(Press Release)

FREDERICK, MD—In an effort to further Maryland’s burgeoning hop growing industry, Flying Dog Brewery held the State’s first hop selection Monday, August 26.

Eight local growers submitted hops to be considered for Secret Stash, Flying Dog’s annual Harvest Ale that is brewed with locally-sourced ingredients. Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Columbus, Magnum, and Nugget hop varieties were all submitted.

“We wanted to replicate the process of how we select hops from large-scale production growers from the Pacific Northwest,” Flying Dog Brewmaster Matt Brophy said. “Not only does that ensure the highest quality hops for our beer, but it also provides in-depth feedback to our local growers that they can immediately apply to their business.”

Hop selection involves cutting into dried, compressed hops and rubbing the individual cones between your hands. This process allows the full aromatics of the hops to come through, which provides a good indication of the aromas and flavors it will impart on a beer.

“What we’re looking for is a combination of aromatics and the appropriate moisture level from the drying process,” Brophy said.

Brophy and a team of Flying Dog brewers evaluated all hops submitted, which were anonymously labeled. They chose to purchase Cascade hops from Black Locust Hops and Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, and Magnum hops from Organarchy Hops. Black Locust is located in Northern Baltimore County and Organarchy in Western Maryland.

“The hop industry in Maryland has come a long way in the last five years alone,” Brophy said. “And as the industry continues to grow, the quality of what is being produced becomes paramount.”

Flying Dog will also use estate Cascade hops grown on the brewery grounds.

Secret Stash Harvest Ale is being brewed today and will be available in late September.

BALTIMORE—The Super Bowl champions are kicking off their season with Maryland craft beer.

Flying Dog Brewery, out of Frederick, MD, will be the only Maryland-brewed craft beer available in M&T Bank Stadium throughout the 2013 season.

“It’s great to be back working with yet another progressive Maryland sports team,” Flying Dog CMO Ben Savage said, on the heels of its ongoing partnership with the Baltimore Orioles. “Our local teams see tremendous value in supporting Maryland-based products and businesses.”

A variety of Flying Dog beers will be available on draft in at storefronts in section 117 and 128.

And no beer-and-sports partnership is complete without a t-shirt. Flying Dog created a limited-edition spin on everyone’s favorite mascot with the Beers So Hard Tee, which is on sale now through the brewery’s website and gift shop.

FREDERICK, MD—The Truth can be bitter. But it’s also quite refreshing.

Flying Dog Brewery is releasing a brand-new beer, The Truth Imperial IPA, as a year-round addition to its portfolio. The Truth was developed alongside the brewery’s Single Hop Imperial IPA series of over a dozen beers – including Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe – released since 2010.

“Working with some of the most flavorful and obscure hop varieties for our Single Hop series gave us a great sense of the perfect hop blend for a bold, yet balanced Imperial IPA,” Matt Brophy, brewmaster and COO said. “This beer was over three years in the making.”

Warrior, Summit, CTZ, Citra, and Amarillo hops all contribute to the 120 IBUs in The Truth. The result is sharp hop bitterness with pine, bright citrus, and subtle stone fruit notes. A light malt backbone rounds out this Imperial IPA, which clocks in at 8.7% ABV.

New artwork by the iconic illustrator Ralph Steadman, a longtime friend of Flying Dog and Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, also accompanies The Truth.

Starting August 15, The Truth Imperial IPA will be available in Maryland and Washington, DC on draft and in 12-oz. bottle six packs.

FREDERICK, MD—With a homebrewer on his staff, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) said he thinks he drinks more craft beer than anyone else in the Senate.

And with a Doggie Style Pale Ale in hand, Sen. Cardin toured Flying Dog Brewery today as part of his “Made in Maryland” tour of companies that are supporting jobs in Maryland. After the tour, he hosted a roundtable discussion with Frederick County small business owners, including members of the Brewers Association of Maryland, in our taproom.

A member of the Senate Finance and Small Business committees, Sen. Cardin is also the sponsor of the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act). The bill, co-sponsored by 26 other Senators from both parties, would reduce the excise tax on small brewers, which has not been updated since 1976.

“Maryland craft brewers like Flying Dog have become anchors of their communities,” Sen. Cardin said. “With quality and innovative products, they are creating jobs and reinvesting in their local communities. I believe that the Federal government needs to be investing in industries that invest in America and create real jobs here at home. With more than 2,400 small and independent breweries currently operating in the U.S., now is the time to take meaningful action to help them continue to grow.”

According to the Brewers Association, craft breweries, like Flying Dog, are small, independent businesses that employ almost 110,000 employees nationwide and generate more than $3 billion in wages and benefits per year. However, these breweries pay more than $2.3 billion per year in business, personal, and consumption taxes.

In Flying Dog’s home state of Maryland, the 29 craft breweries paid a total of $213,267,800 in taxes last year after $94,899,800 of economic contributions to the state.

An economic impact study by Dr. John Friedman at Harvard University found that the Small BREW Act would generate $183.1 million in economic activity in the first year and create nearly 5,230 jobs nationwide.

Sen. Cardin emphasized that overall tax reform in the House of Representatives is necessary for the Small BREW Act to have a chance in the upcoming legislative session.

Frederick, MD

Style: Belgian-style dark ale

ABV: 10

Review: The nose has prune and molasses as well as vanilla and dates. The color is a beautiful amber brown. Very highly carbonated, with a little fig in the taste, finishing with a hint of heat.  St. Eadman is sweet, with a dried fruit taste. We recommend letting it warm up a little to get some of the carbonation out.

Frederick, MD

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 10

Staff Review: This beer pours a dark gold color, slightly lighter than most Imperial IPAs, however. The nose is very bright with lemon and grapefruit. Upon first sip, you get a slightly bready and grainy flavor. The hops hit intensely right away with the same citrus notes in the nose. This big boy finishes with some heat and huge bitterness that hangs on.

Previously, the Liquor Commission declared that Flying Dog’s speech – in the form of the name “Raging Bitch” and accompanying label imagery and text by renowned artist Ralph Steadman – endangered public safety and was harmful to any adult who might read the beer’s name on a restaurant menu.

“The Michigan Liquor Control Commission’s involuntary reversal of opinion is a victory for craft beer,” Flying Dog CEO and General Partner Jim Caruso said. “Now, the great people of Michigan are no longer denied access to Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Flying Dog’s top-selling beer. But the fight for First Amendment rights in Michigan continues to rage on.”

Though the Michigan Liquor Control Commission has now approved the sale of Raging Bitch in the state, Flying Dog has no interest in dropping the First Amendment lawsuit. With the support of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise and the law firm of Gura & Possessky, Flying Dog originally filed suit in U.S. District Court on March 25 not only to overturn the Michigan Liquor Control Commission’s regulation banning Raging Bitch, but also to deem their ability to ban any beer label that they find offensive unconstitutional. Additionally, the suit seeks to recover damages from the loss of Flying Dog sales under the rule.

“We’re glad that the people of Michigan are now free to decide for themselves whether Flying Dog’s beer labels are, like the beer, in good taste. Our lawsuit forced the Liquor Commissioners to see at least some of the light. But the litigation won’t end until the Commissioners accept responsibility for the damage they’ve caused by violating the First Amendment,” Flying Dog’s attorney Alan Gura, partner at Gura & Possessky, said.The controversy began in September 2009, when Flying Dog Brewery applied for a license to sell Raging Bitch, the company’s 20^th anniversary commemorative beer, in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission barred the sale of Raging Bitch, claiming that the beer’s label is “detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare.”

Those interested can follow details and updates of the case, including relevant case documents like the actual motion for preliminary injunction, the argument brief, and other exhibits, by visiting Flying Dog’s news blog at www.flyingdogales.com.

The Coors mystique has passed into the realm of history; the brand went national years ago. But today, Denver is more of a beer destination than ever. According to the Chamber of Commerce, more beer is brewed in and around the city than anywhere else in America. That’s largely true because the Coors brewery in Golden turns out more beer than any other brewery in the world. Still, it’s the quality and variety of the beer that makes Denver special.

The same pioneering spirit that lured Adolph Coors west has drawn a new generation of brewers to Denver’s Lower Downtown neighborhood. When I first visited the city, LoDo was a “don’t go there” district, full of derelict warehouses left over from the days when tons of merchandise were shipped by rail. It continued to decline for years, thanks to an economic slump followed by collapsing energy prices.

City government turned things around. It offered incentives to preserve the district’s historic buildings and lobbied major league baseball for an expansion franchise. Once the Colorado Rockies became a reality, work began on Coors Field, a beautiful new ballpark that has become LoDo’s centerpiece. The warehouses have been turned into lofts—some 5,000 people live there—as well as dance clubs, restaurants, and, of course, bars and brewpubs.