Hunter Thompson Symposium

The People’s Republic of Flying Dog is now in session. It’s happy hour at Flying Dog Brewery, so here is your latest dose of irreverence. Don’t forget to read Eric’s ‘censorship’ response to the last newsletter at the bottom of the page.

Hunter Thompson Symposium

Last weekend I attended the First Annual Hunter Thompson Symposium in Aspen, CO put together by Hunter’s son, Juan Thompson. The topic was the 25th anniversary of Hunter’s book Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 and it’s relevance to the upcoming elections. There were several themes that ran through the symposium, lead by Hunter’s unique journalistic talents and his unrelenting search of the truth. If you want to read my full recap of the symposium just email me at bullshit@flyingdogales.com. You won’t get professional journalism, but what would you expect out of a beer guy?

In related Hunter Thompson news, his widow Anita Thompson has just released her new book The Gonzo Way. Meant as a way to introduce new generations to his work, Anita Thompson’s new book is also a celebration of her husband’s legacy. In The Gonzo Way, she pays tribute to her late husband as a writer and as a citizen, through her own words and through interviews with those who knew him best, including Tom Wolfe, George McGovern and Douglas Brinkley.
On August 1, the Tattered Cover in Denver, CO will host Mrs. Thompson for the launch of this, her first book. After the book talk and signing, fans and friends will converge at the Brewery to lift a glass (or a few) in Hunter’s honor and to celebrate the publication of The Gonzo Way.

Road Tripping

Like any good legend, the Flying Dog story has many versions, and for some time now we have just let them self-perpetuate. This video is part one of our journey to Woody Creek, CO, home of Flying Dog owners George Stranahan and Richard McIntyre to chronicle their stories and put the Flying Dog legend to rest once and for all. This video documents our drive up to Gonzo Ground Zero and our first stop at the famed Woody Creek Tavern for the release party of our new Summer seasonal, Woody Creek White. Click on the image to watch the clip.

Win Free Shit

I’m sure many of you entered our contest to “Win a Trip to the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival”. Well, you all lost. All of you but Peter Frey from Beaver Dam, WI. He can now put down that piss water Wisconsin calls beer and come join real beer drinkers in this 3 day homage to brews and the music that drives us to drink them.

If you missed out on winning the Telluride Contest, fear not, you still have a chance to lose our Great American Beer Festival Sweepstakes as well. This is the grand poobah of all beer parties so hop on www.flyingdogales.com or click on the image to the right to enter.

Additionally, if you missed your chance to win a Wild Dog Gonzo Gift Box last time we gave one away in the newsletter, our friend Alan over at www.beerblog.genx40.com is holding a Gonzo contest of his own. For full details on how to enter and contest rules, hop over to his site and do your best to drop some knowledge on him.

Eric Makes Excuses

Greetings to the People’s Republic of Flying Dog,

First of all, I apologize for today’s email being a little late.  Chris Rippe informs me that it is supposed to go out at noon, Mountain time. Evil shitbag that he would like to make me out to be, I got sidetracked from writing this newsletter because I was helping my un/under-employed single mom neighbor get a U-Haul to deal with her 8 a.m. wake up call from the Arapahoe county sheriff and her landlord. She didn’t have any money, lost her driver’s license, etc. So, cold-hearted CEO bastard that Chris Rippe would like to portray me as, I dropped everything I was doing, drove her to the U-Haul place and paid for the U-Haul and storage unit so she could find life after eviction from my middle class neighborhood.

Anyhow, Chris challenged me to come clean on the alleged censorship of his last email, but before I address that, I believe a little background info is in order. Chris Rippe would like you to believe that he is a dutiful and faithful employee of Flying Dog Brewery, but in reality, HE is a greedy, power hungry schemer who will stop at nothing to wrest control of the leadership of Flying Dog Brewery from me and the rest of our highly skilled management team. From his attempt to get me to die of a heart attack by running the Beer Drinker’s Marathon, to his reign of tyranny during the failed one-day experiment called ‘Rippe is President for a Day,’ to his repeated attempts to court and subsequently wed Richard McIntyre’s daughter as a way of inheriting control of the brewery and finally, this latest attempt at a bloodless coup by enlisting the ranks of the Republic it has become clear that the truth must be exposed about Mr. Rippe.

Yes, it is true:I edited Chris’ last newsletter. He was looking for some way of getting across his half-baked ‘I nothing you’ concept.’ Last time I checked, unless you are a robot, it’s impossible to have a completely neutral reaction to someone. In reality, Chris doesn’t nothing me. He has great ambivalence toward me, but certainly not indifference. In his moments of clarity and wisdom, he admires me and is inspired to develop his leadership and writing skills to a higher plane. He even looks up to me as a father figure. In his dark moments of evil and conspiracy he has the greatest contempt for me and tries to pit you and the faithful here at the brewery against me.

Another reason I edited the last newsletter was that Chris was practicing censorship himself. A clear case of Greenwashing was brought to our attention by someone and he didn’t want to give him the time of day. Yes, the young lad may have been a little overzealous, and yes he may have appeared to be a little disgruntled about his separation from the very firm he was accusing of duping the public about their environmental claims, but all he was asking for was dialogue about an idea he had to help Flying Dog and other breweries become more green. Chris wouldn’t give him the time of day, but I met with him and I assure you his concept has both merit and promise.

At the end of the day, I edited his newsletter because it just wasn’t that interesting. So what does he do? Stir up the shit and try to portray ME as the fascist propagandist. Well, just as he challenged me, I now challenge him: Come out from behind your cloak of secrecy and lies and let the rest of the employees of Flying Dog Brewery tell the Republic what is really going on. I urge you to support this cause so the truth about Mr. Rippe can be exposed. The future of the brewery depends on it, and if Dr. Gonzo were here today, he would also urge you to speak up and let others beside Chris write our newsletter.

In Dog We Trust, Eric Warner

Till next time, cheers!
Chris