Fraserburgh, Scotland
Paradox: Isle of Arran
Style: Imperial Stout
Availability: Limited - One Time Brew
Format: 330ml
ABV: 10.0%
IBU's: 70
Malts: Marris Otter, Dark Crystal, Caramalt, Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley
Hops: Galena, Bramling Cross
Batch: 16 Isle of Arran "best before: 08.08.10."
Bottle text & Info:
"A rock'n roll partnership between Scotland's best new distillery (Distiller of the Year 2007) and Scotland hardcore new microbrewery (Gold Medal Winner, World Beer Cup 2008). Paradox, Isle of Arran Edition, see's BrewDog's killer 10% Imperial Stout matured in stunning whiskey casks from the Arran distillery. The rich vanilla sweetness, hints of cinnamon and balancing aromatic fruit and ginger flavors of the Arran Malt are all completely infused deep into the texture of our smooth robust Imperial Stout. Profound new depths emerge with each pass and sip, the pallet is as polished and classic as a Robbie Burns masterpiece. This is Scotland in a glass."
Tasting Notes:
Oh, man... So i just cracked this guy and there appears to be either rust or some sort of other corrosive metal leached around the entirety of the bottle, right below where the cap was. BrewDog has a buzz brewery around the state and they're only two years old. They have loud packaging, a bit of arrogance and talk a big game - they're pretty much the Stone Brewery of the U.K. (they appropriately collaborated on an ale, as well.) Anyways, I digress. They're has been some talk in the community about batch consistency and bottling issues. The brewery did deal swiftly and refunded and replaced bottles, so cheers for that. All I'm saying is that I'd not be happy if i spent 12$ on this 330ml to find what appears like rust under the cap. And what's with the best before date being 2010. This is an Imperial Stout, shouldn't this be just fine for atleast 2 years? I'm a little nervous to drink this to be quite honest. Anyways, time to sack up.
Pours a very opaque brown to black although the body shows somewhat thin with light penetrating the sides. Little to no head retention which is common for cask/barrel aged ales. A persistent cream colored ring hangs around the sides of the ale. Smells mostly of wood, almost like cedar. Some scotch, some roasted barley and some smoke in the background but mostly cedar chips up front. The body is silky smooth with some slight peat peeking through beneath layers of chocolate and vanilla with plenty of warming on the finish. As the session persist rum cake and hazelnut notes join the party. This is NOT a Russian Imperial Stout. Let's get that straight. The main knock on this guy seems to be its carbonation level; however, at room temperature out of a snifter, I have absolutely no qualms about it's low level carbonation. In fact, this is par for the course if not over carbonated for most U.K barrel aged ales. Overall, I didn't enjoy this as much as the "Smokehead" batch, but i think that's only because I enjoy the peatier west coast Scotches. Another great release from the U.K.'s most "extreme" brewery. I'd like to see them get more consistent at BrewDog and come down a bit price wise. They're just babies though (2 years old) so i'm sure this will improve. And please BrewDog, knock off this whole "beer for punks" non-sense, it's so gimmicky and adolescent. Have enough faith in your beer to not rely on this tripe.
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