Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter - Flying Dog Brewery

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BA SCORE
93
exceptional
-
211 Ratings

rAvg: 4.19
pDev: 10.74%
Reviews: 47
Hads: 164

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Flying Dog Brewery

Maryland, United States

Style | ABV
American Porter | 9.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (44), growler (1), cask (1), on-tap (1).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

Aged and seasoned for three months in whiskey barrels.

Duplicate of this beer
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/68/36342

View: Beers (52) | Events (3)

Reviews

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Reviews by hdofu:

hdofu

Maryland

4.55/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wowsers... I've had gonzo before but this was my first time with the barrel aged variant... they weren't kidding about it being weird turned pro... granted I wouldn't say it was weird... it was a pretty normal imperial porter... now is where it gets weird... a porter with that kind of oak whisky taste. This beer tastes and smells like whiskey... no 2 ways about it. It has an amazing reddish brown head that quickly dissipates despite bubbling out of the top of the glass. Taste is like dark chocolate and coffee beans. This beer is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 03:17:24 | More by hdofu

More User Reviews:

CanisMajor

Indiana

4/5 rDev -4.5%

05-16-2013 21:23:12 | More by CanisMajor

Thirstygoat

Illinois

4/5 rDev -4.5%

05-16-2013 02:13:07 | More by Thirstygoat

whallgren

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +7.4%

05-12-2013 19:22:15 | More by whallgren

CB2maltygoodness

District of Columbia

4/5 rDev -4.5%

05-04-2013 00:46:33 | More by CB2maltygoodness

bcm75

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-29-2013 23:51:03 | More by bcm75

AngusOg

Maryland

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-28-2013 02:58:29 | More by AngusOg

T12oy

4.5/5 rDev +7.4%

04-22-2013 17:52:05 | More by T12oy

drgonzo2k2

California

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-20-2013 14:07:54 | More by drgonzo2k2

MystikCelt

New York

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-18-2013 03:50:18 | More by MystikCelt

AlphaKingKegger

Ohio

4/5 rDev -4.5%

04-15-2013 03:59:58 | More by AlphaKingKegger

griffeyb

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-08-2013 16:57:03 | More by griffeyb

jpaulsen

California

4.5/5 rDev +7.4%

04-07-2013 17:41:10 | More by jpaulsen

ChrisMon02

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-07-2013 05:06:41 | More by ChrisMon02

jsurfs82

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev +1.4%

04-05-2013 23:43:42 | More by jsurfs82

Justin_Neff

Ohio

4.39/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz Bottle labeled 11AA. Poured into a CCB Snifter.

A: Pours a very dark brown body. Aggressive pour yields a fizzy 1 finger head. Head dissipates quickly with little lacing, but settles to a nice silky rim.

S: Bourbon forward, dark figgy-like fruits, vanilla sweetness, caramel, chocolate, a strong molasses waft. As it opens up and warms, the bourbon smell fades a bit and the molasses and fig smells becomes more prominent.

T: Wow, this one is complex. The sweetness of the dark fruit and vanilla character balance and mellow out the bourbon well. At the finish, there is a ton of chocolate and oak.

M: medium-full body. Nice and creamy. Booze is hidden well. Low-moderate carbonation.

O: After a couple years in the cellar, this one has aged very well. The complexity of this is really wonderful. It definitely improved as it warmed. I love the balance of sweetness with the bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 01:01:33 | More by Justin_Neff

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.28/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz. bottle chilled and poured into a Russian River tulip glass. Bottle is labelled Vintage 11B.

Appearance: Dark brown in color. Pours a nice one finger, beige head that holds a nice thick lacing all around.

Aroma: Molasses, figs, raisans, vanilla, whiskey and cocoa powder all stand out upfront. Really unique aroma as more of the dark fruit and molasses notes stand out than in a normal barrel aged dark beer. Surprisingly nice balance of the barrel and base beer. The alcohol is certainly there but not overbearing.

Taste: Much like the aroma, big fig and dark fruit character. The barrel definitely contributes a ton of different flavors. Really nice chocolate and caramel tones round out the base beer. Whiskey, oak, and vanilla all contribute a really nice barrel character. Great improvement on the base beer. Very nice balance.

Mouthfeel: Lighter in body than an average porter. Nice, solid carbonation.

Overall, a really nice take on a barrel aged porter. A huge improvement over the base beer. Improves significantly as it warms. Really unique character from the base beer and a really solid barrel character. Really nice balance. A pleasant surprise I would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 02:03:32 | More by Gosox8787