Scotland has given us many things over the years: William Wallace, golf, the Loch Ness Monster, and a number of Mike Myers characters.  It has also given us the Champaign of whiskey, single malt scotch.  Today it gives us a beer aged in barrels once used to hold this fine spirit.  As the name suggests, Paradox Glen Grant Imperial Stout has been aged in barrels once used by the well known Glen Grant Distillery.  This brain-busting Imperial Stout (10% ABV) is made by BrewDog in Fraserburgh, Scotland.

As we will discuss in a future posting, barrel aging beer has started to gather some momentum.  Holding beer in wine or spirit barrels will impart oaky, vanilla, roasty, or even spicy notes to a beer.  This, of course, is in addition to some of the character of the previous occupant; often a red wine, bourbon, rum, or scotch. 

Appearance
A very thin tan head of no more than half a finger forms atop a jet black beer.  Holding the glass to the light will reveal a bit of dark brown and highlight the cleanliness of the beer.  Very little lacing left in the glass.

Smell
Even before pouring the beer into a glass, notes of scotch whiskey pour from the bottle.  Fight the urge to mix the contents with sugar and bitters and serve on the rocks with a cherry.  Moving past the scotch notes, a variety of malty aromas find the nose.  Caramel, vanilla, and coffee are all present as is a kiss of sweet smelling alcohol.

Taste
The first thing noted when drinking this beer is its complexity.  The scotch is the first thing that hits the tongue with oak, peat, and alcohol (but not a hot alcohol).  This is quickly followed by a malty sweetness in the form of caramel and brown sugar.  The drink ends with the bitterness of burnt toast and espresso.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full bodied, but not chewy.  Lightly carbonated and smooth as velvet in the mouth.

Drinkability
A fun beer to drink and write about due to its complexity.  This beer is a scotch-lover’s dream.  One 12oz. bottle packs sufficient booze to warm the belly with enough liquid courage to dust off your kilt, bust out your bagpipes, and dance a jig.  It’s a good thing too, because at $14 a bottle, one is all you can afford.  Overall grade for Paradox Glen Grant Imperial Stout: B


BrewDog Paradox Glen Grant
Imperial Stout

Up next on Tuesday Tastings: Flying Dog Brewery’s Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA