts

Aug 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

Jul 09, 2015
 
Rated: 2.97 by Domvan from Texas

May 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Mar 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Mar 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by wethorseblanket from California

Feb 13, 2015
Photo of TheBrewo
Reviewed by TheBrewo from New York

3.36/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
We pop the top on a bottle, pouring into our three quarter sized snifters. It shows a deep molasses brown coloring. A third of the liquid is covered with fat, oily, soapy medium brown bubbles, but you can hardly classify this as a “head”. Lacing is spotty but present as you swirl the glass. Thick haze obscures clarity, while finite granules of sediment are suspended about the liquid like constellations in a winter night’s sky. Carbonation appears to be moderate. The aroma is intensely peaty, coming out of the bottle almost exactly as Smokehead scotch does; heavily metallic and wildly peaty. The nose otherwise fills with resinous moss, warming oak, heavy buttery diacetyls, heavy phenolic plastics, dark fruitiness of fig and sautéed apricot, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, dried black cherries, wet black and chocolate malts, acetone, perfumed florals, dusty ale yeastiness, and creamy sunscreen chemical bite. The taste, much like the nose, makes it hard to discern anything aside from the smoke. As it warms, however, the complexity increases, filling in with soy sauce, intense peatiness, blackened barley and raw coffee malts, café au lait, white sugars, blackcurrant tartness, vegemite, smoked honeyham meatiness, gentle floral hoppiness, steel, dirty denim, dryer sheet and laundry detergent chemicals, nectarine and agave syrups, and milk chocolate syrups. The body is thin, and the carbonation is on the light side. Each sip gives washed slurp and smack, and cream and froth is utterly absent. The mouth is left chalky and astringently dried, with a soft slimy film covering the entirety of the mouth. The abv is appropriate, and well hidden, and the beer sips rather slowly.

Overall, this was a curious beer. We obviously love beer, but our second love is scotch. We’ve had the supreme pleasure of being able to go through a bottle of Smokehead ourselves, and we can definitely say that this is one of the nicest impregnations of a beer with a specific spirit. Many barrel aged products taste like “bourbon”, but not as much like the specific variety they claim to come from. Here, there is no question. It is Smokehead through and through. You would never know that unless you’ve had this liquor, but the effect is there nonetheless. Unfortunately, the base beer does live up to the same quality as the barrel it was housed in. It is one-dimensional, and when it comes to mouthfeel, it is thin and meaningless. Ultimately, we wished a better beer shined through the smoke, but we’re happy to sample an all-Scottish product. Here’s to the next one, BrewDog, keep it weird.
Feb 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by nathanmiller from New York

Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 04, 2014
Photo of tillmac62
Reviewed by tillmac62 from South Carolina

4.26/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
BOD 8/8/08 - so this one has had 6 years to mellow out - lol. Pours used motor oil black with just a hint of dark ruby. No head to speak of, but considering it's age, it is allowable. Wonderful nose of peat like smoke, oak and scotch. Underneath is some dark fruit (plum, fig). Medium body with no effervescence. The flavor profile is very intense, quite complex and surprisingly well balanced with all that is going on. It begins with an onslaught of peat like smoke over a rich caramel sweetness. As the smoke fades, oak characteristics are evident over an amazing burst of plum. The middle is where the scotch shines with that touch of smoke only it has. The finish is dry and just a touch sweet. A charred smoke like aftertaste lingers with just a hint of alcohol flavor. The alcohol coverage in this beer is amazing - just great scotch flavor with no grain alcohol astringency. An intense, flavorful brewing masterpiece that I wish I could have also had fresh.
Nov 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by soulcougher from Pennsylvania

Oct 29, 2014
BrewDog Paradox Smokehead (Batch 015) - Smokehead from BrewDog
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 264 ratings