We wanted to start something new with this feature; we’re picking a more expensive beer and letting you know what we really think about it. Spending $15+ on a beer can be tough, so we’re spending our hard earned cash and letting you know if it’s worth yours. We’ll tell you who will probably like this beer, instead of giving it a number, and will go much more in-depth than we normally do. With that out of the way, on to the beer!

Flying Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter

Price: $16.99
Volume: 750ml
ABV: 9.5%
(for anyone trying to do that math the alcohol to volume comes out to the equivalent of about 5 regular beers)


Background: Flying Dog puts out a beer that is in memory of Hunter S. Thompson called Gonzo Imperial Porter. In their limited series of big beers, they are releasing a version of this beer that has been aged in oak whiskey barrels from a neighboring distillery for 3 months. Only 5000 of these bottles were made, and 500 were set aside for sale at the brewery, leaving 4500 for the entire country. At $16.99 per bottle, though, it’d better be good! Let’s get down to it.

Appearance: First off, pour this beer very slowly, it has a very big head that seemingly sticks around forever… Looks great, but makes it hard to drink. This pours a rich deep brown/black with a tan head; it looks delicious.

Smell: Full of roasty chocolate with a slight pleasant sourness… A little bit of coffee, but that might partially be the roast chocolate.

Taste: Very smooth. Lightly sour, mildly bittersweet and quite roasty. Hits your tongue aggressively, and then mellows quickly. Very dry finish. Chocolate flavor is followed by mild hints of coffee… maybe espresso? There’s also a decent oak presence, which would obviously be from the 3 months it spent aging in an oak barrel. Let it warm up and it gets less sour. The sourness still shows in the tail end a little, though, and the booze shows through more but it’s a great evolution of the beer over a half hour or so. It’s got some interesting imperial stout notes, but still drinks more like a porter. We like it more at the end than the beginning, so give it a chance to warm a bit. It’s a little harsh when it’s cold as the sourness predominates more than it should. This tapers as it warms, and the roast chocolate and coffee comes to the forefront. The alcohol comes with it, though, so be ready for a decent punch.


So is it worth the money?
As with any of these limited big beers it’s all about buying the right beer for the right person. This beer is not for everyone, we’ll openly admit that. You certainly don’t want to drink this whole bottle by yourself, either. We split it between 3 people and that felt just about right. 2 should cut it as well.

If you like bourbon and whiskey you might like this. If you don’t like bourbon or whiskey, or at least are experienced with big stouts and things of that ilk, we’d have to say skip this beer. It’s not an overwhelming liquor flavor, but it’s certainly present; it’s got a whiskey-ish finish. Maybe it’s the oakey warmth and slight bite but it’s also just a big beer. But if you can’t handle some kind of straight-up liquor, maybe you should stay away.

If you want something out of the ordinary and want to take a chance this is worth splitting with a friend. We personally like it for a once or twice a year purchase. If the darkest beer you’ve had to date is a Guinness, drop by the forums and we’d be happy to recommend some beers to you, this is a beer you need to work up to.

We’re drinking it now because it’s out now and you need to know about this now. It’s super limited, only 5000 bottles were made. Buy it before it’s gone, but age it until at least October when the weather chills out a bit. Drink this with some lamb, prime rib (real prime rib, cooked en masse) or something super rich and maybe garlicky. Mashed potatoes would be great. Or baked potato… Mmmmm… Sorry… Yeah, but rich food for sure. They’d go great together. Splurge, you already bought a $17 bottle of beer, you can grab some good food too. Eat pasta tomorrow if you have to. We will. Haha…not a joke, damn!