Flying Dog Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

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

Bottle from Utobeer market stall. Pours chocolate brown with a tan head. Head doesn’t last very long. Aromas of bitter chocolate, malts, caramel. Flavours of chocolate, licorice, some smoke. Finishes malty and slightly hoppy.

Incredible. Not too sweet, or overpowering. Smooth as silk that gives you a mouth full as well. The time aged in the barrels definitely helped out tons. Long Live Gonzo!!!

(Bottle) Pours black with a pale brown head. The aroma holds oak and malt up front with notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, buttery toffee, vanilla, dill, light coconut and wood. Undertones of resiny/citric hops, plums/prunes, raisins, roasted nuts, molasses, wet tobacco, mint, ash, shellfish and asphalt. Quite round nose. The flavour is light to medium sweet, light to medium bitter and light to medium acidic. Tones of coffee, dark chocolate, light citrus, molasses, light dark/dried fruits, oak wood, raw vanilla and coconut. Bit salty. The mouthfeel is a bit raw and sticky with alight carbonation. Finish of whisky, roast and hop bitterness. Medium bodied.

Bottle@home Apperance: Pitch black with a generous, brown, head. Aroma: Vanilla, Toffee, Roasted malt, Alcohol, Oak. Flavor: Cocoa, Caramel, Vanilla, Bourbon, Alcohol, Roasted malts. Palate: Smooth and creamy with medium carbonation. Slightly boozish aftertaste. This beer was a nice treat during a saturday night. Perfect beer for sipping. Could use some more body and probably some aging to mellow it down a bit. Very good but i still prefer the non barrel-aged version which has more balance.

Bottle from Utobeer. Almost black with a small, light brown head. vanilla and whisky aroma as well as chocolate and coconut. Coconut and vanilla flavours in the lead, some whisky and chocolate as well as noticeable alcohol. Soft. The barrels do wonders.

Bottle from Sun Devil. Pours a silky black color with a creamy tan head. Smells like bread pudding loaded with raisins. Tastes of leathery hops, tobacco, molasses, toasted malts, and juicy red grapes. Thin in body, but has great depth. Improves on an excellent base beer.

Bottle @ RBESG Grand Tasting 2009... Deep black ... roast malt nose ... big roast ... little sweet hop ... lots of toffee ... bit unbalanced....
tk 2 at home ... quick rating ... in my head it was totaly 3.4 bog standard... ok but a bit blah ... very toffee some oak

750mL corked and caged bottle.. and it opened with a bang! Poured deep brown with a thick, creamy, unrelenting cap of rich tan head.. thorough coating on the glass. The aroma had sour oak and bourbon overtones that stayed just that.. burnt dark chocolates, molasses, vanilla, and black patent beneath.. balance was spot on, and this was a joy to smell. The flavor had primarily molasses and dark fruit at the core, joined by some roasty coffee and treacle.. the barrel gave a lovely hit of smoky whiskey and sweet vanilla through the middle, while the edges carried bright, grainy oak.. finished with fine balance between the porter and the barrel. Medium-plus bodied with rolling, filling carbonation on the palate.. overall the barrel and a little age toned down the hops in this, provided spicy, complementary notes, and left a deep, dark, succulent beer.