Gonzo - Barrel-Aged
Flying Dog Brewery

Pours a dark black color with a nice tan head and lacing.
Aroma has a nice whiskey and vanilla hints
The taste has nice whiskey and vanilla notes
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Imperial Porter

This just wasn't as dope to me as I'd hoped, but overall still solid, easy feel for the beer still despite the abv percentage but I just found it a little meh honestly. Pretty high floor though still would have again

 

 

Vintage 22A

I remember hearing about OG Gonzo being an awesome beer when I first joined BA. I looked around for it for a while but never ended up finding it. Fast forward 4 years and I end up finding the barrel aged version instead. Let’s see if it can live up to my expectations from all those years ago

Pours nearly pitch black with 2 fingers of tan head that fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

There is a hefty bitterness to the nose here, just really intense. I’m picking up on aromas of herbal hops, toasted oak, cacao nib, earthy whiskey, burnt toast, toffee, and light vanilla

It shows a similar bitterness in taste, but it’s nicely done. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting cocoa powder, burnt coffee, dark toast, earthy whiskey, herbal hops, light caramel, and molasses. The swallow brings notes of burnt toast, herbal hops, earthy whiskey, toasted oak, cocoa powder, toffee, brown sugar, and light raisin

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a brisk and bitter beer. Finishes slightly sticky but goes down remarkably easy for the abv

It’s nothing amazing like I was told it was back in the day, but it’s a very solidly done beer in the old school fashion

 

Solid black appearance
Medium light carbonation with about an average body.
Aroma is wood,earthy, roasted malt, boozy with some dark chocolate.
Taste was almost dry otherwise stayed true to the aroma.
This was very good,more dry than expected

Pours dark as coal. Nice tan head. The bourbon comes through in the nose and taste. Nice warmth afterwards. Very good stuff.

 

 

 

Served a snifter from the bottle.

Appearance: a semi thin dark brown espresso coloured body consisting of dark brown which looks black but is evidently transparent super dark.

Smell: Light liquor aroma which dissipates very quickly.

Taste: From the front a darker chocolate malt coming off with heavy whiskey.

Mouth: Heavy whiskey feel which feels almost like a lighter body imperial stout.

Overall: Great grab which comes off boozy but still worth grabbing. Always in a glass!

2021 vintage. Frothy head and lacing on a chocolate colored beer. Scents of dark malt and bourbon. Dark malt carries over into the taste, some chocolate, a slight tang of booze from the barrel. Medium bodied, a little thin, mild booze presence.

Vintage AA21 poured into a goblet: color is solid black, head is tan with fine and small bubbles, head presents 1-2 fingers thick, head lingers well with a solid top, nice lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell is bourbon forward with notes oak, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, chocolate. Based Gonzo is aroma is tamed by the bourbon barrel aging.

Taste has a more balanced porter - bourbon barrel aging mix: roasted malt, chocolate, coffee are initial flavors with the oak, vanilla, char coming through for the finish.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, moderate bitterness - lingering drying and sweetness.

Overall this brew takes on the bourbon barrel aging in a big way - the base brew is big but the bourbon barrel agin still showcases the oak/bourbon characteristics very well; aroma/flavor/mouthfeel combines for an easy drinkability.

From a bottle, pours as an opaque black with light carbonation and a creamy brown head that quickly dissipated. The aroma is of roasted malt and molasses. Taste is very much syrupy sweet malt forward. Other reviewers remark on its "chocolate" flavor, but I disagree and would characterize it more as toffee and caramel flavors. Hops flavors are missing in action, but that is characteristic of a Porter. Overall, it's an excellent occasional dessert beer, but too much for just every day.

 

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This nice little imperial pours a
deep coal black with a nice head of brown foam that dissipates to a
thick ring, thin dusty layer, and sports some excellent lacing. Nose of
mild bourbon, char, coffee, dark cocoa, and faint oak with touches of
vanilla. Flavors surpass the nose with char, coffee, tobacco, bourbon,
light vanilla, mild oak, and touches of dark orchard fruits of dark cherry
with touches of earthy malts. Nice mouth feel; full body, light soft carbonation,
warming, and a bitter malt finish.

Overall, a solid brew but not up to what I expected from this legendary series.

Vintage AA21

A: Pours a deep brown, almost black color with 2 fingers of head that fades down to a thin cap

S: Roasted malt, bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, and a touch of coffee

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with a mix of roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. Picks up plenty of oak, some caramel, coffee, and light leathery tannins. Finishes with lingering bourbon, oak, and leather

M: Medium-full bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Very dry

O: A very good BA version of Gonzo. The Willett bourbon really adds a nice depth and the oak makes itself very present. Makes for a great sipper at 11.3%. Definitely worth checking out

 

Pours black nice tan head falls slow good lace.

Aroma is muted Gonzo as far as I remember with light barrel notes. Seems little disappointing.

Taste is big though roasted malts, chocolate coffee, barrel notes, vanilla some bitterness from hops. A big ass beer with noted alcohol warming that blend well with the flavors.

Mouhfeel is big medium carbonation is lightly peppy.

Overall suprised the most is muted on this big beer, seems little suppressed compared to regular Gonzo but that's based on old memories.

 

Pours black with a 1 inch tan head, which fades to a wisp. Moderate lacing.

Aroma of roast malt, coffee, vanilla, licorice.

Taste is roast malt, bourbon, wood, caramel, nutty. Astringent.

Full bodied, light carbonation. Dry, astringent finish.

An excellent Imperial Porter.

Dark brown, opaque body; thick and frothy head, creamy and light khaki in tone. Nice deep roasted grain and mild chocolate smell. Rich taste; milk chocolate and cocoa; a tease of bourbon; very mellow bitterness. Heavy body; velvety; an excellent undercurrent of alcohol heat.

The bottle stamp has "VINTAGEAA21" and "MMXXI" on it. It is Willett Bourbon barrel-aged. The barrel-aging is nicely done, even-handed and subtle yet definitely packing a punch as it augments the inherent ABV of the beer.

This started solid. Reminds me heavily of high westified and willetized from lagunitas. Sadly its a little too metallic, acidic and thin to buy again. Id buy in a pinch but its no worls class beer.

Well I bought it again. 5/4/22 and I'd be hard pressed to rate anything about this beer better than a 3.75, which is very low for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours pitch black, nearly impervious to light. Fluffy mocha head is slow to recede. Aroma is light, mostly chocolate and boozy. Flavor is rich milk chocolate, dark brown sugar, sweet yet very bitter espresso finish. Bourbon barrel addition really adds a nice depth and complexity. Carbonation lends to a. Ready mouthfeel. Overall a very good BA imperial porter, worth trying.

3/25/19
Draft at Tommy’s
4.25 rating

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growler poured into a nonic style pint glass.

Dark brown like oil. Three quarters of an inch of solid, medium-brown foam sits on top. A sheet of micro-bubbles along with oily residue cascades down the side of the glass with every tilt.
Nose is moderate with nice aromas of vanilla, oak barrel, cola-like caramel and biscuit malt that carry through
in the flavor with some roasted malt and a small amount of woody hop flavor. Low to medium bitterness. Finishes with a little warmth.
Medium body with moderate to high carbonation. Smooth and a little creamy.
Get some.