September 04, 2010
Gonzo Imperial Porter
I know I usually only do reviews on Wednesdays or Thursdays, but I haven’t done one in a while and since it is Labor Day weekend, what better way to celebrate the working man than reviewing some beers? For this special Labor Day Edition, I will be reviewing Gonzo Imperial Porter by Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD. This beer was donated by Graumagus of Frizzen Sparks.
It came in a 12 oz brown bottle. The label is light blue at the top and blends to a dark yellow at the bottom. There is a badly hand drawn picture of some kind of skull faced man wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigarette. There is a voice bubble that says “Ok! Let’s Party!” In typical Flying Dog style is the scrawled name Gonzo with imperial porter in block letters under it. There is a quote on the bottom, “Good people drink good beer. “ –Hunter S. Thompson. There is a brief description of the beer on the side of the label. It states that it is a 7.8% ABV and vintage 09.
When poured it has a dark, almost black coloring to it. The only time light passes through is at the edges. And then it is a very dark walnut coloring. A thin tan head forms, but fades quickly. By the time I finished the beer there wasn’t even a ring around the edge. I poured this beer rather aggressively at the end in order to try to form more head, but it didn’t help.
The smell starts with a rich molasses and cocoa scent. Roasted malts finish off the scent. There is a touch of citrus to the scent as well as a hint of alcohol. The taste starts off with a bitter chocolate flavor and finishes with a hint of coffee as the beer warms. There is a slight burnt malt taste to it. A slight generic fruit flavor is noticed either. When the beer reaches closer to room temperature the taste of alcohol becomes more discernable. The after taste is a little bitter.
This is a medium bodied beer, a little heavy on the carbonation. There is a slight coating to the mouth.
I enjoyed this beer. It isn’t one I would want to drink too quickly. It’s a nice sipping beer to be enjoyed over a long period of time. It is a standard porter taste, nothing too special. I don’t know if I would go out of my way for it, but I did enjoy it while I had it. I give it 5 out of 10.
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