Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

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

2008 Vintage, 9.2%. Pours a dark black with brown edges and a thin finger of milk chocolate head that settles to a slight cover and a denser ring at the edges. Harsh roasted aromas, chocolate and booze. Dark fruits make for a vinuous heavy aroma. Nice carbonation lifts this heavy beer off the tongue. Taste is chocolate, dark fruits, bitter roasted malt and an herbal hop finish. Slight alcohol peaks through to warm the mouth.

Awesome Imperial Stout here. heavy chocolate boozy smell from this pitch black monster. Taste is focused on the roasted, dark chocolate, coffee tones with a hint of maple and a clean, dry, but slightly bitter aftertaste. Body is surprisingly not as heavy as expected. Overall, impressive.

Hard to come to grips with this one. Pours dark with a smalish head Aroma of malt and yeast. Astringent blast of burned malts first hits, which diminishes moderately quickly to be replaced by some hints of dark stone fruit. It’s just not balanced. Has an alcoholic finish. Yet, I like it for its faults. Perhaps aging would round off the edges.

This porter poured a deep black colour with a nice big, tan coloured head. Scents include cocoa, burnt malt, grain and molassass. First taste was smooth and roasty with flavours of nuts, roasted malt and a little chocolate. Finish was malt with a palate that lingered chocolate lightly.

Bottle. Pours a nice black color with a brownish head that is medium in size. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malts, ands some hay. Nice carbonation with a smooth taste, creamy and a bit sticky. Sweet aftertaste and I do not taste the hops that others have said, but still a good beer.

HST, RIP... I had this once prior to my rating days, and I remembered thinking it was a bit too sweet... on this go around, it is just about perfect. Pours opaque brown, with more lacing than head... aroma is sweet cold coffee. Thick, rich brew that has flavors of coffee, some chocolate, grapefruity hops, and a nice dry finish. A big porter to be sure, but is relatively easy to drink. Being a great beer, dedicated to HST, I have to push this one up to the tops on my list.

This brew was quite tasty and smooth flowing throughout. High malty notes of coffee adds to a great aroma. Good flavor, but a weak hoppy taste leaves me slightly disappointed. Overall, a great drink and I plan on buying this again in the near future.

Aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, and brown sugar. One of the best looking beers I have ever seen. Black appearance with a dark brown head that is pretty small. Some good lacing that is mostly lasting. Very complex flavor. This beer is definitely underrated even at 1200 rating as of today. Very smooth mouth feel with a soft carbonation. An excellent brew.