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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Bottle, 355 cl. (bought @ Mi Orge Mi Houblon) Very black color with a beige head. Aroma strong roasted malts, chocolate, coffee. Full body. Taste bitter, roasted malts, dark fruits, and hops.

Viscous black pour with a tan head that fades quickly. Hearty roasted malt aroma. Toffee and dark chocolate follow along, but there is a definite hop presence as well. Very faint dark fruit smell, and a bit of alcohol too. My first impression of the flavor is burnt toast. Some bitter chocolate and mild hop kick, maybe a hint of coffee. Bitterness and alcohol mark the long aftertaste. Palate is smooth and slick. Decent overall I suppose, but too much bitterness and alcohol flavor for my liking.

Burnt coffee smell and bitter burnt taste. Quite hoppy. A little soy sauce in the flavor. Also a slightly odd flavor that I couldn’t place. That being said it wasn’t bad but I’m not super crazy about this. Serving: Bottle

Pours black with a thin khaki head from draft. Slight hints of coffee on the nose. This is a big beer and makes no attempt to hide it. Lots of alcohol on the tongue. Not impressed.

Surprising hop bitterness. FULL bodied and dark brown closer to black. Small head and a lot of carbonation. Its aggressive.

For a porter, I thought this had too much hops and wasn’t balanced enough. Heavier on carbonation than I expected. Not terrible, but I’ve had better.

This beer was recommended to me at thr liquor store with the description "this is asphalt". A good description for a good beer. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

UPDATED: JUL 15, 2007 Not bad but certainly not dank and worthy as a tribute to HST. Fairly thin and incomplete, like the other Flying Dog beers that I’ve tried, but ya gotta love that Ralph Steadman artwork. Got a 4-pack of this stuff for $4.99 plus tax; this liquor store was selling 24-bottle cases for $14-something plus tax and sixers (aside from this style) for $4.99, too. I never would have guessed that it was 9.5% BAV since I didn’t get much of a buzz off a bottle. Nice bottle, though, if you’re a collector.

Pretty strong and smokey. A bit of chocolate also shows up in this black colored brew. I don’t get the hops that are promoted but if you are into the smoke beers, this one is for you.

A slightly bitter, roasted chocolate/coffee flavored porter. This beer came with high expectations, but came away drinking like your run of the mill porter, no where near as good as Ten Fidy or some of my other favorites.