Back at the end of 2008, seized by some mad fit of seasonal largesse, I stumbled on a idea: how about I order a case of BrewDog's Rip Tide and Paradox Smokehead stouts, send a bottle of each to the other BoB blokes and then write up the resulting mass Tasting Notes here? So I did.

And this is what we all thought of the beers:

Tim said:

What a couple of tasty puppies these were!

Rip Tide: this one poured a delicious chocolate-brown, and that chocolatey theme persisted through to the taste. Rich, dark, with a slightly bitter caramel after-taste, it went down smooth and sweet. It settled after a few minutes - yes, I did manage to keep some in the glass that long - and became even smoother to end with. I thought I'd found a new favourite stout when I tried this, and naturally, after one bottle I'd been turned twisted and merciless ....

But then I tried the Paradox Smokehead. Oh my. Oh my! This ale danced a joyous jig of delight on my tongue. Smoky indeed, both its smell and taste brought back intense memories of building bonfires in my grandparents' huge back garden in Devon thirty years ago. It has a very rich, sweetly-smoky pinewood taste, and it leaves a pleasant, warm tingly sensation on the tongue afterwards. The taste and smell seemed to increase as the beer settled in the glass (thought it didn't get to spend long in there), and though its strength is right there at the fore, there's nothing smothering here. The various tastes are distinct and perfectly complement each other. A triumph.

Long may Brewdog keep birthing new puppies like this one.

Joe said:

Re: the Rip Tide, I'm with Tim on the chocolatey theme – very chocolate with a bit of burnt toffee in there too both aroma wise and taste-wise. Actually to be honest at first I thought it was too strong a taste, I found it a bit overwhelming which was off-putting, but after a few sips I thought it became smoother too, nice chocolate after-taste too, smoother and milder after a quarter of the glass than I initially found and I went from that rocky beginning of thinking "no, this is just a bit too overpowering" to really enjoying it. Then I had a couple of squares of 75% cocoa dark chocolate and another sip: perfect…

Ed said:

Rip Tide: A wonderful chocolate toffee aroma to kick things off, which is retained through to the tasting. Unlike a lot of other beers the smell sticks around so you get another whiff with every sup. Taste is full of chocolate malt and toffee, with just the lightest touch of bitterness. Combined with a very smooth texture, this one is deceptively easy to drink. The high alcohol content doesn't over-ride the flavour, you know it's there but it's well controlled and not overpowering. Truly wonderful stuff, easily one of the best stouts I've ever had.

Paradox Smokehead: Opening the bottle gives off a delightful smoky, chocolatey smell - and that's without even lifting the bottle to the nose. Pouring into a glass gives off more smoke and chocolate, combined with peat and a touch of seaweed; exactly what I would expect from an Islay-related product. Tasting reveals another surprisingly smooth beer, despite the high alcohol content, making for another deceptively easy-drinker, but it really deserves to be taken slowly to appreciate the complexity of the flavours. There's plenty of that Islay peat smoke character, with chocolate and toffee up front, and hints of liqourice and raisins in the background adding to the richness. Slightly sweet but very well controlled, with the alcohol strength again not impinging on the flavour. A perfect combination.

...and I said:

Rip Tide: Pours a thick black with ruby gloss highlights. The first sip delivers a superb mouth-feel, plenty of chocolate and a few faint herbal notes, not too heavy on the liquorice. Later on there's a hint of toffee and tangerine as well. Overall, it's an incredibly smooth drink, faintly bitter, not overly sweet. Cockle-warming, incredibly tasty, quite fantastic stuff.

Paradox Smokehead: The first impression is of an intensely smoky aroma, like roast oranges on baked ham. The flavour is smoky-sweet: treacle, cough drops and sherry, almost reminiscent of a dessert wine, perhaps? The sweetness calms down as the beer breathes, but the smokiness persists, even increases, as the drink continues, making for an incredibly distinct stout-rauchbier combination that's truly memorable.

All in all, I think that whilst the all-out assault on your senses that the Smokehead provides is an experience not to be missed, I think I actually preferred the Rip Tide, if only because it was an easier beer to savour. I've got a bottle of each brew left and I'll be cracking them open round about my birthday in March, unless (seeing as their best-by date is sometime in 2010) I can pile on the willpower and save them until next Yuletide. I'll report back on how they've developed and matured over time, as soon as I can resist temptation no longer...

In Conclusion

The best stout we've ever tasted? The best stout in the world? Could be. Could be...

Although if there's a stout brewer out there that disputes our pretty much unanimous verdict, one who thinks they've got a brew on their list that can top either of these two, then please do get in touch and challenge us to try your brew: we'll happily supply a postal address (or four) for you to send samples to.

[P.S. Actually, I have sampled a stout since I tasted these that (IMHO) was even more delicious... I'll be reporting on that one in the near future.]

Related posts:

1. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Rake Raspberry Imperial Stout
2. BrewDog got me again…
3. Tasting Notes: BrewDog Tokyo*
4. Tasting Notes: BrewDog 2009 Prototypes
5. Tasting Notes: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter