GABF Beer Dinner @ Brauns Bar & Grill in Denver, September 26

Last year during GABF we had a beer dinner at Brauns Bar & Grill in Denver. It was so awesome that we’ve decided to host another beer dinner there this time around. We’re offering you a five course meal with Flying Dog beer pairings for only $35.95, which is a tremendous steal during these cash-strapped times.

GABF Beer Dinner at Brauns Bar & Grill
Saturday, September 26th at 6:30PM
Brauns Bar & Grill
1055 Auraria Parkway
Denver, Colorado 80204

Take a look at the event page for more information, including the menu with Flying Dog beer pairings. Or, buy your ticket online right now. Seating is limited, so don’t delay - you may miss out.

Let’s Party At FBAG (Not To Be Confused With D-Bag)

FBAG, our 2nd annual (and free) party during GABF, is going to be bad ass! Short for “Flying Dog, Brats & Gonzo”, FBAG attracted over 750 thirsty Flying Dog enthusiasts last year, and we’re expecting more of the same this time ’round.

We’ll be pouring our very special 20th Anniversary beer, so come be some of the first people to ever try this unique beer. Intrigued? Find out more at FBAG.

We’ll also be cooking our world-famous Gonzo Bratwurst for you, and live music will once again be provided by Denver’s own Rob Drabkin Band.

Check out HD video from last year if you have any doubts about showing up this year.

FBAG - Flying Dog, Brats & Gonzo
Friday, September 25th, 2009
3-6 PM
Flying Dog Brewery’s Denver Office
2401 Blake Street (enter on S. Side of building)
Denver, Colorado 80205

Just In Case GABF Wasn’t Enough Beer For You, We’re Doing Events During Denver Beer Fest

Denver is the latest city to jump on the “Beer Week” bandwagon, with Denver Beer Fest. The 9-day Beer Fest kicks off this weekend, and runs all the way through the Great American Beer Festival. Flying Dog Brewery is excited to take part in the festivities, with some great events coming up over the next couple weeks.

September 20, 2009: Broncos Kick Off Party @ The Paramount Cafe

September 22, 2009: Battle Of the Brews @ The Paramount Cafe (Meet our QC & Sensory Goddess Gwen Conley)

September 23, 2009: Meet The Brewer @ Falling Rock Tap House

GonzoFest: So That Happened

GonzoFest rocked everyone’s socks off. We had a sold-out crowd of 3,000 people flock to our Frederick, Maryland brewery last Saturday to party with Flying Dog Brewery. We sampled all our beers, had tons of great live music and held an epic Hunter S. Thompson lookalike contest.

There’s so much that needs to be talked about; we’ll be posting some photos and video to flyingdognews.com in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for what went down. Long story short, people had a great time and we were super stoked that so many great fans of Flying Dog came to party with us, Gonzo style.

In the meantime, check out a very Hunter S. Thompson-esque blog entry about GonzoFest at dcbeer.com: Beer and Loathing (and chili nachos) at Gonzofest

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh

Sample Our New 20th Anniversary Brew, And Come To Our Beer Dinner

Flying Dog Brewery got into this beer racket in 1990 in the form of a small brewpub in Aspen, Colorado. For those of you who aren’t mathematically inclined, that means 2010 marks our 20th anniversary. For those of you who are more familiar with dog years, you could say it’s our 93rd anniversary, making us one of the oldest craft breweries around (which admittedly sounds like fuzzy math). That being said, we’re starting off our 20th anniversary celebratory year a little early. Join us in Denver for GABF next month to help us kick off a year full of festivities.

Great American Beer Festival tickets are going fast. So fast, in fact, that Friday night and Saturday Afternoon sessions are already SOLD OUT. So if you want to come, buy your tickets for Thursday or Saturday night. STAT.

As we mentioned two weeks ago, we’re once again throwing our incredibly bad ass (and free) FBAG party on Friday, September 25th (3-6PM). Join upwards of 1000 people at our FBAG party, and be some of the first people to sample our brand-spanking-new 20th Anniversary beer.

Like last year, we’ll be making our famous Gonzo Beer Brats for you to enjoy while you walk around and sample our award-winning ales. Also like last year, FBAG is a stop on the BeerAdvocate Pub Crawl. We had the Alström brothers and their huge mass of pub crawlers swing by to spice things up (especially since they started drinking well before noon), and looking forward to it again this time around. Music will be provided by Rob Drabkin and his band, as they totally rocked last year’s FBAG (watch this HD video to see what last year was like).

A quick note that we’ll be hosting a beer dinner at Brauns Bar & Grill in Denver the Saturday of GABF. We’ll have ticket purchasing information at flyingdognews.com. Check out the menu at the event page of our website.

Go Gonzo(Fest)

We’re still giving you the chance to save $10 on your GonzoFest ticket, but GonzoFest is rapidly approaching! We’re only about 2 weeks away from our annual Throwdown in Frederick Maryland on September 12. So click on the image above to go to our secure ordering site and get your tickets before time runs out. We’ve also secured discounted hotel rooms the weekend of GonzoFest (although deals can also be found on Hotwire/Travelocity/Kayak-type sites): Courtyard Marriott ($99/night)
Holiday Inn at Francis Scott Key Mall ($99/night)
Hilton Garden Inn ($99/night)
Another cool thing is that we’ve partnered with Yellow Cab of Frederick. On Sept. 12, mention Gonzofest when you get picked up by a Yellow Cab of Frederick taxi and get a $10 fare between downtown and the Brewery ($10 total fare, max. of 4 people). We want you to drink responsibly, so please use designated drivers and taxis.
We’re also conducting our Hunter S. Thompson lookalike contest, and awesome Gonzo-themed prizes will be given to some of the best costumes. So start putting your outfit together. Need inspiration? This is a good place to start.

And as you probably know, GonzoFest admission includes: Beer, Music, Souvenir Mug, Chili Competition Samples and all-around Good Karma: A portion of the proceeds benefit United Way of Frederick County.

We’re really excited for GonzoFest this year, get more information and buy tickets at our GonzoFest website.

Work With The Ingredients You Have To Come Up With Something Delicious: An Interview With Lucy Saunders At beerdinners.com

Do you ever eat food and drink beer at the same time? (That’s a stupid question, actually, because who doesn’t like that shit?) Well, if you’re in the 100% of people who answered yes, you should be checking out beerdinners.com, our website dedicated to pairing great craft beer with great food.

Last week we posted a recent interview we conducted with Lucy Saunders, one of the most respected beer and food writers around. Aside from writing some wonderful books about beer and food, she’s also an accomplished cook. Check out our interview over at beerdinners.com.

Beer and Loathing in Columbus, Ohio

Studio 35 is Columbus, Ohio’s oldest independent movie theater and draft house. Recently, Studio 35 showed Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and featured a plethora of Flying Dog beer on tap. We found out about this via Studio 35’s twitter site. We were also contacted via twitter by Shaun Adams, who attended the event. He snapped some photos and was nice enough to answer a few questions about the venue, the beer, and the experience of watching Fear & Loathing while drinking beer inspired by the late, great Dr. Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson.

Read our interview with Shaun over at flyingdognews.com

Cheers! Until next time, -Josh

P.S.: We asked Ralph Steadman for some fun art this week and below is what he passed on to us. Here’s his caption (and another reason we love you, Ralph). “Here is a mean face t give to your imbibers as though the world owed them a living. They are only owed one beer. After that they pay!!!”

GonzoFest or Bust

Tickets for our 2nd Annual GonzoFest are officially on sale and selling briskly. If you buy your tickets online before one of the biggest blowouts in all of Maryland, you can save $10. But if you’re a slacker, we totally understand - and will subsequently charge you an extra ten bucks at the door. But it’s your call. Plus, if you wait to buy your GonzoFest ticket, they may sell out before you can buy one. Which would seriously suck, because we want to party with you. Yes, you. Buy your GonzoFest ticket now.

There will obviously be some award-winning craft beer on hand, and there will also be the Hard Times Cafe; Chili Cook-Off (for the Maryland State Championship). Something that we’re also especially stoked about this year is the musical lineup. Just so you know, the music is going to rock your socks off.

…soihadto… - Are you an Ace of Cakes fan? Because Duff’s band …soihadto… is our headlining act this year. I haven’t seen them live, but listening to their Myspace samples and seeing them play in Alaska in an episode of Ace of Cakes lets me know they’re total bad asses. From their site, “If any one thing brought the members of …soihadto… together, it’s the belief that music isn’t simply meant to be listened to, it’s to be experienced.”

Mark Bryan and Friends - Mark Bryan is from a band you might have heard of called Hootie and the Blowfish. And he’s getting together with some of his good buddies to help us celebrate GonzoFest. Check out Mark’s Myspace page for some samples and find out what he’s up to now.

Freddie Long Band - Freddie is a longtime friend of Flying Dog Brewery. The Freddie Long Band has played numerous events for Flying Dog, including last year’s GonzoFest. In fact, he’s featured in our GonzoFest video from last year. A diverse mix of originals and covers make for a high energy set. We’re super excited to welcome Freddie and his band back to GonzoFest.

Flying Dog’s Own Uncle Rocko - We are super excited to have some brewery representation on the stage this year. We’re not entirely sure what to expect, but we know they’re a great rock band headed by our very own Jeffrey Poehler. Jeffrey kept everyone entertained with his talent at our beach getaway a couple weekends ago, and we can’t wait to see how he kicks off GonzoFest for us.

Tweener Music Provided By ToeKnee - Our Packaging Master Tony Shoopman is going to be spinning records between every set and I’m sure he’ll be entertaining you with an extensive collection of vinyl.

And as you probably know, admission includes: Beer, Music, Souvenir Mug, Chili Competition Samples and all-around Good Karma: A portion of the proceeds benefit United Way of Frederick County.

GABF & FBAG: The Hoppiest Palindrome That’s Ever Existed

What do you get when 40,000 people congregate in Denver to celebrate beer? A huge gigantic beer party, that’s what. The Great American Beer Festival is just around the corner, happening September 24-26. Tickets are going fast. If you’re an AHA Member, snap up your Saturday ticket ASAP, because you’ll be shit out of luck soon (87% are sold already). Tickets for other sessions are selling quickly, and you don’t want to miss out on 3 days of hopsanity (plus an official sponsor this year is the Simpsons - getting drunk with Homer sounds great).

If you’re coming to Denver, mark on your calendar that Flying Dog’s 2nd Annual FBAG party is happening again on Friday, September 25th from 3-6PM. FBAG (aside from being GABF backwards, and an abbreviation for something that’s a little bit naughty, if you know what I’m talking about) stands for “Flying Dog, Brats & Gonzo” and last year’s FBAG shenanigans was probably the most well-attended event of the week (besides GABF). We were expecting about 300 folks, and 750 of you happened to show up and have fun while drinking Flying Dog Beer, eating Gonzo Beer Brats and listening to some great live music.

We’re deep in the planning stages for FBAG and will have full details for you in two weeks. We have some really special announcements to announce, but the short story is that you won’t want to be missing this.

Beer & BBQ Backyard Bash @ Barefoot Bernie’s: Tastiest. Alliteration. Ever.

Flying Dog English 101 continues here with some of the best alliteration that you can consume. Flying Dog Brewery is a sponsor of the Brew & BBQ Backyard Bash At Barefoot Bernie’s in nearby Hagerstown, MD. We’re sponsoring one of the stages (The Dog House) and there will be some pretty awesome music at our stage.

Dimestore Profit
Josh Morningstar

Also scheduled to play at Brew & BBQ are Better Than Ezra and Diesel.

This event isn’t just a huge party, it also benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Sunday, August 23, 2009, gates open at 2:00 PM
$25, rain or shine
901 Dual Highway
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(302) 797-4424

We Did Our Part To Try To Bring Craft Beer To The White House, Did You?

Last time, we told you all about the Beer Summit in Washington, DC. Well, after we got the newsletter out, we had a great idea. Since we’re only 42 miles from the White House, we decided to make some signs and get a bunch of folks from the Brewery to cruise down to 1600 Pennsylvania to let El Presidente know that we were close to town, and we wanted to play a part. So about 20 Flying Dog employees piled into our Winnebago, aka our corporate vehicle, and cruised down there. Not so much to protest, but more to get the message of “Craft Beer being awesome” out there

As one of the closest breweries to DC, we felt it was our responsibility to try to represent our Craft Beer brethren across the country. So we organized peacefully and screamed things like “Beer, Not Bombs” and “What do we want? Craft Beer! When do we want it? Now!” out in front of the home of the most powerful man in the world. Thankfully, nobody got arrested, and we were as orderly as a mass of punk rock-loving beer makers could be.

We’d like to think that at the “Beer Summit 2: Electric Boogaloo” that Flying Dog Brewery will be represented, but it’s also up to you to help us out. Write your local congressman and tell them about the great things you’re doing, like how you’re purchasing American-owned and American-made craft beer, which helps out the economy.

Check out a really short video as proof that we actually went there and yelled a little bit.

#flyingdogfriday - A Weekly Contest on Twitter

We had an idea last week to start something we are calling #flyingdogfriday. Each week we’ll ask you a question on twitter with no absolute correct answer, and you reply to us. The winner gets a prize. Last week’s underhanded slow pitch question du jour was this: What’s your favorite @flyingdog beer and why?

A couple hundred responses later, we have picked a winner. @knownhuman wins for his tweet (which was actually the first response):

@flyingdog Snake Dog, because it’s hopped with pure awesome.

The runners-up were @datingdad, @jbaredesign and @kipsteele. Congratulations for not actually winning, but we liked your responses anyhow. See all the responses here, and use the “newer” link to scroll through the whole day’s @replies.

While you’re slacking off at work this coming Friday, check out our twitter page and maybe do some winning of your own.

Cheers! Until next time,
     -Josh

Go Gonzo For GonzoFest

It’s that time of the year when we throw a ridiculously massive party at our brewery. A party where a couple or three thousand of our best friends come out to drink Flying Dog beer, listen to great live music, eat award-winning chili, and help out a local charity.

Yes, I’m talking about GonzoFest - Flying Dog Brewery’s annual throwdown on September 12th, 2009 from 3-9PM.

We told you last year that if you missed GonzoFest, you’d “be in a state of self-loathing for months,” - and all of you who missed it know that we were being serious. Wondering what you missed? Below are two HD videos that will help explain the kind of awesomely good time we had last year (except for the guy in the 2nd video, he was probably hurting for a few days).

Discounted tickets for GonzoFest are available in advance online starting this Saturday, August 1st. Just cruise to the GonzoFest page of our website and click the link to buy tickets.

We’ve got some fun shit happening at GonzoFest this year:

• Hunter S. Thompson Lookalike Contest - win Gonzo prizes for the best Hunter costume, one of the prizes is a bottle of Flying Dog beer signed by Gonzo co-conspirator Ralph Steadman

• Hard Times Cafe Chili Cookoff (for the 2009 Maryland State Championship)

• Awesome bands this year, including …soihadto… - the band that Duff from the Food Network show Ace of Cakes is in - see the full lineup at the Gonzofest home page

Admission includes: Beer, Music, Souvenir Mug, Chili Competition Samples and all-around Good Karma: A portion of the proceeds benefit United Way of Frederick County.

Drink ‘Til You Tweet

Free beer, no shit. Announcing the best Denver TweetUp that’s ever TweetedUp.

Are you a Twitter user? We’re working with some of the coolest dogs on the block to bring you the next installment of the #denvertweetup! Join @thebigklosowski, @redheadwriting and @flyingdog for an August 13th TweetUp (6-8PM) at our warehouse (2401 Blake Street, two blocks north of the baseball stadium). So come drink free beer for a few hours and then come out on a LoDo pub crawl with us afterwards.

We’ll also be accepting a suggested $5 donation for the Food Bank of the Rockies. We won’t be mad if you don’t donate, but don’t come crying to us when a piano falls on your head because of the negative Karma for not helping the hungry.

Click here to reserve your free tickets. Yeah, you need a ticket to get in, even though the event is free.

Help Improve Relations Between The United States and The People’s Republic of Flying Dog

You probably heard about some shit that went down in Cambridge, MA last week. One of Harvard’s most respected professors was arrested for “breaking into” his own house. And President Obama got involved. We’re not going to say who was right and who was wrong, because we’re people who get paid to make beer.

Tomorrow, President Obama will be hosting both Professor Gates and Officer Crowley at the White House to talk about what went wrong and how we as a society can avoid these sorts of issues. We at Flying Dog appreciate that three men can get together and work on settling their differences over a beer.

But we wish that the beer they were drinking was produced more locally. Many craft beer enthusiasts preach the phrase “Think Globally, Drink Locally.” With the President having to think on a global scale, we ask him to heed the “drink locally” aspect of the phrase. Flying Dog beer is brewed just 42 miles from the White House, and there’s no better way to preach “American Economic Recovery” than to drink award-winning beer produced within a stone’s throw of your (White) House.

If you agree with our reasoning, send an email to the White House to let them know that Flying Dog Brewery is just up the road in scenic Frederick, Maryland. We’d be happy to provide the beer for future White House Happy Hours. We are thinking that President Obama would be a Tire Bite fan. And with more than 15 styles of beer, we’re sure to have something to scratch every world leader’s itch.

So let’s work towards building a strong and healthy relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of Flying Dog.

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh

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

Celebrate Your Beer Independence

Independence comes in many forms. For instance, Flying Dog Brewery has been bucking the trends of what it is to be a craft brewery since we started in 1990. Plus craft beer is as American as apple pie and Uncle Sam put together. Everything started about 233 years ago, when our Founding Fathers also decided that they weren’t going to take any more shit from anyone. People like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin broke from the centuries-old tradition and brought back the long-forgotten concept of Democratic society, and I don’t think I need to tell you about how successful that was. The parallels to Flying Dog are obvious, as we’ve broken the mold of what the traditional brewery should be, in both our award-winning taste as well as our Gonzo labels. We can only hope that the People’s Republic of Flying Dog lasts as long as this great Republic of the United States.

So this July 4th, celebrate your Beer Independence by cruising out to your local beer-selling establishment and pick up some Flying Dog beer. Celebrate your Gonzo ideals of questioning everything and holding people to a high standard in hopes of making this world we live in just a little more fair for everyone, which truly is the Democratic dream, no? It’s either that or scoring chicks, I can’t remember (but I’ve heard that Franklin was especially adept at wooing the ladies, if you get my meaning).

Flying Dogs Take Manhattan

Do you live in or near Manhattan? If you do, you’re going to want to go to the Blind Tiger on Bleecker Street on July 8th. We’ll be on hand and will be pouring more than 15 of our styles starting about 4PM. If you’re a craft beer lover and you live in New York, this is something you’re not going to want to miss.

So cut out of work early and come drink bunches of different Flying Dog brews, and then maybe call in, ahem, sick the next day. More information is available at the event page on our website.

Get To Know Gonzo - Part 1: Ancient Gonzo Wisdom Comes Straight From The Horse’s Mouth

Anita Thompson, as you probably know, is the widow of Hunter S. Thompson. She recently edited a book called Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson, which compiles 400 pages of interviews with the famed Dr. Gonzo (many never-before-available) starting all the way back in 1967. It’s nice to get new content from Hunter, four years after his death. Here’s a nice write-up in Alarm Magazine, and you can buy the book here at Amazon.

Get To Know Gonzo - Part 2: A Little Guilt Tripping Goes A Long Way

A few weeks ago I threw down the gauntlet after this lack of contest-entering that had occurred. You, the People’s Republic of Flying Dog, came through for me by sending in bunches of answers to what is probably the easiest test you’ve ever taken since multiplication tables in 2nd grade. Your task (if you chose to accept it) was to watch a great documentary produced by the venerable BBC and tell me why you liked it. Without further ado, here are the winning entries:

• The Winning Entry (garnering a 50% discount at our newly redesigned online store) comes from Crystal A. Sherman for the following:

We finished our drinks and climbed up the dirt hill. It was getting dark and the countdown had begun. Down the hill and across the street was the Woody Creek Tavern. Tavern patrons were gathered at the top of the hill. There was some guy with underwear on his head, drunk and handing out flavored vodka shots to all takers; lots of cameras, and video recorders. The red drape was pulled down and the fist was flashing green. Fireworks and Explosions and Cheers. Then it was over and they all left immediately to go back down the hill to the tavern. We didn’t believe it was over yet. It was grand, we thought, but not grand enough. Just the two of us and a guy dressed all in blue-jeans. We waited for the real explosion across the valley that would catch everyone else off guard but it never happened. We finally slid down the hill and went back to the tavern. Then Sheriff Braudis and I tried to go through the tavern door at the same time and bounced off of each other. I didn’t need a camera though, I took pictures in my head.

That makes the funeral arrangements the best part of Gonzovision. The rest of the film is some documentary-makers making Hunter nervous. The real shit is Hunter looking at the mountains in his backyard and knowing that his wishes were carried out…and that I was there.

What I like about this is that it incorporates footage from the movie with footage from Crystal’s life. It can’t be beat. The next couple folks came close, though, for other reasons.

•The Runners-Up (also known as those who won, but less so, and receive a 25% discount at our online store) are Sean Gagnon and Greg Long.

Sean’s entry: My favorite section is in part 2, where Hunter and Steadman are driving from Vegas to Hollywood and the car starts acting-up, and Hunter reacts accordingly. I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw that. (especially when he’s just trying to get out of the little traffic jam at the light) I think that is a good example of what people are talking about when they say that Hunter was always unpredictable but could always make you laugh.

Greg’s entry (which also wins the “Brevity Award”): Did that stewardess really say they were offering nickel beers on the flight to Aspen???!!! That is one damn civilized airline!

Thanks to all who entered. And if you think you could have done better, just remember that the world is run by those who show up, so think about that next time.

—

We’ll be bringing you something Gonzo-themed from the world each time the newsletter comes out. Have a link to send us? Email it to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com.

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh

Flying Dog Gearing Up To Invade Boston For American Craft Beer Festival

Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride through Boston in April 1775 is an integral part of American history that is taught in elementary schools everywhere. Revere instructed Robert Newman (of the old North Church, which was probably the New North Church back then) to hang one lantern if the British were coming by land, and two if they were coming across the Charles River. Newman put out two lanterns, and Paul Revere told everyone of the British plan. This famous ride was immortalized in a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

It’s a good thing the Brits didn’t have access to Flying Dogs for their invasion force because it’s tough to fight something that instills fear in all who gaze upon its magnificent bat-like wings and vicious, toothy growl.

If the Red Coats came by Flying Dog, we’d all probably be speaking with an English accent, drinking pints of bitters and saluting some old wrinkly dude with a crown, because obviously no army wielding Flying Dogs has ever been defeated on the battlefield. We’d all also probably be insanely passionate about soccer games, and when we went out, we’d have these funny white powdered wigs on our heads. But we’d also have afternoon tea every day.

Get ready to put out three lanterns this weekend, because The People’s Republic of Flying Dog is invading Boston for Beer Advocate’s American Craft Beer Fest. We’ll be among the 60+ amazing Craft Beer Mongers pouring beer. We’re bringing Gonzo Imperial Porter, Double Dog Double Pale Ale, Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale and Woody Creek White to serve all the thirsty folks in attendance.

So come by and say hey, and don’t forget to drink a few award-winning Flying Dog ales. We’ll be taking photos of festivalgoers and posting them to our Twitter account throughout the weekend. You’ll be pretty famous after we’ve tweeted about you.

Get To Know Gonzo: The Gonzovision Test Isn’t Over, But You’re All Getting Failing Grades

You’ve all had two weeks to write a few short sentences about the Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision video and email it to me. It’s as simple as that. Sadly, none of you have written back. For shame! This is a great documentary that should be required viewing for every Gonzo enthusiast!

So we’re going to sweeten the deal.

Best response to the question below gets 50% off in our online store and the two next best responses get 25% off. You have one week left. This is ridiculously easy, and while you are trying to win, you might also learn something about what it’s like to be Gonzo in the process.

Question: What was your favorite part of the video?

Email your answers (two or three sentences long) to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com and I’ll put the best answers into this section in an upcoming newsletter. If we publish your response, the reward will be a discount to our online store, but even better, you’ll be earning the respect of your follow citizens of the People’s Republic of Flying Dog.

Here are links to the movie again.

Fear And Loathing In Gonzovision: Part 1     Part 2     Part 3

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We’ll be bringing you something Gonzo-themed from the world each time the newsletter comes out. Have a link to send us? Email it to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com.

Herman’s Hideaway During Free Friday

On Friday, June 26th, Flying Dog Brewery will be sponsoring Herman’s Hideaway’s Free Friday in Denver. This particular event is featuring local Colorado reggae bands, including Lion SoulJahs, Desciples, Fatty Jenkins and Mono Verde. Herman’s, if you don’t know, is a Denver music institution where many great Colorado bands get their start.

The show is free, doors open at 7PM and the bands start at 8PM. Old Scratch Amber Lager and Tire Bite Golden Ale are the featured beers for the evening, and are only $3 per pint! See you there, brah. Please note the sarcasm in the previous sentence.

Flying Dog Poster Contest

Just a little friendly reminder that our poster contest is still happening. You’ve got two months to pick up a rad (and FREE) poster at participating retailers, take a photo of you and your poster hung up somewhere, and enter it in our contest. Check out the contest page for more information. Let’s see some Gonzo creativity, folks!

Art of the Week: They Say Nobody Likes A Copycat, But We Think That They’re OK.

We brought you Tyler’s Flying Dog tattoo last time around and here’s something along those lines. Just around the time we heard from Tyler, we were unleashing our Flying Dog temporary tattoos at festivals and other events. Beerslinger Joe Gomez was at the 18th Annual Stoudt’s Microfest last week, and people went a little nutty with tattoo envy.

Everyone was trying to one-up everyone else. This sort of tattoo escalation is OK in our books. Plus it’s better than trying to one-up everyone in bed, if you get my meaning. Because the person who wins that contest, in reality, turns out to be the loser. But that’s what free clinics are for (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Here’s the rest of the photos.

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh

Nothing Says Father’s Day Like A Little Doggie Style (T-Shirt) From Flying Dog Brewery

Father’s Day is right around the corner. There are a few ways to handle this. You can either expect a tie or boxer shorts from your wife and kids, but doesn’t that get a little old?

The other way to make sure you get a bad-ass gift is to buy yourself some Flying Dog Merchandise from our brand new online store and ship it to yourself. Then go buy a card, write it to yourself, wrap it and present it to yourself on Father’s Day, on behalf of your loved ones. Because who knows what you want better than you do?

Along with the launch of our spiffy new website, we’ve also recently relaunched our online store. We know that you haven’t been able to satisfy your itch for Flying Dog merch recently, so here’s your chance. Look for more new items to be popping up in the near future.

Are you looking for specific merchandise? Leave us a suggestion on our website by selecting either the “Contact The Dog” tab on the right, or the “Feedback” button on the left. We want to hear from you!

Get To Know Gonzo: Pick Up Your Pencils, It’s The Gonzovision Test

Did you watch Fear & Loathing in Gonzovision from the last newsletter? I said there would be a test, and that’s a threat I’m willing to follow through with. Don’t worry, though, it’s an easy one and there aren’t really any wrong answers.

Question: What was your favorite part of the video?

Email your answers (a couple sentences long) to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com and I’ll put the best answers into this section in an upcoming newsletter. If we publish your response, the reward will be a nice discount to our online store. But even better, you’ll be earning the respect of your follow citizens of the People’s Republic of Flying Dog. The deadline for responses is Wednesday, June 24 and we’ll put the best answers in the July 1 newsletter.

Didn’t watch? Here are links to it again.

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3

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We’ll be bringing you something Gonzo-themed from the world each time the newsletter comes out. Have a link to send us? Email it to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com.

Free Flying Dog Poster At Participating Retailers (And A Contest!)

It’s summertime and the living is easy. Especially when you can pick up a 6-pack of Flying Dog, your favorite beer.

Look for a FREE poster with our display at selected retailers in your area. And when you take a photo of you and the poster hung up in a creative place or in a creative way, you might just win something cool, like a Flying Dog flag.

Read more (and see all the rules and regulations) on our contest page.

Savor’s Flavor

This past weekend was the 2nd annual Savor event. A few thousand folks came together to drink the country’s best craft beer paired with a wide variety of gourmet food. As with last year, we sent a large contingent down to Washington, DC to meet consumers and pour our award-winning beer.

Gwen Conley, our Quality Control and Sensory Goddess had this to say:

The Passion Fruit-Mango Mousse Cups that were paired with Woody Creek White were AWESOME! People also really loved our Woody Creek White paired with the Chicken Breast a la Blanche de Chambly (which was chicken skewers with a goat cheese sauce). The Maytag Blue Cheese was excellent as well. That was paired with a lot of different things but really was good with any of the Double IPA’s.

Gwen’s husband Bill was on camera-duty the whole evening, and we made a Flickr photoset with the images here. Don’t miss the interesting fellow they met on the Metro after the event.

Art of the Week: Ralph Steadman Isn’t The Only Ink Slinger We Know

Art of the Week is a little different this week. We got a tweet last week from Tyler Broadrick of Lake Oconee, Georgia. He told us that he got something special. In this case, it’s a tattoo on his back.

We talked a little with Tyler, and here’s what he had to say about us:

I got the tattoo mainly because of my love for Flying Dog’s ales and that it was designed by Ralph Steadman. I also like the design of the Flying Dog wings and the story behind Flying Dog’s birth. I love both Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman and enjoyed the connection between them and the brewery. I am a fan of the Snake Dog IPA, Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, Tire Bite Golden Ale, Woody Creek White, Dogtoberfest Marzen among many others. What I like most about Flying Dog Brewery is your originality and its background. Flying Dog ales stand alone in terms of taste and originality.

Do you have some Flying Dog art on your person? Let us know with an email and we’ll post some of the cool ones in future newsletters.

Cheers! Until next time, -Josh

DC Craft Beer Week Is Coming Up Fast

Washington, DC is a lot of things. To some, it’s the capital of democracy and freedom. To others, it’s a heaping pile of garbage, showcasing the Burearacracy and pork-barrel spending of massive governments who have lobbyists in their back pockets.

To us, it’s a great place to drink beer, all the while questioning anything and everything, HST-style (Hunter lived in DC while he was covering the 1972 Presidential election). Plus it’s in our backyard, being about an hour from our Frederick, Maryland brewery.

With that in mind, we’d like to tell you all about DC Craft Beer Week. We’ve got a plethora of events happening next week.

Make sure you check out our DC Tweetup event on the 27th. We’ll be giving away some awesome shit, and the first 50 to show up get a free pint glass. Plus, you can meet my boss. Make sure to tell him what an amazing job I’m doing.

Monday, May 25
• Craft Beer Trivia Night - 7PM @ Fado - 808 7th St NW.

Tuesday, May 26
• Meet the Flying Dog Brewers - 7PM @ the Brickskeller - 1523 22nd St NW. Drink a wide range of our more experimental and aggressive brews, like Dog Schwarz, our über-limited Belgian IPA, Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter (plus more).
• SAVOR sampling - 6:30-9:30 @ RFD - 810 7th Street NW. Join Flying Dog and 12 other breweries for a sampling.

Wednesday, May 27
• DC Tweetup - 6PM @ Luna Grill & Diner, 1301 Connecticut Ave NW (DuPont Circle). We’re having a Tweetup in DC at Luna Grill and Diner on May 27 at 6pm. Everyone who comes to the Tweetup will get one complimentary Flying Dog beer and be registered to win some sweet Flying Dog Swag. We’ll even throw in a free Flying Dog Pint Glass for the first 50 people through the door!
• Capitol Hill Craft Beer Bar Tour - 6PM, starting @ Hawk ‘n Dove, 329 Pennsylvania Ave SE.

Thursday, May 28
• Flying Dog Promo Night - 6-9PM @ Bourbon in Glover Park - 2348 Wisconsin Ave NW.
• Meet the Brewers & Steal the Pint Glass - 4-9PM @ RFD - 810 7th Street NW. 4-7 is Doggie Drafts Happy Hour, and 7-9 Meet the Flying Dog Brewers & FD steal the pints
• Flying Dog Night at Reef - 5-Close @ The Reef, 244618th St NW, Adams Morgan. Happy Hour pricing on Flying Dog. A great bar with great food and an amazing rooftop patio.

Friday, May 29
• Roundtable Discussion with Craft Brewers - 9PM @ Pizzeria Paradiso, 3282 M St NW. End of the week Meet & Greet! Roundtable Discussion, Flying Dog Firkin on hand.

Saturday, May 30
• SAVOR Craft Beer Festival - 7:30-11PM @ National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW. The second year of the Brewer’s Association Festival geared around pairing great craft beer with great food.

Get To Know Gonzo #6: This Time In Stunning 1970s Gonzovision!

Yes, yes. I know I said I was going to bring you an interview with Ralph Steadman. Well, that didn’t exactly work out, but maybe next time we can bring it to you. Plus Hunter S. Thompson blew deadlines all the time. So this week, we’re bringing you a 30 year-old classic.


Fear & Loathing in Gonzovision was a BBC Documentary produced in 1978 chronicling Ralph Steadman & Hunter S Thompson. It’s about 54 minutes long, and you can crack open a Gonzo Imperial Porter and stream it online today while you’re at work. Just make sure to put some headphones on, and don’t blame us if you get busted.

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3

I think we may have brought this to you in a previous newsletter a few years back, but it’s so amazing that you’ll want to watch it again. But there’s going to be a quiz next newsletter, so pay attention.

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We’ll be bringing you something Gonzo-themed from the world each time the newsletter comes out. Have a link to send us? Email it to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com.

Ahoy, Matey! Bringing The Fear & Loathing Back To Sailing Races

One of the storied stories in the storybook history of the Hunter S. Thompson / Ralph Steaman collaboration is the time they went to cover the America’s Cup Race. If you read our newsletter on March 11, you’ve read about this incident.

So, you may be asking, how are we bringing back this form of immersive sailing reporting? A bunch of folks from the Brewery took the afternoon off and cruised down to scenic Annapolis, Maryland last Wednesday to participate in the Woodwind Wednesday Night Sailing Races.

The good news: We came in second in our class.
The bad news: There were two boats racing in our class.

But there’s more good news. We wore pirate patches and flew the Flying Dog flag prominently, instilling fear (and loathing) among our competitors, who probably thought we’d hijack their vessel if we caught up to them. Which is some damn good motivation to stay in the lead. From the photos, it seems like people were just hanging out and drinking beer the whole time. No wonder we lost!

Check out more photos here. Also, I wasn’t really sure how to fit this in, but here’s my favorite movie quote about sailboats.

Cheers! Until next time,
     -Josh

Celebrate El Seis De Mayo with Flying Dog Brewery

It’s El Seis de Mayo today. We’re assuming that you, the faithful People’s Republic of Flying Dog, are the type who don’t necessarily need an excuse to go out on a Tuesday to get shit-faced. But having Cinco De Mayo as an excuse helps explain your lack of productivity the next day at work. Like many of you, we at Flying Dog are nursing hangovers, too. But it’s ok, because we are professionals.

If you didn’t get the chance to celebrate last night, crack open a Doggie Style tonight (or if you’re really slick or adventurous, ask for it “a lo perrito“) to celebrate. After all, today is Hump Day (thus making Doggie Style the natural choice). So we’ve all got that going for us, which is nice.

Get To Know Gonzo #5:
Read more about Ralph Steadman

Last time we reintroduced you to our artist extraordinaire Ralph Steadman. Plus, since it was the Kentucky Derby last weekend, it only makes sense to talk more about Ralph. As you might recall, the 1970 Derby marked the first collaboration between gonzo co-conspirators Ralph Steadman and Hunter S. Thompson. Here are some cool links that we recently found online about Ralph. Expect an interview with Ralph next time around, folks.

Ralph wrote the foreword to Jerelle Kraus’ new book about the New York Times’ Op-Ed Cartoons called “All the Art That’s Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn’t): Inside the New York Times Op-Ed Page”. Read about the book here, buy it here.

• Here’s a good Salon.com interview with Ralph from 2000 - yes, all the way from back ’round the turn-of-the-century.

• It’s hard to talk about the art of Ralph Steadman without talking about Hunter S. Thompson, and vice versa. Here’s a Washington Post book review of “Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson” where Ralph is name-dropped liberally.

We’ll be bringing you something Gonzo-themed from the world each time the newsletter comes out. Have a link to send us? Email it to joshm {at} flyingdogales {dot} com.

George Stranahan Relaunches His Website

These must be the days of new websites. George Stranahan, if you didn’t already know, is the benevolent founder of Flying Dog Brewery. What you also might not know is that George is a prolific photographer, writer, publisher, and philanthropist.



George recently redesigned his personal website. Take a look around to see what George is all about. Recommended “must-read” sections:
• George’s Phlog (Photography Blog) is regularly updated. Check out George’s wonderful photographs, as well as the stories that accompany them.

• The “Chapters” section: Two years worth of blog entries give people an idea of what George is like, with entry titles like “One Hell of a Life“, “How to Suck Eggs“, and “Authority on Lunacy“.

So dig deep into our founder’s website, and come away having a better idea of what George Stranahan is all about.

Meet the Pack: Bob Malone Brews Your Beer

Bob Malone is our Head Brewer. We got an email after the last newsletter from someone purporting to be his friend, asking why we didn’t showcase Bob more. We want you to know that we’re listening when you’re speaking. So by reader request, here’s a Q&A with Mr. Malone.

• Who are you and what do you do??

I’m the grumpy old man that walks around and yells at people. I am the slave to the yeast, I live to keep it happy. My job description is this: It varies anywhere from “wonderful” to a “serious clusterfuck”. The only thing I can say about a typical day is that it isn’t going to be typical.

• Why does your picture on our employee page make you look like a dog? You’re not that hairy, right?

The world is full of pictures of ugly middle-aged men; why not put a little beauty in the world? That and the fact that I have no hair, so I wanted to look good.

• When did you realize that you wanted to brew beer for a living?

When I was 28 years old, having just moved back from Japan and interviewing for jobs in companies where the people didn’t look happy. I had just started home brewing and realized I needed to turn pro to support my habit. Oh…sorry, I meant “hobby”.

• Where else have you worked?

Have boots, will travel. I have worked in the following breweries: The Wild, Wild West Gambling Hall and Brewery, Rogue Ales, Star Brewing,
Echigo Beer, Otaru Beer, Backcountry Brewery, Big Buck Brewery, Copper Canyon, and the Wild Goose Brewery.

• What was working and living in Japan like?

Living in Japan was good, initially a lot of frustrations but most of those stemmed from not understanding the culture or speaking the language. The longer I was there, the less that became an issue, and the food is great. Working in Japan was a very interesting deal, things are done differently there - not better or worse, but certainly different. I learned how they were into consensus building but not really. It was a true education in every sense of the word.

• What do you like best about working for Flying Dog Brewery?

Dealing with all the people who help make me look like less of a whack-job and being able to make something as opposed to tearing something down. The act of making is far more challenging than the act of destruction. And I make beer, HELLO!

• What advice do you have for homebrewers who are hoping to turn their passion into a career?

Make sure your significant other makes a good living and completely understands that brewing is a lot of work, it has to be a labor of love or you are wasting your time.

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Want to learn more about one of the Flying Dog employees? Check out our Flying Dog Mutts page, and shoot us an email at bullshit@flyingdogales.com and ask! We’ll see what we can do.

Cheers! Until next time,
-Josh