A Treat

So this last Tuesday we headed over to Vin de Pays for their monthly beer tasting. As usual, there were some phenomenal beers and there were some unexciting ones. We did, however, get the rare opportunity to try an as-yet unreleased specialty by Flying Dog which they're calling Extra Special Gonzo. It was brought over by Jared, a regular at the shop who has worked for Flying Dog in the past (and many thanks to you, Jared). This stuff was bottled on July 31 of '06, and is a twist on their Gonzo Imperial Porter , which had a figlike sweetness to it.

The ESG was dark, but beyond that had very little in common with it's parent recipe. The difference is that the ESP is brewed with Brytanomicies Yeast (no information available, someone help me out) and aged in new American oak barrels. This produces hints of lambic in here, a rather intense citrusy sourness on the front of the tongue. Coupled with this is the faint flavor of either soy or fish sauce, which is kept from being overwhelming by the sourness/citrus overtones, as well as by the light sweetness carried over from the original recipe. This beer is rather viscous. My one note for this recipe is that it needs a bit more carbonation to bring it down a little.

This isn't a beer I would buy or drink regularly. It is, however, definitely worth checking out once it's been released. It's interesting, complex, and not at all what one would expect from a dark beer. I am tempted to buy a bottle when it's available just to let it sit for a year or two to see how it ages.

-Caine