Days of the Beer, July 18

The beer for today is Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter.

Hunter S. Thompson was born July 18, 1937. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become central figures of their stories. He is also known for his use of mind altering substances.

(enough plagiarizing from wiki... time to plagiarize from flying dog)

Brewery co-founder George Stranahan was Hunter S. Thompson's friend and neighbor in Aspen, Colorado. They met up with gonzo artist Ralph Steadman back in 1991 in the Woody Creek Tavern where they engaged in a meeting of minds, so to speak. Yes, yes they were getting drunk, the kind of drunk you save for once a year…pink elephant drunk or if you will Flying Dog drunk!

Now events from here on in become a little hazy but whether you believe it was a collective hallucination or a moment of perfect clarity, what seems certain is that George, Richard, Hunter and Ralph tuned into a remote creative frequency and conjured up a vision of the Road Dog. The result of this meeting was the first authentic gonzo beer, illustrated by Ralph Steadman and inscribed with Hunter's words, Good People Drink Good Beer - the rest is Flying Dog history.

So Flying Dog (the brewery) are good friends (or they were) with Hunter S. Thompson. So they made a beer in his honor. As for the beer.

Like Hunter S. Thompson... Gonzo Imperial Porter is deep and complex. This turbo charged version of the Road Dog Porter is mysteriously dark with a rich malty body, intense roasted flavors, and a surprisingly unique hop kick. With Gonzo weighing in at 7.8% ABV, it will bite you in the ass if you don't show it the proper respect.

The beer gets an A- on Beeradvocate. It's a 98% on Ratebeer. I've got a 4 pack of it mellowing on Kriddy's kitchen counter. This is one of my goto beers at Jupiter's at the Crossing; when I'm not in the mood for a Great Divide or a Rogue; Gonzo fits the bill. This was my 383rd beer of last year.

(Borrowed image)