I’m doing this one a little different because this beer resurrects so many memories in my mind and I love it so much.
First off, this is probably the first craft beer that I drank that wasn’t popular like Sierra Nevada or Magic Hat. I was probably 17 or 18, Vaughn and I got a 4 pack of this stuff. It was the darkest most intense beer I had indulged in up to that point in my life. We dropped and broke one by accident and I remember the color of this shit on the tiles of the basement… it looked like muddy blood consuming the floor as it spread, it blew my mind — considering I was drinking beers like keystone, MGD, etc etc. I didn’t know a beer could look like this. The next thing that bewildered me was that it is 9.2% ABV… your eyes widen at the sight of that number on a bottle — hell, your eyes widen at the fact that the container has a number on it besides the amount of beer that’s in it! It’s like being 5 years old and being given your first banana split or triple fudge sundae, unreal. Tasting GONZO was a revelation, it opened up a new world to me that I wouldn’t fully begin exploring until a couple years later but this mysterious beverage was instilled in my brain along with Flying Dog’s slogan “Good People Drink Good Beer.”
OK… The second thing that I love about this beer is that it’s wild and crazy and represents fucking HUNTER S. THOMPSON, my favorite writer, perfectly. George Stranahan, the founder of Flying Dog brewery, lived near Hunter’s house in Woody Creek, CO and became good friends with him. Through Hunter, George met Ralph Steadman (artist for all of Hunter’s writings), who creates all the awesomely weird labels that are wrapped around these brown bottles that have such tasty beverages in them. Most people hear Hunter S. Thompson and think of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is all good and fine, except he wrote many a brilliant article and story besides that… Some of those texts are depressing, some are exhilarating, some are pure gibberish, and some hit your heart so hard that you sit in wonder for an hour afterward.
Honestly this is the most expensive case of beer that I’ve bought in my life, and I couldn’t have made a better purchase. Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter stands tall and true in my heart. This beer is dark as hell yet lively and hoppy, sure to warm your blood and make your night a gonzo experience if you know what’s good for you and have enough of them!
Nice article! I have never seen this beer before! However I live in the UK & don’t think London would let such a crazy delight as this into their docks & rest upon the off-license shelves. But I’m determined to find this stuff!
Hey, thanks! Unfortunately many a great beer in America hardly make it across the country let alone to other countries. However I wish you luck in your endeavors, it is well worth whatever ridiculous price tag may be slapped on it.