Happy Birthday, Hunter

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.

Happy Birthday, Hunter S. Thompson

This Saturday marks the birthday of one Hunter S. Thompson. On July 18th, 1937, Hunter S. Thompson was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the man who invented the experimental and immersive form of journalism known as Gonzo Journalism. If you’re reading this, you probably have some idea about who Hunter was and what he stood for. If you want to learn more, buy this shit and get schooled a little.

Read:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Rum Diary: A Novel
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72
The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson
Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson

Watch:
Where The Buffalo Roam
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Gonzo: The Life & Work of Hunter S. Thompson
Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

Listen:
The Gonzo Tapes: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

We are honored to be associated with someone so influential, so we’re celebrating Hunter’s life in an extra special way. Yesterday we packaged a very limited run of something we like to call ESG: Extra Special Gonzo. What is the ESG, you ask? It’s the beer that won the GABF 2005 Silver Medal in the Experimental category. We start out with some Gonzo Imperial Porter and barrel-age it in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels. To make it even more Gonzo, we dose these barrels with some Brettanomyces yeast, which adds complexity and gives a Brett beer its trademark sour flavoring. After spending more than a year in these barrels (where the ESG continues to ferment and whiskey flavor is infused from the barrels), we package the beer in 750ml bottles and then hold it in our brewery for another few months, as it gets more awesome by the day.

Hunter would have been 72 on Saturday, and we want you to do something Gonzo this weekend to celebrate Hunter and his extraordinary life. Live near our brewery in Frederick, Maryland? Come to our Saturday tour this weekend and drink some Gonzo and maybe pick up some fun Gonzo treats. We’ll also be at the Breckenridge, Colorado Massive Beer Fest this weekend, and we’re pouring Gonzo in Hunter’s honor. If you’re not near us, go out and grab a 4-pack of Gonzo and learn more about who he was. If you do something special, we’d love to hear. Email me at joshm [at] flyingdogales [dot] com and tell me about it.

Four Great Flying Dog Events In Colorado Next Week Will Help Satisfy Your Gonzo Urge

Although we’re not talking about your urge to run for the Mayor of Aspen or join the Hell’s Angels, we’ve got four great Flying Dog events coming up next week to help satisfy your Gonzo urges:

Tuesday, July 21, 8PM: Widespread Tuesdays at Tooey’s Off Colfax
We’ll be on hand on Tuesday at Tooey’s (Colfax & Marion Street). Flying Dog will be on Special, and we’ll be giving away some swag to people who come and ask us for some. We’ll be the folks in the Flying Dog shirts.

Wednesday, July 22, 5-7:30PM: Meet the Brewers night at the Paramount Cafe
Flying Dog Senior VP of Brewery Operations Matt Brophy will be flying out from Maryland to be with you fine folks. We even have an über-special treat for Coloradans. We’ll have some of our brand new Wild Dog Belgian IPA on hand for you to sample. 5-7PM will be half-off Flying Dog beer; plus, the first 50 people in the door get a free pint glass.

Thursday, July 23, 6-8PM: Flying Dog Tweetup at the Blake Street Tavern
We’re having one of our exciting and famous Tweetups at the Blake Street Tavern on Thursday. Come down about 6PM and get a free pint glass and a voucher for a free Flying Dog beer, on us. There will be a bunch of folks who use Twitter around, so come and meet some people in your local Twitterhood. Are you interested in Twitter or new to the game? Don’t be shy. We have lots of good people come out every time.

Friday, July 24, 6-10PM: Summer Brew Fest at the Mile High Station
Day four of the “we’re doing tons of shit” week keeps on going at the Summer Brew Fest. Come drink beer with 1,500 other craft beer fans. Last year, we met Jeff Porn, who some in this office say is in the running for Flying Dog’s Number One Fan. Who will we be meeting this year? Hopefully you.

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh