The Swill: Road Dog Porter
The Still: Flying Dog Brewery
Denver, Colorado
http://www.flyingdogales.com/
The Drill: American English-style porter, 12oz bottle, 6.0% ABV
The Spill: A lightweight from a company that markets itself with intensity, this porter is everything that American craft porters have gotten away from. It's mellow, watered-down, and only somewhat malty, with little or no roasted quality about it. The bottle tells a story about how the company won the right to print the word "shit" on the labels, and the description of the beer is as follows: "This shit is some dark, rich, and malty shit. The best shit you'll ever try and that's no bullshit." If only it were true.
Says Bill: Flying Dog founder George Stranahan had close ties with the late Hunter S. Thompson. He also has ties with Ralph Steadman, famed Thompson illustrator, who has created the labels for all of Flying Dog's brews. The labels feature quotes from Thompson, and one beer, the Gonzo Imperial Porter, was crafted in effigy to him following his death. As brazen as the bottles are on the outside, however, the inside is a wholly different and disappointing story.
Refill?: I believe in the beer's motto: "Good beer, no shit," which is exactly why I've never tried it again: 1.5 taps out of 5.