BrewDog Paradox Compass Box
BrewDog

BrewDog Paradox Compass BoxBrewDog Paradox Compass Box
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
15%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.36 | pDev: 9.63%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
18
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 28, 2017
Added:
May 08, 2015
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  14
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.82 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Jan 28, 2017
Photo of Marius
Reviewed by Marius from Netherlands

4.6/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at CBC 2016 - day 2. Pitch black with a medium height tan head. Notes of chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and whiskey. The best in the Paradox series, I think, though Isle of Arran comes close.
Aug 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.71 by dcmchew from Romania

Jun 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.21 by 22Blue from Kansas

May 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Apr 10, 2016
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from brewdog soho

Tan head. Black in color.

Whiskey flavors are nice. Oak and vanilla. Strong but not overwhelming. Nice and chcolately. Roasted malts. Not peaty. Vanilla and molasses.


Thick mouthfeel. Nice carbonation. Warming.

Very well done. Hides the 15% well. Great beer and worth a try.
Mar 27, 2016
Photo of 1600eman
Reviewed by 1600eman from England

4.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
330ml Bottle, pours black, aroma is sweet, just slight whisky/bourbon vanilla and caramel. Taste is big sweet, again slight whisky, caramel, biscuit, roast malt with slight alcohol. Gorgeous Imp and in my top 5. I really could drink this all night, not sure how long that night would be though!
Feb 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.45 by Tdenham from England

Dec 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Nov 23, 2015
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
BOTTLE: 330ml. Served in a whiskey glass at Malja in Kuopio, Finland. Batch 132. BB: 13/03/25.

15% ABV. Reviewed from notes taken in May 2015. Expectations were modestly high given the brewery and style. Cost was 16.40 euro.

HEAD: Quarter finger khaki-tan head. Flocculent, with nice creaminess and a soft complexion. Consistency could be more even. Retention is bad (~30 seconds), but forgivable for 15%. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

BODY: Opaque solid black. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.

Appears aptly carbonated. It's a nice looking whisky barrel aged stout, but it's not unique in its appearance.

AROMA: Faint and reticent notes of peat, coffee, whisky-soaked wood, dark malts, and cream. I find no roasted barley. I'd like more peat, especially since it's whisky barrel aged. No chocolate comes through.

Quite muted and inexpressive for a whisky barrel aged stout.

Aromatic intensity is below average.I don't find any booze, surprisingly.

TASTE/TEXTURE: Traces of char, tobacco, and burnt character seep into the background against the grain of the wood barrel. Not peaty or smokey enough for my tastes. The dark malt core is nice - never coming off too dessert-like or sweet. There's a kiss of subtle orange.

This lacks a seamless integration of whisky barrel; in fact, the base beer is beaten over the head by the dominant overbearing whisky. The base offers little to begin with - lacking even basic chocolate malts, but I do get some treacle and molasses in addition to the sugary black malts.

I dig the tobacco, but otherwise this is shockingly simple for a whisky barrel stout. And it's harsher and rougher on the palate than most good beers in the style, dragging on the palate with an extinguishing feel. Too coarse and dry, fatiguing the drinker. And that coarseness and dryness comes without a commitment to any roasted barley notes.

Lacks the intricacy and subtlety of most good imperial stouts - let alone most world class examples of the style. Shallow and reticent. Flavour duration and intensity are average. Unrefreshing. Lacks a harmony of texture and taste. Carbonation, however, is nearly perfect.

The above nitpicks noted, I do like it in a general sense.

OVERALL: To its credit, it's far more drinkable than its 15% would lead you to believe. But it's not the robust beast of a whisky barrel aged stout Brewdog's marketing wants you to think it is, and as surprisingly sippable as it is, I wouldn't get it again (especially at its unreasonable price point). Still, the tobacco and orange zest are delightful, and this beer makes me want to try Compass Box whisky. But Brewdog has better beers in the Paradox series. This could use a mellowing flavour like marshmallow or vanilla, and the mouthfeel should be creamier and softer.

B- (3.33)
Sep 23, 2015
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

4.31/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured out an opaque, black color with a small, brown head. It left sticky trails of lace. It smelled of caramel malt, coffee and dark chocolate. Great taste of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt and sweet caramel. It also had a boozy kick.
Aug 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by StoutFox from Ohio

Jul 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.6 by dgilks from Australia

Jul 10, 2015
Photo of Bjorne
Reviewed by Bjorne from Norway

4.99/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bitter sweet caramel chocolate coffee. Mmmmmm many flavours.
Cant have more than one thow.
15% is a lot for a beer but this one can defenitly handle it.
Jun 28, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by Burnerdale from Italy

Jun 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.61 by stephenlee from England

Jun 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by olradetbalder from Sweden

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Ciocanelu from Romania

May 08, 2015
BrewDog Paradox Compass Box from BrewDog
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 18 ratings