Flying Dog Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

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

Bottle from Secret Santa. Pours very deep black with 3-finger brown head and great lacing. Aroma is intense; huge dark roasty malt, chocoff, molasses, some oaky bourbony hints. The taste is oaky bourbony dark malt, molasses, and chocoff, although not as complex or palate hefty as the regular Gonzo, albeit with less of a hop presence. In this case, and I had this side-by-side with the regular Gonzo, the BA version had less hops, less palate heft, yet a perhaps more rounded flavor profile, as the oaked whiskey did not overpower, but rather added nuance and complexity to this beer. This one is well worth seeking out, and will be appreciated by all Dark Siders.

From a 750mL Bottle. Dark black pour with a tall layer of fizzy, well sustaining head of large bubbled char. Some thick prune skin tannins mingle with a hint of that minty hop bitterness signature to the non barrel-aged version. Dry, leathery raisins, a hint of almost cabernet barrel like oak, and a dark chocolate black cherry glaze. Alcohol noticeable in the nose too, but it isn’t scorching. Medium-light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel. Excessively carbonated, actually, causing the body to sizzle much too quickly off the tongue. Coarse and spritzy, not soft or supple. Perhaps some barrel bugs are still doing their work? The flavors start off with a bit of vinous oakiness, funked up a bit with some Cheshire bleu cheese. Earthy, leathery, and funky - not so much sour or acidic. This fruitiness fades away, leaving a dusty dryness in the mouth. This is compounded by an excessively dry oak ashiness that follows up on the back end. Finishes a burned moldy, leathery, and cheesy pumpernickel toast. Umm... no. The flavors seem confused to me and don’t really compliment each other all that well, leaving me with a muddy mess on the tongue.

Huge dark brown head of fine and very dense bubbles. Head settles very slowly. Actually having to wait a while to get to drink this. Great aroma! Oak, dark fruit, vanilla, rich roasted malts and some chocolate. Color is a very dark brown almost black. Big alcohol punch up front. Then mellows to loads of sweet malts, some black cherry, bittersweet chocolate and some vanila. Bit of oaky tartness in there. Hot on the gums. Finishes warming and sweet and a bit tart. Pretty damn good. Have not had the regular gonzo in a long while but this is just as good as what I remember for the regular.

750ml thanks to xnohatex for this sample. compared this next to reg. gonzo. pours dark brown with big tan head. nose is roasty, some chocolate, oak and vanilla. flavor is oaky, roasty, chocolate, a lot sweeter than reg. version. where’s the bourbon? not sure. the finish is also weird, awfully sweet dark fruits. i like the reg. one better, not much better though.

Corked and caged 750 ml bottle. Thick pour. Opaque black color. Head was thick and brown-orange with excellent retention and lacing. Aroma was of alcohol (reminded me of vodka), raisin, and cola. There was also an occasional whiff of pretzels. Sweet malty brown sugary note on the tongue up front with a strong vodka flavor that peaks in the middle. Toward the end there is a distinct smoked meat-like flavor that gives way to roasty bitterness and some unexpected acidity. Not a bad beer, but not as good as I had hoped.

750ml. Ultra dark brown with a thick, fine tan head. Aroma is sweet up front - cherries, vanilla, oak, bourbon, some alcohol, and some yeasy breadiness in there too. Flavor isn’t as big as the aroma. Coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and an acrid smoky component. There is a fruitiness in the finsih too (currants maybe, slightly tart). Medium body and a semi-dry finish. Better than regular gonzo, but probably not worth what I paid. However, I think this one will age really well.

Tasted 7/17/07 at a STL beer gathering. Pours very dark brown with a dense orange / tan head. The aroma has lots of vanilla, oak, bourbon and dark roasty malt. Medium body that’s a bit on the lighter side with some fairly soft carbonation. The flavor starts with lots of vanilla, alcohol, lactic acid and heavily roasted malt. The finish is smooth and alcoholic with some lingering oakiness. This ended up being better than I expected.

Sample from a 750ml bottle. Dark patchy brown head with a deep black colored body. Smoky, roasty huge bourbon note, flavor is mellow with roast and bourbon, gritty and toasty, and surprisingly no butter note which is what bourbon barrels tend to produce. I like it. Rich and sweet toffee and bourbon flavors, thick and viscous, and hot only in the finish. Well made.