BrewDog Paradox Islay (Batch 009) - Ardbeg
BrewDog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paradox Islay Batch 09 pours brilliant deep dark brown with a thin tan film of a cap. This beer has legs instead of lace. It smells like Ardbeg – briney, seaweedy, medicinal, peaty, and smoky over a coffee chocolate malt background. There is a wonderful marriage between the rich malt flavors and the scotch that place this near the twilight zone between scotch and beer. It has a big, bold alcoholic body with a touch of heat and below average carbonation. It is a shame that this is no longer brewed.

 

 

 

 

2007 Vintage Peat leads to late chocolate and coffee. The peat lingers afterward. This is nice for Scotch lovers.

 

 

 

 

Had a bottle of this back in 2008, This brew was probably one of the first barrel aged beers I ever had. It was like something I had never had before. I can remember opening the bottle and pouring it out. Looked perfect because at the time I was a big Stout lover. Poured out as a deep black with a brown head that fizzled away pretty quickly. The smell was almost like sniffing a Johnny Walker bottle. The Scotch was very sharp on the nose and just beyond that was some of the stout elements like burnt malts and some dark chocolate. The taste was almost like drinking Scotch as well. I was really surprised by the power that the barrel aging had on this beer. The mouthfeel was smooth and on the lighter side. Overall I'm sure a lot of people may love this but for me I felt that it was too much for me at the time.