Whiskey Barrel Porter
Paradox Beer Company

this is absolute disaster, and they should be held accountable for charging 12 or 13 bucks for this garbage, its offensive to craft beer and its a wonder they have survived this long in the colorado beer market with how brutal this is. dark rich looking oil colored liquid with a lazy soapy tan head, nothing offensive about the way it shows, but the nose is atrocious. its soured, vinegar heavy, lots of acid, with a roasted and rotted malt profile. its confused to say the least, not entirely repulsive i suppose, but it doesnt smell much like a porter with vanilla. the flavor confirms what the nose hinted at, this is one of the worst beers ive had in 2013, maybe ever. no vanilla at all, not dark malt bitterness, no gentle whiskey notes, nope. it starts out real boozy, like it got forgotten about in the barrel. it moves quickly into a sour milk vibe, hotly alcoholic and just spoiled overall. its god awful tasting, and the finish stays around too long. it made three of the four people that shared this bottle with me close to throwing up after one gulp. we honestly had to pour the rest down the drain, as there was nothing at all redeeming about this beer, its just ruined. i dont know if this ever tasted good, its only a few months old so it shouldnt have these problems. ive heard others say similar things about this beer and other from paradox, and as much as their lineup has some sexy names, i am yet to have a beer from them that really impressed me, and after this, im not sure i can allow myself to pay for another paradox beer. this is downright offensive.

 

A: deep brown, a bit cloudy
S: earthy
T: malty, molasses, some licorice, yeasty
M: smooth, creamy, fine carbonation
O: a very good beer with malt, molasses and licorice flavor components all contributing to a rich complex flavor profile. I was hoping that the 'whiskey barrel' aspect of the beer would be more noticeable. It's more of a faint background note. The yeast character is more prominent than in other porters.