Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

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

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Dark brown oily head atop an abyss of inky darkness. You can almost smell tomorrow’s hangover, but the chocolate malts overpower that. Full bodied and very malty, yet not sweet. Nice crisp finish leads to a roasty aftertaste. And, damn...that is a great label. And the cause is good too ^.^

Opaque dark black appearance, excellent head formation. Rich, creamy, roasty coffee aroma. Thickish, creamy palate. Creamy flavor, fruity berry flavor, mild roasted coffee. Raosty coffee finish with berry sweetness. This is a pretty tastey porter that drinks pretty easily in spite of its alcohol conten.

This Baltic porter pours a deep black color from a 12 oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is chocolate and coffee, grapefruit and wood. A medium to full bodied Baltic Porter. Malts are chocolate and coffee. Hops are grapefruit and surprisingly bitter for a Baltic. Seems to work though. Lots of fruity flavors; orange, grapefruit and citrus. Nice balance. Hides the 9,5% alcohol very well. Hunter would be proud. But unlike the Lagunitas Gonzo I didn’t see any bats… although I am not sure just what those lizards are doing on the ceiling. I don’t think I want to disturb what they appear to be doing. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Huge coffee mocha aroma, with a mix of pine as well. Deep, dark chocolate, coffee, and toffee flavors with a hop bite at the end. This all blended well into a silky smooth beer experience. The ABV was noticed as it warmed, but otherwise, this big brew goes down dangerously smooth.

I’ve had a couple of these but have not had a chance to rate until now. Pours a deep dark, opaque chocolate brown with red hints at the edges. Medium foamy head (light brown). The aroma has light citrus hops, roasted malt, and seems fairly thick. The flavor held in the creamy/well balanced body starts with some lightly citrus hops and a hint of sweetness. This moves to toasty malts, coffee, unsweet coco, and ends with a sharp hint. Not to bad.

My first Porter so this rating is a little biased. If all porters taste like this then I think that I might stay away. It feels smooth on the tongue and great going down. smells roasty and slightly chocolate. I still love Flying Dog, nevertheless

Much in the style of many of the popular Baltic porters, but with a bit of a semi-hoppy American flair. Pours thick and black under a creamy, dense tan head. Moderate aromas of bittersweet chocolate and freshly ground espresso beans. Velvety smooth on the tongue with lots of complexity. Flavors of dark cocoa, espresso, roasted malt, mocha and port wine come through deliciously. Starts with a nice robust bitterness and interestingly enough finishes with a slight molasses sweetness. FD hit the mark on this one. Hope they keep up the good work!!

Pours a lovely motor oil black hue with a thin tan head. Very strong coffee aroma with some chocolate of course. The cool thing to me is that a hint of hops manages to escape from the coffee in the aroma adding a pleasant bitter smell. The coffee flavor sort of smacks you in the face on the first sip and leaves a chocolate handprint. Having never had a porter of this magnitude, at first I almost felt like it was too much. But relaxing with my beer and sipping it over time my tastebuds have adjusted and I can now sense the little notes of dried fruit and the chocolate has become much more pronounced. This is like liquid candy for adults and it’s a bloody miracle that Flying Dog of all breweries concocted it.

Wow, this is pretty good. Black pour with a nice frothy tan head. Very hoppy aroma. Taste is of semi-sweet chocolate, licorice, coffe, roasted malt and more hops, both citrus and pine. Amazingly well hidden alcohol. A good tribute beer for the creator of the cool bottle art. I feel like watching "Fear and lothing in Las Vegas" now... lol.

Bottle. Baltic porters are quickly becoming one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, styles. I love the clash of hops and agressive malting, and this beer does not fail to provide that. Opaque body with a ver thick head. Nose-all hops. Taste-alot going on here: lots and lots of grassy hops, raisin, candi sugar, raw roasted malts, grapefruit, mocha, awesome bitterness, charcoal, and a very nice dirty earth note. Not an overyly exceptional beer, bit a nice yummy fun beer nonethe less. Very sticky mouthfeel. A great tribute to a great man. To you, Dr. Gonzo, I say to you: "there he goes. One of God’s own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. "