#123 Flying Dog - Gonzo Imperial Porter

The art work on the Flying Dog bottles is done by Ralph Steadman who is famous for his work with the author Hunter S. Thompson. This bottle of Gonzo Imperial Porter has the quote "Good people drink good beer" by Hunter S. Thompson. This beer was originally created in 2005 to honor Hunter S. Thompson and sold only in 750 ml bottles for a limited release.

This beer has a hoppy smell with just a touch of dark malt and caramel aroma. The strong hop smell is odd for a porter, but from the last 2 Flying Dog beers I am not surprised by the hop forward approach. The color of this beer is dark brown or black, with a light brown head. The foam is very thick and very long lasting.

This beer has a chocolate flavor from the dark malt. The hops are not as strong in the taste as they are in the smell, but they are well balanced against the dark malt resulting in a very good taste. This beer is very smooth to drink, with a medium light mouthfeel that is normal for a porter. There is a little earthyness to the beer in the mix of the malt and hops, but it's not a bad thing. The finish is hoppy but not bitter, there is a back of the mouth hop taste, it's different than the normal bitter finish.

This is a great beer, very easy to drink and very good tasting. I wouldn't know this was a 9.2% beer if it wasn't printed on the side of the bottle. This doesn't have the "Big Beer" taste of yesterday's Double Dog Double Pale Ale, and I guess I like a big beer to taste like a big beer. This beer instead is very easy drinking and seems like a beer that could be drank everyday.