Why we picked it: This beer came highly recommended.
About Flying Dog's Gonzo: Gonzo is big, bold, and beautiful like the man it was brewed in honor of – Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
Flavor notes: Roasted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla malt flavors balanced with a unique hop bite
Pairs with: Mushrooms; smoked meats, BBQ, and chili; hard cheese; chocolate and coffee desserts
Beer Advocate Score: 90
| ABV: 9.2% | |
| Availability: Limited distribution | |
| IBUs: 85 | |
| Specialty Malts: 120L Caramel, Black, Chocolate | |
| Hops: Warrior, Northern Brewer, Cascade | |
| Yeast: Two yeast strains |
Case Cost: $39
*website: http://flyingdogbrewery.com/beers/gonzo-imperial-porter/
Totally looking forward to this one...I honk I will be drinking this sooner rather than later ;)
ReplyDeleteYes! Drinking this one makes me wonder why I don't purchase it more often when I catch it staring at me from the shelf at the beer store. This is perfect for a single beer session on a cold afternoon. Makes me want to pair it with - another one!
ReplyDeleteThanks again, 24 DoB Crew!
Finally we get to the porters/stouts! My personal favorite since it was a stout that opened my taste buds to the wider world of real beer out there.
ReplyDeleteTypically I'm not a big fan of Flying Dog at all. They have a few ok things out there but mostly they're just garbage. Although I did like their Dead Rise aka "the Old Bay beer"
Anyway on to the Gonzo Imperial Porter. This is one of their better beers and its decent enough as far as Porters go. Didn't get much of the coffee or vanilla flavors just mostly a bitter Chocolate. I liked their pearl necklace Stout better. Similar ABV if I remember correctly, and a bolder flavor. Anyway this gets a A-
Pearl necklace is 5.5 and this imperial stout is far superior in my very humble opinion...
DeleteJust sayin...
Might have been their Kujo Imperial Stout then.
DeleteI've been looking forward to this since (a) I've been on a bit of a porter kick, and (b) that 9.2% ABV always peaks my interest. I prepared for this by walking the dog in a light jacket with no gloves. I figure 40 degrees may be acceptable weather for drinking your standard porter, but this is an imperial porter and I need to be cold. Definitely like the beer. Tastes like a very good generic porter to me. This really should come with a warning label since I would never guess the power and the strength of this beer. Not really getting any vanilla or chocolate or "unique hop bite." But still good. I'll take the Bell's Porter or the DC Brau Porter ahead of this though. Those are both pretty special in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI like vanilla. I like chocolate. I like coffee. I even liked Gonzo more than Kermit. After recovering from a stop at Forge last night where we feasted on wheat, I was ready for a porter. This poured almost as thick as melted chocolate and I definitely got the chocolate and coffee flavors--neither of which was overwhelming which tends to happen with a lot of porters. I didn't get any vanilla although that might be what is tempering the other strong flavors and leaving a pleasant taste in my mouth (yes, that was just written).
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked most about this brew was that the kick was in the ABV, not in the taste. For that I give it a hearty bottoms up! As so aptly put on the label, "Ok! Let's Party!"
Amen, brother.
DeleteI love my women dark and wow I was excited when I poured this into my glass. However I was overwhelmed and could not handle all the head that was offered (can a guy say that to a woman?). She was rich, thick, creamy and very subtle to the lips and I continued to sample her. I usually do not like porters but she was very good. Well balanced would be the best single word to describe this experience. And now I am looking for round 2 with her?
ReplyDeleteI didn't used to be much of a fan of Flying Dog, but man that's changed thanks to beers like this. This is one of my favorite porters. Rich, well balanced, great finish. Grade: 7.5/10.
ReplyDeleteSame here re flying dog. Bloodline, raging b, now this. I'm a big fan of this gonzo. A
DeleteThis was an enjoyable beer and very different from the other beers we've had this year. As I've gotten older and my pallete has matured, I've found that I really like stouts. Im not a big fan of Flying dog beers but really enjoyed this one. The coffee, roasted chocolate, and vanilla malts blended perfectly. I also found this not as filling as other stouts such as Guinness. I will seek this out in the future. B
ReplyDeleteImpressive...in fact overwhelming head! I have to disagree with all the flying dog naysayers...flying dog makes excellent beer (I do strongly dislike the dead rise tho). The raging bitch is a regular in my beer fridge! I have never had this one before and it is phenomenal! Great balance and flavor without feeling too boozy going down. Yum! I would like another but prolly just 1 more...
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go snag a sixer this week.
Really nice. Flying Dog has never been a go to brewery for me. No good reason; I'm just a creature of habit. And this is what I love about 24 DOB. I am exposed to great beers that I might otherwise not try. This beer is unabashedly assertive. Even in pouring it you get a sense that you are about to enjoy something of substance. Nice head and the flavors absolutely do not disappoint. This one goes on my next shopping list.
ReplyDeleteEvery year I spend in Maryland, the more I enjoy Flying Dog. They have a lot of great choices and interesting beers. Gonzo ranks up there with the best. Being a huge porter and imperial fan, this was a match made in heaven. Granted I had already gone through 2 six packs of this before the 24 days of beer, it was nice to revisit it.
ReplyDeletePretty good but kind of unremarkable. I've had this beer before - at least a beer of this flavor. I feel there are several beers out there that are this same flavor. It's not as if this is a bad beer, I liked it. It's just that I felt that it's run of the mill.
ReplyDeleteI have had Gonzo in the past, and thought it okay. However, this time around I enjoyed it more. Perhaps the previous one was a little skunked or wasn't the right temp. Either way, I enjoyed this selection more so this time.
ReplyDeleteI knew I wasn't going to like this as soon as Tony poured it. It smells good but tastes terrible. I was forced to do the "2 sip minimum" and number 2 was worse than number 1. Sucks.
ReplyDeleteI like every day of the 24 DoB, however this is the part of the schedule that is my least favorite...the stouts/porters. I know there are stout lovers out there, so thats why we throw a few of these in every year. My reviews of these probably will not be very good.
ReplyDeleteI'm a day late on this one so playing catch up tonight. 9.2% ABV! Even if I don't like it, I'm forcing it down! First sip...not bad. Second sip...a little better. OK this is better than expected. I could drink this again, but would never pick it on my own. Grade 7 of 10, C-
I’m not much of a fan of porters, cool Hunter S. Thompson inspired bottle art though.
ReplyDeleteSo I made the mistake of drinking this after I came home from a couple of rounds at the Yard House on Saturday. I need to re-taste this. I give it no less than a B, but might be much better than that; I just couldn't tell. I wasn't getting a full roasty flavor, but the alcohol was well hidden. I will keep an eye out for this.
ReplyDeleteBig thumbs up for me on this one. Expected it to taste stronger than it did, both in heaviness and alcohol taste, but I thought everything blended well. Not sure I could drink more than two of these, but hey, I've got 11 more different beers to go! Yippee! Thanks again. Really enjoying the variety.
ReplyDelete