Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

Very dark brown (light gets through upon close inspection) with a nice beige head. The aroma bursts into the room with a truly complex character: beautiful malt/hop balance with chocolate and minor roast, dirty plums, grapes, and pine needles. That complexity is reflected in the flavor, and this beer really toes the line; there are dark fruits, roast, and chocolate up front, but the hops pull you back before it ever gets dominant or bitter or oppressive like most imperial stouts and porters, and instead, you get a cloud of smoke that sits in your mouth like a cloud. The palate is totally in line with this (weighty yet silky), and it only starts to bite right at the end. Wow this beer is streamlined. Structure incarnate.

Bottle. Pours a dark black with a thick dark tan head. Tasts of dark malt, smoke and a bit of a brandy in the finish along with the hops. Nice.

Top presure tap at the White Horse, Parsons Green, London. Selling for £7 a pint! I expected this to be a bit special and it did not dissopoint. Black with a dense brown head. Aroma of dark fruits, chocolate and alcohol. Packed with multilayered flavours of malts, coffee, chocolate and resinous hops. Excellent!

Pours a deep dark brownish black with a nice burnt brown head. Aroma is dark fruits, malt, coffee, chocolate. Flavor is chocolate, malts, coffee with a underlying sweetness that battles a touch of bitterness in the finish. The first time I tried this I was not impressed, but this batch is very good.

Sweet floral boquet. Appearance: dark brown head; liquid is opaque, pitch black. Flavor is strong. Very heavy, alcoholic taste. Palate revealse liquorish, nutty, smokey, some sweet syrup taste. Roasted sour malt. Creamy smooth finish.

Pours a deep espresso brown with a massive coco cola colored head that rapidly subsides. Decent lacing. Nose is malt, coffee and chocolate. Taste is bitter chocolate, with first malt, then hops making their presence known. Decent mouthfeel. Finish is luxurious, with the flavors leaving, one by one, until only the hops remain.

7/6/08 On draught at the Dog & Pony, Renton, Wa. Aroma is sweet creamy malt with strong sour roast. Appearance is near black with a well maintained tan head and good lacing. Flavor is rich in malt and roast, with some faint alcohol and light toast. Overall, never touches the stout character despite the signifigant roast.

Bottle, thanks to beastiefan2k. Black pour, good amount of brown head. Aroma is roasted malt / oats. Flavor is the same, lots of roasted oats, chocolate, and burnt licorice. Decent beer.