Flying Dog - Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo

Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter
Flying Dog Brewery
Frederick, Maryland
9.50% ABV

C. Black = VERRYY DARK
H. Black
N. Very light, has a faint hint of whiskey

Eduardo; According to the Flying Dog website this was a one time release in the spring of 2007. The beer is aged for three months in Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey barrels which is interesting. It The regular Gonzo is one of my favorite beers. I picked this bottle up in Virginia and I was very excited to try it. I've been saving it for the right occassion. Getting to guest blog with the Ferm on Dos Beerigos met this criteria.

Compared to your average Flying Dog bottle label artwork, this one is rather bland. I love the appearance of a caged and corked bottle such as this. I became concerned as I opened this bottle and the corked seemed dry and came out too easily. There was no pop to it at all. As we poured the beer, it was apparently there was little carbonation left to the beer at this point. I was nervous that the beer made be compromised which I was glad to see was not the case.

The beer poured black with red hues at the edge of the glass. The nose was light to medium and inviting.

This beer was more mellow then I expected. I am assuming this is due to the age. It was very drinkable. I never would have guess a 9.5% ABV. It has some sweetness to it with a smooth chocolate mouthfeel. The whiskey parts some interesting notes.

I really enjoyed this beer. I would compare this one to Gonzo the way I would compare Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA to Squall. Squall and this one are technically bigger beers however due to the more subtle complexities of them they are completely different experiences.

I recommend trying this beer if you can get your hands on one. However, I would drink it ASAP. At this point I don't think there is anything to be gained by sitting on it. Drink now.
Score: 3.98


The Ferm.; Ohh yah this was my highlight of the week before the bottles were open. I love barrel-aged beers and Gonzo is one of my favorites! Sadly, when the cork was pop'd it didn't really pop....yep this one was very low on carbonation. It didn't destroy the beer but took a bit away from it. The whiskey gave a nice dark cherry flavor to the beer but stayed very smooth almost silky on the tongue. This beer honestly taste nothing like Gonzo at all. The barrel aging really changed the way the beer comes across. When Eduardo and I looked up some previous reviews a lot of people spoke about the insane carbonation, I guess we missed out on it. Still a very solid beer.
Score: 4.019

Overall: 3.9995