Loathing Frown Project: The Nihilist
Paradox Beer Company

 

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Bottle # 341/1200.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, earth, and dirt aromas. Taste is much the same with slightly sour earth and caramel flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of earth bitterness and acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer with a wine barrel aging that isn't really noticeable other than a slight tartness in the flavor.

The beer poured out a hazy, soft brown body with a very creamy, light tan head – chunky and leaving a lot of lacing on the glass. Red wine/sherry wine barrel aroma with some darker grained malt notes clawing their way through; some nut and very faint chocolate notes is you sniff hard enough. A very nice light and soft brown ale malt flavor dances around nicely with a bold red wine taste. Medium bodied, dry and clean feel.

Paradox beers all have a distinct, somewhat dominant wine barrel note to their beers, and this one is no exception. The ABV is pretty subdued as far as the taste goes, so what you're left with is a decent enough light malt and heavy wine barrel aged flavor. And, yes, the brown ale style is pretty well noticeable. The smoothness really brings out the best of all the flavors swirling about. Perhaps a little vinegary or “wine-y” if you're a traditional brown ale lover, but this brew enough depth and complexity to make it worth exploring, especially if you want a change of pace from an English or American traditional styled brown ale.

Battled with myself a bit when hearing a little disappointment over some of the Paradox brews from a respected friend... but was curious enough I ended up buying this one anyway. It just seemed to interesting to pass up. And am glad I didn't!

Appearance is quite spot on. Has a deep hazy brown pour but comes into the glass with a hue of crimson/ruby. A thin ever residing khaki head atop that is velvety and even. It just looks so inviting and smooth to appearance. I want to drink this just looking at it.

The smell is potent but not overwhelming. Very bright with oak and wine but also a sweet and fresh cut pineapple smell arises through all of this. Earthy tones and a tartness is subtle but only furthers the want to experience the taste. A little booze takes up with the wine and grape tones.

Taste is quite nice. Very complex with a great deal of subtleties. And when I say try complex, I mean it. It has been long time since I have had a beer with such great nuance and direction. There is a rich tone of dry, dark chocolate, a touch of black coffee, with a lingering sense of red wine. Something that makes me think of pinot noir with the sweetness of the beer. The pineapple shows up just softly and there are very subtle dry and bitter hops at the end that aid the wine character is drying things up alongside the mild tart sourness the beer puts forth from barrel aging. The oak is most definitely present as well and provides a perfect backbone for the whole beer with it's slightly tannic oak. My only wish is that it may have been a bit more malty, maybe to give it a touch of caramel as well. I just felt like it was missing something important most of the bottle.

With that said, I think the extra malt may have improved the mouthfeel. I can't complain much here either but would have wanted a bit more creaminess and death in what my bottle lists as an Imperial Brown. The body seems a tad thin. But on the bright side it is smooth and slightly warming with the booze and has a lot of complexity with it's slight tannin and dry sourness that is accompanied by the hops... as already touched on above.

I don't know a lot about Paradox and maybe this is exactly what they were going for. The VERY minor flaws I see could just be a matter of my palate as well. Overall this was quite impressive and they have my admiration. Next time I see a line of their beers I will surely be giving great thought to the selection and will gladly be ready to try another one. Maybe a barrel aged IPA? I could see that being wonderful from them.

 

 

A: Warmed briefly to 50 F and served around it pours dark with a solid but controlled thick head.

S: Nice to find a barrel aged beer that has a true noticeable oaky nose. Hints of wine and alcohol complement the oak and match the beer color well.

T: Lots going on, starts with solid dark flavored malt body and transitions to tartness, but not sour, before finishing alcoholic. All elements are enjoyable on their own and pair fairly well together as well.

M: Thick and rich as a combination of the malts and high alcohol combine for an enjoyable lingering finish.

O: Aging in wine barrels is becoming more prevalent and this is s good example of how complexity can be added to a beer. Important to serve this beer warmer that usual to allow the flavors to open up on the nose and finish.