Flying Dog Brewery - Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter

After work today, I stopped by the beer shop and was caught by surprise when I saw this beer on the shelf.  I reviewed Flying Dog Gonzo back in August, and loved it.  Awesome label art and an all-around great imperial porter.  And now I learn, they have a whiskey barrel-aged version of it.....Who do you think you are Flying Dog?  Great Divide Brewing?  No, you'll never match Great Divide - I'm pretty sure they oak-age their drinking water.   For those of you that aren't familiar with Gonzo, it's a monster brew with 9.2% alcohol, 85 IBUs, and the potential for some massive foam (see photo in previous review linked above).  On their website, Flying Dog states "Just when we thought our Gonzo Imperial Porter couldn't get any better, our brewers age it in oak whiskey barrels for at least 180 days."  In my experience, oak-aged beers can be hit or miss.  Let's see how Gonzo holds up to the treatment...

Nice label, typical from Flying Dog, though not quite as cool as their regular Gonzo label.  It includes a short description with a Hunter S Thompson quote, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."  I'll let you derive your own meaning from that quote...

The beer looks similar to the original in color (the blackest shade of brown), but there is one large difference - the foam on this beer was almost non-existent.  Perhaps a result of the barrel-aging process?  The aroma is considerably different as well, still rich and hearty, but this time with waves of vanilla, bourbon, alcohol, and wet oak.  Also some sweetness in there, almost a coffee-creamer sweetness.  First sip....this is Gonzo all right!  Same amazingly rich, velvety texture that was in the original.  Gritty roasted chocolate malts, charcoal, oak soaked in whiskey.  Some vanilla also comes through in the middle, followed by a wave of alcohol heat that compliments the rest.  A sweetness pervades the finish, thick molasses mixed with that vanilla.  Hint of dark fruits.  Surprisingly dry at the end, preventing this heavy beer from tasting too heavy.

Overall Rating:  Flying Dog hit the nail on the head - this is a top-notch brew.  I'm hyper-critical of barrel-aged beers, brewers tend to allow their base beers to be overpowered by the oak and bourbon flavors.  Not the case here, this beer is damn near perfect.  In case I'm not being clear....here's a visual representation of my impression of this beer.

Flying Dog - Gonzo Imperial Porter

Tonight I'm going to drink a beer that Hunter Thompson would be proud of - the Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD.  This beer is part of their Canis Major Series, which features high-gravity limited releases of which the Double Pale Ale is also a part.  The Gonzo boasts 9.2% alcohol, it's no slouch.  The label features a really cool drawing of a skeleton version of Hunter S Thompson (see picture below).  On the bottom, it states "Good people drink good beer", apparently a Hunter Thompson quote and also a theme on Flying Dog's website. 

The color is black-brown with a billowing layer of tan head that resulted from my terrible, distracted pour...almost lost some in the overflow!  The aroma is rich and hearty, with roasty chocolate malts, bold dark fruits (plums and raisins), and some burnt brown sugar.  The alcohol is very present in there also.  The flavor starts off with smooth but heavy loads of roasty, gritty charcoal grains.  Sugary, sweet prunes come next along with a syrupy toffee-molasses combo.  The alcohol warms things up starting about halfway through, and increasing towards the end.  The second half brings a touch of tobacco and some hop bitterness tries to come through, barely makes it, leaving a dry finish.

Overall Rating:  Bold, complex porter from Flying Dog.  The 9.2% alcohol is very well-hidden.  Great beer, give it a try!  A-