Brewdog Paradox Smokehead WTF?

I am a huge smoke fan. My buddy had a bottle of this and it was just too smoky for him. As far as I know this brew is aged on Islay scotch, which is just peat smoke ashy campfire awesomeness. It is considered the smokiest of Scotches. The smokiest beer I can think of is Dieu Du Ciel Charbonniere. It reminded me a lot of Islay Scotch but wasn't actually aged or infused with whiskey. They must have used some peat smoked malt, and a lot of it. I love smokiness, whether it be a hint or intense and reminiscent of a campfire. Just a personal preference I suppose.

 

I've had one smoked beer and I know that's one small sample size but it was AWFUL. I'm not saying that there aren't good ones because I just don't know but I had the Manly Man Sea Smoke, almost undrinkable. I prefer the smokey flavor as an afterthought, not the main theme. Again, I'm sure there are Smoke Enthusiasts and this isn't a knock on them, it's just not me.

 

I've had this one twice. The first time i had it i took my first whiff and thought it smelled like an ashtray. After my first sip, i thought it tasted like an astray and was concerned that i would have to drain pour it. But, as it warmed, i really started to enjoy it. By the time my last sip came around, I was really digging it... As for others like this, I would say that this one is the smokiest that i have tried.

 

I remember it being pretty smoky (I mean, Smokehead is pretty (and awesomely) smoky itself...), though not really o'erwhelmingly so. Of course, this is coming from someone who needs a decent amount of smoke in his smoked beers to be pleased by them. Similar smokiness can be found in BrewDog's collaboration with Three Floyds, Bitch Please, which was also aged in Islay barrels (along with the peat-smoked malts it was brewed with). I doubt the cask you had was new (though if it was, I'm gonna haveta find some more Smokehead Paradox 'round here...), it's just seeing more of the barrel seep through.

Now, to find a bottle of this Manly Man Sea Smoke...

 

I felt like this was like licking an alcoholic ashtray. Gross.

 

I've yet to try this one, but in my opinion there is a huge difference between beers brewed with peat-smoked malt (or aged in peaty Islay scotch barrels) and beers brewed with cherrywood, beechwood or oak-smoked malt. I don't think it's as much an issue as far more smoke as it is that it's a different flavor entirely, in my opinion.

 

Don't try Bitch Please...ever. I drain poured it. Took one sip and almost gagged. It was disgusting.

(side note - yes I know my tastes are subjective but damn that shiz was nasty)

 

I love well-made smoked beers. I also hate 80-90% of the smoked beers I try (the large majority of them being US "craft" interpretations). Not planning on adding UK craft versions to that list any time soon....

 

Love smoked beers but found beer geek bacon to be almost undrinkable. Nobody does smoked beers like schlenkerla IMO.

 

My experience with Brewdog as that their experimental beers (so pretty much all of them) always take a wrong turn for me at some point. I'm drinking a Tokyo right now and if I didn't know better I'd think I was having a glass of port wine. Not that I dislike port wine but I was under the impression that I purchased a beer. And to echo SpdKilz...never, for any reason attempt to consume a Bitch Please. Thoroughly shocked a quality brewery like 3 Floyd's would put their name on such nastiness...

 

I've been living in New Zealand for the last year and a half an they have a beer here called Rex Attitude. Here is how they describe it:

"They said it couldn't be done, that it would be undrinkable, that we couldn't use more than 5% heavy peated malt in a beer. So we carefully considered their advice and went with 100% instead."

It took me a couple bottles to get into it but now I love it. I've read about bitch please and it's definitely a beer I need to try. These kind of beers are not for everyone though. I like brewdog beers so I'll have to try Paradox as well. Sounds intense.

 

Me too. I live in smoked beer heaven and I have realized, why go with anything other than Bamberg beers?

 

Rub it in, why don't you!

Bamberg is probably my top beer destination. I visited Germany in early 2008 with my wife, but at the time I wasn't a huge craft fan. I enjoyed good beer and had my share while there, but I knew nothing of Bamberg or its delicious smoked beers.

One day!

 

I really dislike most Brewdog beers. Way over-the-top.

 

Although I have only had a small handfull of different smoked brews,1 truly magical one was the Cpt.Lawrence Imperial that you mentioned.I got a growler of that bad boy about a year ago and thought it was sublime.I have always been a smokey kind of guy so its no surprise that I am into these flavors.On the paradox smokehead convo. I happen to have a bottle of this brew that I have been sittin on 4 a while.Bottle says batch 15,best b4 08/16.Anybody tell me how its tasting outtta the bottle currently?
Cheers to smoke....lol

 

I had Paradox Smokehead on cask in London maybe 18 months ago?

It was smokey for sure, but I don't think I found it as smokey as you are describing!

Perhaps the trip over the pond did something to it?

 

I like the Paradox series, as an avid whisky drinker it was fun to see what each barrel would do to the beer. I love Islay peated whiskies and the smokehead in particular is a favorite (try the 18yr smoke head if you can find it), but did not care for the way it meshed with the beer in this. That being said, I am not a huge fan of Arran but thought the Paradox that was made with the Arran barrel was outstanding. Go figure.