Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and Flying Dog Brewery have teamed to celebrate their shared history and commemorate their founder George Stranahan via two new specialty products for what they call The Osopher project.
Having collaborated over the years to share beer mash and barrels, The Osopher project marks the first joint product release for the two companies.
Stranahan, a astrophysicist, writer, photographer, entrepreneur, rancher, and philanthropist, founded the Flying Dog Brewpub in Aspen, Colorado in 1990, a decade after discovering the “flying dog” while on a mountaineering trip to K2. The Flying Dog brand expanded to become one of the top 50 production breweries in the U.S. and continues to this day to produce beers at its brewery in Frederick, Maryland.
In 2004, Stranahan and Jess Graber co-founded Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, Colorado’s first legal distillery since Prohibition in downtown Denver. The original Stranahan’s Whiskey utilized mash from Flying Dog’s Road Dog Porter. Today, Stranahan’s is a leading American Single Malt and a fixture in Denver’s distilling scene.
The limited-edition beer created for The Osopher project (see below) is an imperial version of the original Road Dog Porter that has been aged in 10-year-old Stranahan’s Whiskey barrels. Road Dog was also the beginning of Flying Dog’s collaboration with artist and friend of George Stranahan, Ralph Steadman, whose art continues to grace Flying Dog’s labels after more than a quarter century.
With those same barrels, Stranahan’s created The Osopher (see above), the oldest whiskey it has ever bottled. The Osopher stays true to both George Stranahan’s passion for creativity and the distillery’s commitment to innovating American Single Malt Whiskey. The Osopher matured for four more months in the same barrels used to age Flying Dog’s Road Dog Porter, in addition to the 11 years it had already aged at the distillery.
“We’re excited to partner with Flying Dog Brewery and celebrate George Stranahan’s illustrious legacy with the release of The Osopher,” said Owen Martin, Head Distiller at Stranahan’s. “This release honors our storied past while showcasing our evolution. Both Stranahan’s and Flying Dog are committed to their craft, and the marriage of our whiskey and their brew creates flavor profiles bursting with complexity and passion.”
“The teams at Flying Dog and Stranahan’s loved the idea of commemorating George in a way that spoke to the art, science, and creativity that he instilled in both companies,” added Jim Caruso, CEO at Flying Dog Brewery. “George was a man of many talents, he considered himself a ‘pilgrimosopher,’ so The Osopher speaks to the idea that you can pursue anything if you’re just crazy enough to try it.”
The Osophers from both brands will feature the original Road Dog artwork by Steadman.
Stranahan’s The Osopher is 95 proof is available at the Stranahan’s Distillery in Denver for $159.99. Hand-bottled and packaged in a commemorative box, Flying Dog’s The Osopher carries a 12% ABV and is available in limited-edition bottles at retail in Maryland only for $29.99.
