The smile of the face of Paradox Brewery co-founder Paul Mrocka said it all: the taste of his new Dark Bay Stout had produced a big grin.

The look on the face of Paul’s wife Joan, another co-founder, was one of bemusement: she had successfully conquered the special labeling machine that the brewery has ben using to label their two new offerings.

“Devon (Paradox’s head brewer) had a little trouble getting this right,” Joan told us recently.

But Devon and co-brewer JD soon had it down. It was the last step in a months long process that began in the fall when the brewing of the Baltic Porter began in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels.

Black Mountain Baltic Porter, as it is officially known, was brewed to celebrate the Brewery’s 100th batch. This strong porter was fermented cool for six weeks with lager yeast, before heading to first use bourbon barrels for 9 months. Paul describes the beer as “a big bold beer with notes of chocolate, coffee and bourbon.”

“Because its bottle conditioned, it will age gracefully for years.”

Dark Bay Stout is an imperial oatmeal stout brewed with cacao nibs and fresh orange zest in the boil and added after fermentation.

“This is another big beer with the strong flavor and aroma of chocolate, subtle notes of coffee and a refreshing citrus twist. Dark Bay Stout, also bottle conditioned, will continue to mature in the bottle".