Flying Dog Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

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

18th July 2008. A complex porter with no bitterness or dryness. Smooth chocolatey dark malt with a pleasant sour tang presumably coming from the whiskey. The barreling adds another dimension. A lovely porter that can stand shoulder to shoulder with a lot of RISs out there.

It’s black with a creamy head. The aroma has notes of vanilla, wood, roasted malt and licorice and a light touch of coffee. The flavor has a light sweetness and notes of vanilla, oak, roasted malt, licorice and hints of chocolate and plum and the finish is dry. It’s quite nice.

750 ml bottle
Thanks to buffalohead for sharing this. I thought I had tried this before but it was actually the "Extra Special" version. This is much better in my opinion and compliments the base beer very well. Despite the slightly lower score I would rather drink another barrel aged porter over one spiked with bugs.

Aroma / Appearance - The giant tan head took quite a while to settle down. When it did a deep black body the color of a starless night took shape. Wood, chocolate, and vanilla meld nicely along with a trace of funkiness. The whiskey aspect is not overstated but blends in well.

Flavor / Palate - Chocolate malt balls, fresh blackberry, oak, and then dryness create an unusual texture on the throat. Finishing warm but dry this does a good job of taking a relatively good beer to the next level. Even if the result is not earth shattering it makes me want to pick up another beer in the Wild Dog series.

1. From the Bottle at RBESG Harlequin, Sheffield 19/07/2009 Roast aroma. Beige head. Black strong in alcohol rich on the palate and fruity with a little dryness and bitterness in a crisp finish. 2. From the Bottle at Chris O’s 04/08/2009 Black strong in alcohol and rich on the palate with a little dryness in a crisp and warming roast chocolate finish.

Serving: 750 ml. bottle. Appearance: Almost black with slight ruby highlights and a creamy, tan head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma: Somewhere between bourbon and whiskey, light wood notes, some vanilla, and sweet malt notes. Flavor: It definitely picked up a good bit from the whiskey barrels, but the alcohol seems to have mellowed and it works well. The porter side of things brings some chocolate and roasted malt notes. I was told this was a bottle that was brewed in Colorado (so a few years old) and it seems like it has aged nicely. A bit of wood and vanilla. Any bitterness has mellowed out. Very nice. Palate: Low carbonation with a rich, oily mouthfeel and a medium-long, warming finish. Overall: I would definitely give this one a go again. I can’t speak for it fresh, but aged it has a great flavor profile. Recommended.

Bottle 12fl.oz. @ RBESG 09 Grand Tasting @ [ The Harlequin, Sheffield, England. ]
Clear dark black color with a average to large, creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, wood, licorice, light vanilla. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long to average duration, good balanced. Body is medium, texture is creamy, carbonation is soft. [20090719]

On tap at Stub and Herbs. Pour is black with no head. Aroma is sweet malts and bourbon. Unfortunately all the hops are gone from this. Flavor is mildly sweet. Palate is creamy. Overall is solid but without the hop character still there, it lacks the depth it once had.

Black of color with a brown head. An aroma of liqurice, coffee, sweets, raisins and prunes. A flavor of liqurice, sweets, chocolate and a oily texture.