Beer Spotlight!

Spotlight on the Flying Dog Willett Bourbon Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter

$19.99 for the 12oz four pack
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Porter

Once again, Frederick MD’s Flying Dog Brewing Company has released a bourbon barrel-aged version of their classic, classic Imperial Porter, the Gonzo, and, once again, they have aged it in barrels from Willett Bourbon in Bardstown, KY (just south of Louisville). Yay!

Though the Willett family included professional whiskey distillers way back into the 1800s, it wasn’t until 1936 (three years after the repeal of the evil Prohibition) that they built their own distillery in Bardstown, putting their first barrel away to age on St. Patrick’s Day, 1937. They produced whiskey there until the 1970s when poor industry conditions motivated them to switch to making ethanol to capitalize on the Energy Crisis. (Remember the Energy Crisis?) At the end of the crisis, gas prices dropped decreasing the profitability of ethanol. Willett shut down production for four years until different family members bought the business in 1984, slowly rebuilding it as a distillery. Now, Willett not only produces bourbon again but they produce nationally lauded bourbon.

Flying Dog’s Gonzo Imperial Porter (a long-time shop favorite) was originally brewed to commemorate the death of Flying Dog patron and friend Hunter S. Thompson. (It’s no coincidence that longtime Thompson illustrator Ralph Steadman has designed most (if not all) of Flying Dog’s labels.) The Gonzo uses two yeast strains (American Ale yeast and English Ale yeast) to ferment Caramel, Black, and Chocolate malts. It’s generously bittered with Northern Brewer and Cascade hops to make a roasty, robust porter.

The Willett Bourbon Barrel-Aged Gonzo is silkier than its parent brew with the vanilla and roasted chocolate notes remaining strong. Also holding strong are the hops. They merge with the bourbon’s bite to bring out the coffee flavors in the brew. Still the Gonzo remains a porter at heart, never straying over into being full-bodied for all of its flavor.