BrewDog Paradox Glen Grant (Batch 003) - BrewDog

bovinecrusader

California

2.9/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle in poured into a Duvel tulip.

Sorry to report that this was quite underwhelming. I've had several Islay batches, all with great results; however, this beer seemed lackluster. Will admit that maybe this could have been a bad bottling, as almost too many things went wrong with this beer.

Poured a thin, molasses colored body. Even with a very aggressive pour, yielded a light, 1/2 finger khaki colored head with no retention or lacing. Very light nose, with a malty hint of graham crackers. Slick mouthfeel, with little body front to mid palate. Zero carbonation gave a syrupy quality. Finish had notes of black pepper, sweet oak, and some lingering heat from the ABV. Drinkable? Only because there was so little happening.

I think I may have had a bum batch/bottling, but I'm willing to give a second shot.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 10:31:43 | More by bovinecrusader

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Found this still on the shelf at my local store... really shocked me when I saw it was bottled in 2007. Anyway, it's poured out as a deep brown color, mostly black with virtually no head on top, just some bubbles that don't last very long. The lacing is nowhere in sight either. The smell of the beer though gives off a very nice mellow smoked aroma with some elements of scotch whiskey and some vanilla in there. The taste of the beer has also mellowed out nicely. The whiskey flavors are there along with some hints of char, roasted malts and some molasses. The mouthfeel is nearly flat, not much carbonation left if there was much to begin with I'll never know. The body is medium with some silky creaminess still intact. There is no booze heat on this either. Overall it's a pretty solid Paradox, one of the better ones I've had over the years for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 02:37:45 | More by Knapp85

Zach136

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +6%

01-25-2013 03:54:14 | More by Zach136

Keith_R

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

01-25-2013 03:53:39 | More by Keith_R

Beeradelphia

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +6%

09-28-2012 10:14:14 | More by Beeradelphia

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +6%

09-02-2012 03:21:53 | More by t0rin0

GRG1313

California

4.25/5  rDev +6%

07-07-2012 20:18:03 | More by GRG1313

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by CR (thanks), not sure where obtained
Batch 003, Best Before 12/12/09.
Poured into a snifter glass

This BrewDog beer was probably past its prime (even the bottle said so), but I was still disappointed by its milquetoast nature that manifested completely across the board. All the flavors just felt bored and tired, from the roasted and chocolate barley to even the whiskey.

Pours a head that aborts as soon as any bubbles begin to appear, resulting in a few scattered, large bubbles lingering across the perimeter of the glass. Body is a dark brown color, with amber highlights when held to light. Opaque to the point of being unable to see the carbonation.

Aroma is weakly chocolate-like, mild, with a bit of whiskey and wood character.

Flavor is similarly mild, typical aged stout. Sweetness and softness cover the palate in weak milk chocolate and dark malt sweetness. Mildly noticeable whiskey and wood character on the back half of the palate. Lingering, mild, aftertaste of roasted malt and whiskey.

Surprisingly pleasant mouthfeel given the ethanol content. Medium to medium-heavy bodied, with carbonation levels that are quite low. A thicker body and more pronounced carbonation would firm this up on the palate and lead to a more enjoyable experience (for me).

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 05:36:00 | More by falloutsnow

nickfl

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a small head of light tan foam on top of a black body. The foam settles out rapidly and leaves only light traces of lace in its wake.

S - Spicy, smoky notes of whiskey with nutty caramel and a hint of chocolate.

T - Sweet malt up front with caramel and dark roasted grain. Some vanilla in the middle with a hint of smoke and a bit of sherry. Finishes with thick toffee and notes of maple sugar as well as a smoky aftertaste that works with the sweetness and stays away from any harsh, peat like notes.

M - A moderately thick, yet syrupy body, with a balanced finish.

D - Nicely balanced with a smoky character that is milder than some other scotch barrel beers I have had. The sweetness really stands out but works pretty well against the dark malt and alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 03:33:03 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: no head on a black body with light passing through creating a red hue.

S: vanilla, oak, whiskey and confectioners chocolate.

T: more vanilla, whiskey, dark chocolate which together form a little tangy flavor. The whiskey stands out and makes the beer. mild smokey notes.

M: light carbonation making this one very smooth and a touch oily medium to full body.

Overall: A little mild and definitely sweet. The whiskey makes this one. Fairly different from Paradox Islay but good in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 03:31:12 | More by kylehay2004

CoryR

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +6%

04-03-2012 02:22:02 | More by CoryR

scubahood

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%

02-28-2012 12:27:36 | More by scubahood

AgentMunky

Alabama

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 33cL bottle into a Kasteel chalice. Batch 003. Best before 12 December 2009. "Aged in a former 1970 Glen Grant cask."

A: No head, but a rim of white around the edges suggests such. The patterns on the surface look like a mixture of a fancy cappuccino and plaster dust rattled off a ceiling. Dark, black, and swampy.

S: Subdued, but ensorcelling. Vanilla, likely from the oak barrels, but also soft alcohol. This whisky cask is over thirty years old, so perhaps its no surprise that it doesn't make more of a mark. Lightly spiced fruit, fruit that reminds me of Speyside.

T: And lo and behold, this beer tastes remarkably like a watered-down, less boozy Speyside whisky. The characteristics are all here -- light, dancing fruit; floral, elegant topnotes; and a solid bedrock of cereal grain. The beer version, being of lower ABV is proportionally more fruity, soft and smooth, with a hint of citrus that is radically unusual for an imperial stout. Unusual though it may be, it is not unwelcome, as it offers the most provocatively engaging notes to the taste.

M: No carbonation. Silky and deceptively smooth. The citrusy fruit is lightly drying, but no more so than the 10%.

O: An exceptional Imperial Stout that has improved -- if thinned -- with age. More than worth the $3.49 I paid for it. Highly recommended if you can find it for that. I would drink again. BrewDog is one of my favourite breweries.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 04:59:33 | More by AgentMunky

mjmadsen21

Indiana

3/5  rDev -25.2%

01-13-2012 06:02:26 | More by mjmadsen21

Ducatisti

California

5/5  rDev +24.7%

12-04-2011 22:27:46 | More by Ducatisti

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

11-18-2011 22:14:46 | More by JAHMUR

patm1986

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +24.7%

11-15-2011 06:39:06 | More by patm1986

brotherloco

California

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle. Batch 003. Bottled on 12/12/07.

Pours absolute pitch black with a finger of beige foam. Bubbles are large and loose and dissipate to a bulky ring. Only specs of lacing.

Aroma contains the iodine notes of a scotch whiskey, but isn't as strong as other Paradox varieties I've drank. Thus, the sweet malt has a stronger presence. Strong bready notes. Dark fruits are there as well.

The initial flavor, not surprisingly, is mild and of an aged stout. A soft sweet flavor that gives way to a more assertive bitterness and barrel notes of earthy oak and scotch whisky. Finishes with notes of lightly roasted malt and smokey whisky.

Body is medium with subdued carbonation. A touch thick, but not at all overly cloying. Seems right for a beer of this age.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 03:17:43 | More by brotherloco

GrumpyJunglist

California

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle Said Batch 003, and Best Before 12/12/09.

Poured into a Stone IRS Tulip.

A: Poured a pitch black with a mere film of head that was a light brown in color.

S: The Aroma of this beer is very light. Get hints of roasted coffee with light notes of vanilla and a faint hint of oak.

T: the taste was just like the nose, not overpowering. But you definitely taste the whiskey influences mixed in with the imperial stout notes. I think in a way it calms down the roasty malt taste of stout.

M: It is gentle, doesn't burn, doesnt bite. After your first drink it kinda feels like you had an irish coffee minus the sweetness.

O: I can only compare this with the only other paradox I had and that was the Smokehead (which i did not like). So this kind of restores my hope that the next time i see another paradox I would pick it up.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 04:00:24 | More by GrumpyJunglist

maximum12

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A Christmas gift from my wife, who has started a marvelous tradition of stuffing my stocking with beer the past couple of holidays (hint, hint). Let's not break that fine tradition! Batch 003 of course, 11.2 oz bottle, w/a best by date of 12/12/09 - European or American dating? Hmmm.

Popped the cap & precious little escaped, just a baby pffft that was barely audible. Flat & minimally carbonated even on a hard pour; black as The Guvernator's sin. Smell is sweet/roasted malt, vanilla, & whiskey. Straightforward & makes my mouth water.

Paradox Glen Grant is first & foremost slick, slithering off the palate in a weird, slippery way. Thin for a big stout, too, almost leaning towards porter territory. Taste is heavy on the vanilla, very sweet malting, with demure whiskey working closely with a light roast & dusting of chocolate. Nicely done, but the thin quality together with the absence of carbonation lowers the bar some.

I've seen these on the shelf & while this is a pretty good beer, I wouldn't pay the big price on these small bottles (though I'm glad my wife did!). I'll continue to work my way through BrewDog at a bottle or two a year for the next decade or two, I'm sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 02:22:58 | More by maximum12

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip

Thanks to TMoney2591 for his sharing of the Blind BIF 5 haul.

Pours a flat, dark brown no head of which to speak on. Smells of red grapes, cranberries, raspberries, and chocolate...I hate cranberries. The taste is not like the nose at all...why is this like this!? There is no fruit flavor it tastes like more smoke than you could ever have anticipated from the nose. Then it's rounded out by some weirdly oxidized caramel flavor. Hard to describe, and pretty strong. Not Awful, but needs improvement badly. The body is actually thinner than I would have liked, especially since it burns a little. It's okay, not really all that great. Honestly as it warms up it taste marginally better, but in all seriousness I thought this was a porter, then I tasted it...now I don't know what this monstrosity is.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 14:53:41 | More by Vdubb86

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Big thanks to mdfb79 for this bottle!

Reviewed blind as part of Blind BIF Round 5. It pours a dark ruby/garnet-brown topped by a miniscule bit of off white foam. The nose comprises cheap merlot (red and black grapes, light booze, cranberry musk, heavy tannins up the nose), cinnamon, light charcoal, cocoa, and wet cardboard box. OK, when the tongue gets involved, it seems as though someone put that cheap, boxed merlot on the radiator and that somehow scorched it, creating a sort of smoky character to go with the grapes and berries. Something here seems awfully wrong, as though tannins laid out in the sun too long, got sunburned, and then got surly about it when confronted. *shudder* The body is a sleek medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a thin/slimy feel. Overall, I've enjoyed the other batches from this series, but this one just has not been treated well by the passage of time. Definitely the low-point of my Paradox experience so far.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 21:21:32 | More by TMoney2591

ckeegan04

Texas

3.85/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown, near black. Thin, light brown head. Active bubbles slipping up the side of the glass give a bit of life to the beer. Looks like your typical American imperial stout.

S - Big aromas of roasted malts and bittersweet chocolate. As the beer warms the hints of scotch begin coming through and some nich oak and peat become noticeable.

T - Bitter roasted malts initailly and they carry through very well. Hints of peat and chocolate come up rather quickly and provide a rather interesting take on the typical imperial stout. The scotch smokiness has certainly faded since I had this one a few years back but it still provides a nice wild card on the glut of big stouts out there.

M - Medium to medium full bodied with decent carbonation. Not quite as thick and full as I expect from stouts, but certainly not thin at all.

O - I am a big scotch fan and I like the idea of beer aged in scotch barrels. The price point is certainly a bit steep but it is well worth trying at least once. I appreciate the experimenting that BrewDog does and this is a nice product of it.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 21:15:09 | More by ckeegan04

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 5

Vintage 2007.

A: Pours black with very little head and weak lacing. No carbonation.

N: Whiskey, oak, vanilla and caramel.

T: Oak, vanilla (good amount), dark chocolate, butterscotch and bitter dark coffee.

M: Light bodied, smooth and clean. Seems a bit thin for an Imperial Stout.

D: Excellent! Very easy drinking. Wow! Dangerous.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 01:45:32 | More by justintcoons

BeerNemesis

New York

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

BrewDog Paradox Glen Grant | 330 ml. | 10.0% ABV | 2007 vintage

Brewer: BrewDog
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout
Glass: pint

Appearance:
Pitch black, no head--just a ring of bubbles along the edges.

Aroma:
Earthy, with a hint of the whiskey cask aging.

Taste:
Dark chocolate, charcoal, and roasty malt. 1970 Glen Grant cask whiskey seeps in towards the end. The finish is clean, with hints of the cask and whiskey.

Mouthfeel:
Creamy smooth, but thinner than expected. Still, with barely any carbonation, it has a pleasant texture.

Harmony:
It's quite nice, especially in the maintaste. The whiskey characteristics come through toward the end and, for the most part, they are subdued.

Would I get it again?:
Not necessarily. It's palatable enough that I would try the other variants.

Bottled: December 12, 2007 (Batch 003)
Served: February 13, 2011

Price = $14.99 at Witherspoon Wine

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 04:02:34 | More by BeerNemesis