Tap Handle #314: Flying Dog - Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

I obtained this tap as part of a group purchase. It's not very figural, with just a small "flying dog" attached to the top of the handle, but with a name like "Doggie Style" it's worth hanging on to. They are pretty common. Differences between varieties include the graphics around the base of the handle and different labels.

Flying Dog Brewery was founded in Aspen, Colorado in 1990 as a brewpub, by George Stranahan, Jim Caruso, and Richard McIntyre. Stranahan is an astrophysicist with a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and a mountain climber, photographer, rancher, writer, philanthropist, and an educator who has founded three schools. After returning from climbing K2 (the 2nd highest peak in the world), Stranahan saw a painting in Pakistan of a dog flying and the image stuck with him. Returning to the U.S., he co-founded the brewery, the first to open in Aspen in over 100 years, and one of the first brewpubs in the Rocky Mountain region.

Flying Dog has an iconic brand identity featuring the art of Ralph Steadman, best known for his surreal illustrations of Hunter S. Thompson’s articles and books. The reputation of Flying Dog beers grew quickly, and demand soon exceeded the brewpub’s capacity. In 1994 Flying Dog opened a 50-barrel brewery in Denver, Colorado from which its ales were distributed to more than 45 states, and became Colorado's 2nd largest craft brewer. In 2006, Flying Dog acquired the Wild Goose brand when they purchased the Frederick Brewing Company located in Frederick, Maryland for $1.7 million. In 2008 the last bottles rolled off the Denver line and all production was moved to the Maryland facility, although their headquarters remains in Denver. Increased costs for raw materials prompted the relocation to Frederick, as well as the fact that the company sells more than 60 percent of its beer east of the Mississippi River, and the Frederick brewery is huge, able to produce 100,000 barrels per year. In 2010 they sold the Wild Goose brand to the Logan Shaw Brewing Company.

Currently Flying Dog is concerned about packaging from Wild Blue, Rascal’s Wild Red and Shadow’s Wild Black, three fruit-infused lagers that have canine mascots and are adorned with scribbly artwork reminiscent of Steadman’s style. All are brewed by A-B Inbev. Many consumers are complaining about the packaging of these products being too close of a resemblance to Flying Dog packaging. Flying Dog does not have the resources to challenge a giant company like A-B Inbev, and must live with the risk that poor ratings from the copycat brands could affect the Flying Dog brand.

Doggie Style Classic ia a pale ale with grassy, citrus hop aroma, a brilliant amber-copper color and pleasant malt flavor that comes from the addition of Carastan malts. It won a silver medal in the 1999 Great American Beer Festival. Recommended food pairings are cheddar cheese, burgers, barbecue, Thai, and Mexican. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.28 out of 5.

Flying Dog Official Website