Good evening all. Whilst the demands of a final year undergraduate student are, to say the least, numerous and unrelenting, it's always good to take stock with an epic beverage or two every so often. This statement is reinforced when your project seems to constantly evolve to accommodate work that isn't related to your field and/or won't produce data that can be used in your dissertation. Bearing this in mind, it was with great pleasure that earlier this week I received an order from BrewDog containing their latest porters- Paradox Jura and Lost Dog, the latter being a collaboration with The Lost Abbey from California. Naturally, I popped the caps off one of each of these bad boys as soon as I could, as it definitely seems to be the season for imperial porters/stouts from the Fraserburgh scamps! Review of Paradox Jura after the pic....
Paradox Jura (15.0% ABV) pours a dark black colour with a light brown head that settles down to a halo around the inside of the glass. The aroma is wonderful, with coffee, chocolate, yeast extract, blackcurrants and a caramelised, candy floss sweetness supported by a noticeable whisky kick in the background. Plenty of characteristic imperial stout aromas with a hearty, boozy injection of smoky whisky- fantastic stuff already! The taste is composed of chocolate, Marmite, piquant/tart coffee, dark fruits, candy floss and a slight burn from the whisky accompanied by a refreshing smokiness. The finish is sweet like a rich dessert but the whisky flavours don't last long enough to be a part of it. The mouthfeel is smooth, mildly carbonated and not overly thick. Overall, a fantastic addition to the always-stellar Paradox series. Before trying this beer I suspected that Jura might not be potent enough to impart anything significant to the beer, especially when considering the complex flavours of an imperial stout, but this certainly isn't the case. It's incredibly well-balanced and presents itself in the right proportions each time. Definitely recommended, get a few bottles of this and see how it improves with time!
The second imperial porter/stout is Lost Dog, an imperial porter aged in rum barrels for a year. I've never had a Lost Abbey beer before, but as they seem to do interesting takes on Belgian beer styles this seems to be a slight departure for them. As for BrewDog, this beer seems positively tame in comparison to their usual stunts! Review after the pic....
Lost Dog (11.5% ABV) pours a very dark red colour, verging on black, with a short-lasting light brown head that settles to nothing in the glass. The aroma consists of roasted malt, dark fruits, coffee, licorice, candy floss and a rich sweetness, with overtones of rum and a significant boozy quality. Interesting combinations, with the rum definitely taking a back seat to the other components. Tasting the beer brings up plenty of rum flavours though, with dark fruits, candy sugar and licorice. The drink can be quite buttery at times, with cake/bread-like flavours coming through every so often. The rum bites slightly during drinking but doesn't last to the finish, which is quite sweet and brings out a light coffee aftertaste with some piquancy and tartness. The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin with very little carbonation. Overall, an interesting beer from two well-known and respected breweries. There are plenty of characteristic imperial porter flavours for fans of this beer style, with the rum barrel ageing adding a "clean" element to the beer, cleansing the palette after the initial flavour bursts and becoming more predominant throughout the experience. I'd like to see what a bit of age does to this beer, so I'll revisit it again after a while and see what's changed. Still worth a try, but not highly recommended.
Until next time....
No comments:
Post a Comment