Frederick Mayor to Tap First Maryland-brewed Keg of Flying Dog

31/07/06 Flying Dog, the second largest craft brewery in Colorado and maker of award-winning, bold, superior quality beers, will strut their stuff on July 27 from 4 - 10 p.m. at the grand reopening of the Wild Goose Brewery in Frederick, Maryland. This marks the first-time Flying Dog beer has been brewed outside of Colorado since the company was founded in 1990.

The newly-renamed Wild Goose Brewery (formerly Frederick Brewery) was purchased in May by the Flying Dog ownership group of Denver to support the dramatic growth its Flying Dog Ales.
  
"We are thrilled to open Wild Goose Brewery in Frederick which has given us the immediate opportunity to increase brewing capacity for Flying Dog. Our goal is to establish Flying Dog as a leader in the craft beer industry on the East Coast like we have in the Western U.S. where we got our start," said President and CEO Eric Warner. "By unleashing Jim Lutz as our Director of Sales for the Mid-Atlantic Region on the scene in that part of the country, we are looking forward to continuing the excellent brewing standard to meet growing consumer demand for premium-quality craft beers."

Frederick Mayor Bill Holtzinger will be on hand to tap the first locally- brewed keg of Flying Dog. In addition, VIP brewery tours, plenty of BBQ and samples of Flying Dog's award-winning litter of ales will leave event-goers barking enthusiasm for the renewed commitment to enhance and grow a local symbol of brewing excellence.
   
Flying Dog Founder George Stranahan, Warner and Lutz are hosting the grand opening along with local business leaders and brewery industry leaders throughout the U.S. Warner is a classically-trained German brewmeister and one of few Americans to hold this credential. Lutz was president and CEO of Wild Goose Brewery in 1990 and sold the company to the Frederick Brewing Company in 1998.

The state-of-the-art Wild Goose Brewery has capacity to produce 120,000 barrels total each year and could be expanded to 300,000-plus. Overall, craft brewing was up 9 percent last year, making total U.S. sales $4.3 billion.