Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

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

We were somewhere around Randwick on the edge of Sydney when the beer began to take hold. I remember saying something like ’I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should pour...’ And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the table, which was carrying about a hundred bottles with the tops off. And a voice was screaming: ’Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?’ .... ’It’s okay, it’s okay!’ I yelled. ’It’s just my goddamn cat!’ It was almost night and we still had more than a dozen tastings to go. They would be tough miles. Very soon, I knew, we would all be completely twisted. But there was no going back, and no time to rest. We would have to ride it out. MotelPogo flicked the cap off the Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter and splashed measures into glasses. It glared at us, as black-hearted and uncompromising as the ugly motherfucker on the bottle. I snatched a glass and took a long hard look. ’You better watch yourself,’ I said to myself. ’There are limits to what the human body can endure. You don’t want to break down and start bleeding from the ears right here at the table. Not in this town...’ I could smell the porter from a yard away: a powerful mix of caramel, Cascade, Millennium and bubblegum, as rich and resinous as a Colorado pine forest. I took a cautious sniff and felt the hairs in my nose ignite. ‘Sweet motherfucking Jesus! What’s in this stuff?’ I gasped as Eczematic beat out the flames with a couple of swift blows to my face. ‘Don’t sniff it,’ he snarled. ‘Just drink.’ I took a long pull on the glass and felt my kidneys start to boil in a searing wash of chocolate, grape juice and grapefruit. ‘Ambulance! Get a fucking ambulance!’ I hollered. The last thing I remember before I passed out was Duff laughing out of control. ‘What the fuck are we doing out here on this desert?’ he shouted. ‘Somebody call the police! We need help!’ (Bottle, Duff homecoming gathering, with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson, RIP)

Pours pitch black with a 3-4 fingers large, light brown head. A real beauty. Nose of roasted malt and hops. Flavour is with coffee, bitter and dark chocolate, malt and dried fruit. Nice, slightly bitter finish. Oily texture. Full bodied. An enjoyable brew.

Pure black with a tan head. Roasted, spicy, burnt nose with hints of coffee and almond. Flavour is quite burnt and acidic. Some notes of dark fruits. Thick mouthfeel. Great bitterness. Warming alco-feel in finish.

Pours a completely pitch black witha a dense dark brown head. lots of lacing. Smells (oddly enough) of citrusy hops and roasted malt. Tastes of roasted smoky malt up front and then lots of citrusy hops, tangerine, mandarin orange flavors. Full bodied and rich but this nice hoppy finish. Really tasty, could drink these all night. Very smooth for the alcohol content. A keeper. Flying Dog should focus on these big beers more...

Extremely creamy and rich mouthfeel. So much so that the flavor is milky/creamy before anything else. Coffee and roast come in next. Some bitterness and a full wash of hop flavor in the finish. Alcohol making select warming appearances, but never staying long. Each sip is something new. Sweetness is definitely present, playing off the alcohol, but balanced well by the hop finish. This is a very unique beer. Almost tastes like condensed milk with a touch of coffee. I really wish I had more than just one bottle of this.

Extremely dark apparance with a espreso cremo almost reddish hue. Aroma is sweet plum and roasted malt. Leaves tongue with a lasting roast flavor. Alcohol is noticable but not overwhelming

Fabulous. Just fabulous. Bitter chocolate, complex malt, smooth and complex.

Pours black with a thin head that is a rather dark shade of brown as far as the foam usually goes. The aroma contains coffee, chocolate, roasted grains, some fruit, and a hint of alcohol. The flavor is decadent. It starts off very fruity and sweet, but well balanced by bitterness. The tongue finds rich, luxurious flavors of chocolate-covered espresso beans and chocolate-covered cherries. The beer finishes quite fruity - from the malts and yeast but also from a fruity hop flavor - and bittersweet. The mouthfeel is creamy and full and perfectly carbonated. Overall - wow: damn good beer.