BrewDog Paradox Grain (Batch 013)

Bottled, Special;
Port Dundas 1966

We set about to unite two of Scotland proudest heritages and produce a product which combined all that was good about Scotland’s whisky producing history and our contemporary take on a traditional Scottish style of stout. The fact that we have developed this product in conjunction with Duncan Taylor Ltd of Huntly means we mature our beer in the casks that once housed some of the most prestigious whiskies available today. The distinct flavours of these whiskies is beautifully infused into the beer giving a unique and unrivalled experience for both beer and whisky lovers.

Paradox is produced in very small batches and each batch is bottled in a unique numbered limited edition bottle.

3.7

178 reviews

Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Community reviews

3.4 (12oz bottle thanks to adumbc) rich brown, no head at all. Nose of vanilla, chocolate malt, calvados barrel, light grape, cream, caramel, lightly fruity too. Taste of caramel, uncarbonated whiskey notes, cask/barrel notes, spirits.

2.2 Not nearly dark enough for a stout. Like a brown ale/porter. SMell of root beer mixed with scotch, flavor is similiar.

3.8 Aged almost 5 years (bottled February 2008): I’m pretty sure this was already aged a couple years when I bought it because there’s no way I’ve had this in my cellar for almost five years (it’s been in the bottle for 4 years, 10 months, and 10 days now), and the carbonation shows it. Not a peep came from the bottle as I uncapped it. I poured the beer aggressively into my glass just to get it aerated enough to produce a thin, medium-brown head that lived a whole 8-10 seconds. Despite its lack of head, it looks nice in the glass, very classy and inviting like an abyss. You can smell its strong whiskey notes from over a foot away. I can’t imagine how strongly-flavored this was fresh... I see why they aged it prior to sale. And at five years old it even still has a bold, but nicely softened nose. Yes, the whiskey dominates the aroma, but you can still tell it’s an (aged) imperial stout. It’s very, very light-flavored in the mouth, and not lively at all, making it feel like a very dull beer in the mouth. Fortunately, the aging and subsequent mellowing has prevented it from becoming cloying. That said, it’s actually pretty enjoyable for its unimpressive mouth feel. The flavor is mostly of soft, mellow whiskey and an even softer amount of roasted malts. I definitely wouldn’t suggest aging this any more than 4 years. I mean, it’s interesting and still good, but I think you could save/retain some of its flavor if it wasn’t aged quite as long. I think this is one of those beers that has a very narrow window for drinking. I’m thinking 2-4 years, best maybe at 3.

3.8 Dark brown/black, tan head. Aroma of deep, sweet malt with toffee, burnt sugar, light licorice. Flavor very malty-sweet with dark fruit, figs, some chocolate, vanilla, a little tobacco. Very full mouthfeel, low carbonation. A flavorful sipper.

3.9 Pours brown black with a small amount of tan bubbles, understandable for a 4 1/2 year old beer. The aroma is a soft cask whiskey,with vanilla oak and soft sweet roasted grain. The taste is rich but much lighter in body than expected. There is quite a bit of nose filling aromatic fruit with light cask flavors. Modest to say the least. Very drinkable tho for 10%. Nice smooth sweet barley with a delicious yeast. Pleasant but a touch expensive and thin.

3.7 Bottle. The smell is whiskey, wood, alcohol, teriyaki, sweet, soy, and ok. The look is no head, flat, clear, dark, brown. The taste is scotch, wood, soy, lower key, terayki, and ok.

3.5 Black with a whisp of a tan head. Aroma is of wood, heavy vanilla, molasses, and caramel. Taste is of wood, roasted malt, vanilla, light smoke, leather and caramel.

3.8 33 cl bottle. Originally rated on 20090628. Pours pitch black color with a small beige head. Aroma of dark roasted malts, chocolate, some bourbon and vanilla notes and ash. Flavor of dark toasted malts, dark ashy chocolate, some coffee hints and some vanilla. Nice.

3.5 best before 02.02.2010 from Pearl street, Burlington. A: brown sugar, chocolate, vanilla, licorice. App: pitch black no head. T/p: full body with sweet and medium long finish. flat. O: Pretty solid too bad its flat.

3.6 Bottle at Olutravintola Pikkulintu, Helsinki (offline rating). Pours black with a tiny light head. Aroma has strong vanilla, chocolate and whiskey. Same aspects in flavour, sweet with some alcohol burn. Full bodied with soft carbonation.

3.7 7th July 2009 Opaque black stout. Low carbonation in an otherwise neutral palate. Fresh tasting dark malt. No roast or bitterness or dryness. Touch of chocolate. Lovely mellow whisky that is beautifully balanced and integrated. Easy drinking for it’s abv.

3.9 11.2 ounce bottle into snifter, best by 2/2/2010. Pours hazy very dark brown color with almost no head that recedes to a thin foam cap on the top. Hardly any hiss upon opening. Minimal lacing, small bubbles of carbonation on the glass. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla, whiskey, raisin, oak, and light smoke. Damn nice aromas here with nice complexity and balance. Taste of big chocolate, caramel, vanilla, toffee, molasses, light whiskey, roasted malt, oak, toasted biscuit, clove, and light herbal spices. Light bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, vanilla, toffee, roasted malt, and molasses on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of flavors with nice complexity; and no cloying sweetness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel. Drinks very smoothly for 10%, with only a slight alcohol warming after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice barrel aged imperial stout! Very well blended flavors with nice complexity. This has aged very nicely indeed.

3.3 Bottle from notes. Pours dark brown to black, thin and oily with very little in the way of a head. The aroma has alcohol, roasted malts and a hint of dark fruit. The flavor is on the sweet side, but for me more drinkable than most of this line because there is at least some stout character. Roasted malts with hints of chocolate and dark fruit. The alcohol is still too up front. Thin body as well.

2.5 Bottled 2-12-08 and well flat, no head, no aroma and no flavor. Kinda tastes like a brown ale that was watered down. Wish I would have read the reviews before I purchased this.

3.8 Pours black with no carbonation. Smell is smooth, oaky vanilla, and a bit roasty. Coffee. Taste is super rich, velvet, grainy, oak, ashy finish. Bit of an alcohol burn. Pretty drinkable. Good beer.

2.8 Pours thin, dark and oily with almost no head to speak of. The aroma is similar to a box of chocolate, cordial-filled cherry candies. Definitely some alcohol in the aroma. Goes down hill fast after the aroma. Thin sweet and very disappointing.

3.0 Tastes an awful lot like carbonated port wine.....but not as good. Black, vanilla, raisins, syrupy. After reading the back of the bottle I now see I should have consumed this at room temperature.....and 2 years ago. (best before 2/2/10).

3.2 (*expire 02/02/2010): Fruits foncés, carton fumé et une touche de whiskey. L’alcool est totalement enfoui mais le reste ne s’est pas bonifié, elle n’est plus l’ombre d’elle même.

3.8 Bottle split with mcberko. Pours a solid black with a small tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate, lots of coffee, and whiskey. Flavour of coffee, whiskey, vanilla, molasses and roasted malt. Low carbonation, nice and roasty. Slow sipper.

4.7 WOW! Finally brought this out after a year of aging at 55 degrees. I poured this at room temperature and everything came alive. The bourbon and vanilla notes along with the slight richness of the imperial stout, everything intertwined to create a glorious brew. The aging process had something to do with the flavor. My advice is to let this one sit for a year (next time its brewed). Very pleased, mild alcohol palate and overall just a well done imperial, the cask was reminiscent of the J.W. Lees Harvest cask. Overall, awesome....if you have this one set it aside then enjoy!

3.7 12 oz. bottle, pours black with a small ring of tan head. Aroma of light whiskey, some smoked malt, molasses and roasted malt. Flavour is quite subtle and light for an impy stout, with chocolate, roasted malt and light whiskey notes - finishes semi-sweet with the whiskey notes very subtle and tapering off. Palate is very smooth with pretty much no carbonation. Solid.

4.0 Bottle from kegs and barrels. Pours blaxk with no head. The aromas are chocolate, peat, roasted coffee. The mouthfeel is roasty, bitter and set with a heavy body. Cheers!

3.4 Black with no head. Aroma of toffee, chocolate, wood, and dark fruit. Relatively mild. The taste is dark fruit with mild whiskey and malt. A touch thin, flat carbonation, mild detectable alcohol and dryness. Kind of mild all around. Decent beer, but a bit of a bummer, especially considering the price, and compared with the Isle of Arran batch.

3.7 Pours ink black, minimal head that fades quickly. The nose offers chocolate, vanilla, oak, a bit of alcohol in a lovely balance. Palate is an entirely different beast. Medium bodied, low carbonation, very mild density of flavors. Due to the age, it’s gotten very smooth, but it’s almost too mellow now. Or maybe it was never very potent to begin with. The flavors are good, there’s just not enough of them. Combined with the cost, it because a really hard sell in the light of many other really good (not to mention much cheaper) BA Imperial Stouts.

1.5 Bottle. Batch 13. Poured into a DFH tulip glass a thinner body that expected dark brown color with a very light tan head. Dark fruit (grape), wood, slight smoke, cocoa, and slight tobacco. Medium/light mouthfeel = boo. The taste is pretty subdued. Slightly roasty with a metallic flavor. Minimal alcohol notes. Overall, this is not very good. The aroma and taste is flat and the body is just way to thin for an IS. I would nver suggest drinking this one nor have anyone try.

3.9 12oz bottle shared by Mike. A:scotch,spicy, woody T:caramel, toffee, scotch Another big beer from the fine brewers at BrewDog. A very interesting beer, out of balance but fun to drink.

3.6 Sampled at an esbls tasting. Dark with red. Almost no head. Bourbon and dark fruit in the nose. Flavor does not match the nose for quality. Some bourbon, huge malt. Flavor was a littlevthin.

4.0 330ml bottle labeled as "Port Dundas 1966" shared by Mike, thanks Appearance: Dark brown with a small beige head and spotty lacing Aroma: Roasted malts, dark fruit, candi and vanilla Taste: Roasted malts, vanilla, ashy and chocolate Very nice and easy drinking, surprised to see it is a 10% beer.

3.8 Aroma: Caramel, vanilla, wood, bourbon- Taste: Bitter chocolate, caramel, vanilla, liquorice. Mouthfeel: Medium body, coaty.

3.7 (bottle - 330 ml) Dark black pour with almost no head and very light carbonation. Heavy and sweet malt and whiskey aroma. Mild chocolate but definitely smells sticky and heavy. Very mild in flavor. Almost shockingly mild. Coffee notes at the finish with some mild chocolate at the start. Light whiskey and wood notes. Flavor disappears quickly and leaves only a light bitter aftertaste. Very thin.