BrewDog Paradox Isle of Arran
Brew Dog has cultivated a reputation of unrelenting strong ales that push limits and style conventions–but, they do so with a high degree of skill and quality. The Paradox series of ales (possibly all stouts) are apparently all barrel/cask-aged, but I am way behind on trying them all. I grabbed the Isle of Arran edition at Whole Foods as part of my series of stout reviews, for an imperial edition. Compared to the last couple of stouts I’ve reviewed, this one is high in alcohol taste and aroma, with vanilla-bean and whisky also leading in the aromatics. This engine-oil-black stout, with almost no carbonation, and more bark than bite in terms of flavor. Given the amount of alcohol in the aroma, I’m expecting a lot of hops to counter-act the alcohol, but this is mostly about showcasing the casks used. I taste a lot of black-strap rum, even whiskey flavors, that go beyond my beer-centric palate–folks who love whiskey and even cognac will rejoice at this beer in the rotation, if they have an open mind.
This is definitely an after-dinner, snifter style beer, to be savored on its own. This is a high quality stout and will impress those who have sampled the masses of stouts, and could please those who have tried lots of imperial stouts and are looking for more complexity.
