Flying Dog Brewery in Denver is brewing a beer to honor the late Hunter S. Thompson.
Gonzo Imperial Porter is a 9% alcohol by volume and will carry a label designed by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated much of Thomspon’s work and who has created Flying Dog labels for years. Flying Dog was founded in Aspen, not far from where Thompson lived.
Steadman has drawn a skeletal portrait of Thompson for the label, with a bubble over Thompson’s head saying, “OK, let’s party!”
The label reprints the famous Thompson quote, “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Eric Warner of Flying Dog’s can’t be certain the government will approve the label. “It’s iffy,” he said. “It seem innocuous to me, but that’s just me.”