Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Frederick, Maryland USA

12 oz bottle. Pitch black with a dark-brown head. Lovely aroma, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, black licorice, leather and a touch of soy saltiness. Lots of roast with some soft berry notes. Creamy palate with light plum and more thick caramel, dark toast, and dark chocolate flavor. A bit of leather flavor and soft dryness on the finish. Silky smooth. It’s not terribly nuanced, but it is a nice rich satisfying brew.

Tap at Vintage Estates in Boardman. Pours black with a khaki head. Coffee and roast nose with a slight caramel sweetness. Taste is roast with abundant caramel and sweet chocolate with a nice bitter. Very good "porter". There’s a slight alcohol taste and a nice warming sensation. Great carbonation and mouth feel. Tasty.

Had this on last xmas and this totally suprised me since I was just picking beers at random to drag to a chilly London flat to keep myself warm. Very darkly fruity aroma, rich body and a nicely woody hoppy aftertaste. A lovely beer to drink on a chilly night, not that english people generally even know what that is....

Bottle, dontcha know. Poured black like a doll’s eye, except this doll also wore a foamy brown hat that quickly faded into nothingness, a reminder of the ephemeral nature of things. Flavors came out of the darkness - coffee, bittersweet chocolate, more hops than we were prepared for. Boozy finish. The body was more stout than porter - thick and substantial. A sipper, no doubt, but one worth the time.

Pours muddy dark black with a creamy brown head. Aroma is moderatly malty of cookies and strong coffee, heavily hoppy of grass and grapefruit, slight prune phenols. Flavor starts with a great balance, hoppy for a porter, grassy, and roasted malts, dark coffee, chocolate and dark fruits. Medium bodied, oily and softly carbonated.

I thought that this beer was excellent. Part of the Canis Major mixed pack. Poured a dark black with two fingers of brown head. Aroma was of roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate. Mouthfeel was creamy and well carbonated. Flavor is very strong. Coffee and malt dominate. Finish is the bittersweet chocolate. This beer had a little bit of a bite. That is the only criticism that I have.

Hunter S. Thompson. You love him, hate him, or are utterly confused by him. Either or, it is without any doubt that he had a major impact on the world of entertainment during his brief yet lively time. Never a man to mince words, life was short and drinking good beer and having a good time was the rule.
Flying Dog consistently produces good beer. With a portfolio of around a dozen yearly brews, not counting the seasonal beers, there is always a flying dog to quaff. Today happens to be an Imperial Porter day.
As I pour her into my pint glass, glassy black with nary a miniscule amount of space for light, Gonzo declares herself proudly with a tight fluffy head of foam. After a minute or two, she fades into the distance, leaving a gentle ring around the edges of my glass while a faint whisper of her presence lingers on the top of my liquid bread. Sweet prunes and raisins and fresh burnt malts reach for my nose, tempting my senses as I imbibe. Thick, rich, almost chewy. The sweet prunes and raisins along with other dark pitted fruit linger on my tongue. Bordering on cloying, a lingering dryness after the initial quaff keeps Gonzo from being too much of a sweet brew fest for me. Definitely a sipping brew, I couldn’t partake of more than one at a time, though I do enjoy what I am experiencing. As Gonzo warms, the overall body and mouthfeel clings to all available contact in my mouth, creating an almost decadent desert experience. A smoother blend of sweetly burnt malts and chocolate, prunes, raisins, and a faint hint of wood seduce my senses. A hint of bitter bite lingers with the after-image which also leaves my mouth mildly dry and craving the next quaff.
An excellent imperial porter, albeit a bit on the sweet side for me, Gonzo does not disappoint. Much like her namesake Hunter S. Thompson, she improves with age, mellows with time, and tempts the senses with her luscious body.

12 oz. bottle. 2008 vintage. Dark black pour with a small, light tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and dark chocolate. Nice creamy body. Flavor is a big kick of earthy hops and coffee. Finish is slightly bitter. Good beer as the alcohol is wonderfuly masked.