Friday, January 4, 2013


Elite Brands Proudly Partners with Flying Dog Brewery


Elite Brands has joined forces with the eclectic Flying Dog Brewery.  The award winning brewery originally based in Aspen, and then Denver, Colorado has long been a favorite of Craft Beer aficionados. A witty and eccentric company culture inspired by the Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, and the artwork of Ralph Steadman provide this beer with a unique niche in the marketplace.  Elite is very excited to distribute Flying Dog product offerings state-wide.

In 1990, George Stranahan founded the Flying Dog Brewpub in Aspen, Colorado. Originally a brewpub, the operation expanded to a full-fledged Denver brewery (co-founded by George and his longtime friend and partner, Richard McIntyre) in 1994, and then to their current state-of-the-art brewing facility in Frederick, Maryland.

Flying Dog has taken home numerous accolades through their 18 year history of beer-making; the first was in 1991 for Flying Dog’s “Doggie Style”, winning “The Best Pale Ale in America” award at the Great American Beer Festival.

The iconic journalist Hunter s. Thompson introduced his lifelong friend and world-renowned artist Ralph Steadman to Flying Dog back in 1995.  Ralph has been creating art in his inimitable sty for Flying Dog ever since.  Flying Dog’s connection to Gonzo continues in many different ways, including its ongoing support of 
The Gonzo Foundation (TheGonzoFoundation.org).

Elite will initially be distributing five Flying Dog Brews: Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen, Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Snake Dog IPA, and UnderDog 
Atlantic Lager in addition to the Flying Dog Shock & Awe Variety Pack.

A Bit About the Beers

Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA Bitches come in a variety of forms, but there's never been something as sassy as Flying Dog's Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. An American IPA augmented with Belgian yeast, this 20th anniversary beer jumps out of the glass and nips at your taste buds with its delicate hop bitterness. At 8.3% ABV, this bitch is dangerously drinkable. Tropical fruit, sweet malt, and spicy citrus hops and Belgian yeast flavors. Clean bitter sweet with a spicy, dry finish.

Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale The Alpha of the pack, this brew is dry hopped with a load of Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. Doggie Style has enough hop character to satisfy hop-heads, but isn’t overpoweringly hoppy. It’s brilliant amber-copper color and pleasant malt flavor comes from the addition of Carastan malts.

Snake Dog India Pale Ale More cunning than a snake in the bush...Snake Dog India Pale Ale is a Colorado-style IPA, power hopped with specialty hops from the Pacific Northwest. This is the brewery’s hop monster, and the citrus fruit aroma will hypnotize the senses of the most hardcore of craft drinkers. 15 Plato, 60 IBU, Crystal Malt, Warrior and Columbus hops, and dry hopped with Columbus

UnderDog Atlantic Lager A light and refreshing beer with crisp hop character, this 4.7% “Atlantic Lager” is brewed with Wheat, Rye and Cara-Pils Malt, German yeast and Perle and Goldings hops. Crisp and clean with a good malty base and a nice bite in the finish.