It is #beersaturday again and I have been off exploring the region looking for new beers to share with the world!

Beer blogging comes naturally to me due to years spent brewing for myself and restaurants, working with breweries on their technology & marketing, and the decades spent imbibing. Hence, the self-decreed title of the #Blockchain #Beerologist doing my best to consume, report and even brew to do that title justice.

This week, I am diving into the weird wild and wacky world of Flying Monkeys. Yes you heard that right.

Flying Monkeys Brewery

I think I just searched for 30 minutes through albums and folders for the pictures I took while visiting Flying Monkeys Brewery https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/ last summer...or was is it the summer before? Anyhow, I was unsuccessful to I might as well start with their logo. My last flying monkey glass broke in the dishwasher so I definitely need more for how many of these beers I feature here.

Am I shining the spotlight on them this week because of the huge role they played in my slippery slide into IPA obsession? Not entirely. It is because one of the guys sent me pictures of an utterly ridiculous looking beer and wild labels seem to gather the most engagement on #beersaturday.

Frosty the WHAT?

This is the beer in question. @parabyte sent me a message with a picture of this ridiculous looking label saying he was about to try it. My response was, "That is just silly." I was wondering how many overly sweet, heavy dessert beers did they really need to make? Well, it was a new peer and I like to taste those for the weekly beer blog so why now?



Easy for me to say but I bought myself a Frosty the Friendship Dragon Whipped Frosting Double IPA https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/beers/frostythefriendshipdragonwhippedfrostingdipa Seriously look a the damn label and imagine the beer inside from that and the description. "Once upon a brew, in a vast and ridiculous realm, our imaginary friend, Frosty the Friendship Dragon, wanted nothing to do with us. We begged and bribed this cool dragon with hops and vanilla and sweet words of the daring adventures we could have together, and, with an eye roll of annoyance and a cool side glace, Frosty gave us this beer —then told us to Go Away. "

For the technical details, ABV: 8.3% alc./vol. | 47 IBUs
Malts: Pale Malt (2-Row), Pale Ale Malt, Oat Malt
Hops: Idaho 7, Motueka, Amarillo, Citra, Ekuanot
Dry-Hopping: Amarillo, Motueka, Ekuanot
Special Additions: Vanilla Beans, Lemon Purée
As ready as I was to get blown away by another overly sweet sport hopped mouth cacophony, I was not! This was a damn enjoyable beer! Less sweet than I would imagine and more smooth than sludgy. I am not sure I would chug more than 1 in a session with the 8.3% ABV but it really didn't taste like one. Alright I like the damn friendship dragon and will probably grab another off the shelf if I see one.

The Mutants

The dragon put me in the mood to revisit some of the other Flying Monkeys beers readily available on the local shelves.
Along the same lines in of consistently silly label illustration, we have The Mutants are Revolting Crushable IPA https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/beers/mutants-are-revolting Dragons and Mutants of my! Looks like a poster from an indie horror cartoon and I wonder what the mutants are revolting against.



The evil genius illustrator sure makes great use out of every inch of label real estate. Right down to the nonsensical prose that might describe the beer in another dimension. I am here to tell you the revolution is because it is a very tasty light beer! Light beers long ago were like making love in a canoe and it is hard to imagine this much taste can be packed into 4.5% ABV. Not as great as their regular IPA and probably too bitter for light lager fans like @davedickeyyall but perfect for summer sports!

Sparklepuff

Dragons and Mutants have nothing on Sparklepuff Triple IPA https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/beers/sparklepuff Cats with laser eyes and wings that read Galaxy Fighter, Defender of the Universe remind us that normal is weird. A triple IPA is generally over the top and this one takes it to the next level.

Three times dry-hopped, triple the flavour and thrice the aroma? What more could you ask for? How about some sparkly little bits of fruity bits in the form of peach puree? Certainly interesting and strong as hell at over 10% abv. Another overly sweet mouthsplosion of the haziest proportion.



You have to sip this one slowly and end up mauling your pint for how many times you have to grab it and put it back down. Look at the sediment in this smoothie. Definitely over the top but not the first and probably not the last I will have this beer.

Space Age Sunshine

Right when I have you on the ropes with the goofiest 3-punch beer combo you can imagine, I swoop in with the knockout punch. Space Age Sunshine Orange Creamsicle Quadruple IPA https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/beers/spaceagesunshinequad Diamond-encrusted, lightning-eyed smiling space rabbits are pretty much perfect for this one.



Apparently, this rabbit is an ally of the Sparklepuff kitty and is simply continuing the victory and defending the universe with the power of craft brewing. This is how it is done:

• Malts: 2-Row Pale Malt, Wheat Malt, Oat Malt, Golden Naked Oats
• Hops: Ekuanot, Idaho7, Sabro
• Dry-Hopping: Azaca, Ekuanot, Galaxy, Idaho7, Sabro
• Special Additions: Orange Peel Granules, Orange Juice Concentrate, Vanilla Beans

So, this pint is getting into the wine category for ABV over 11%, huge hopping game, and the addition of orange zest and juice with a little vanilla added for that push over the galactic cliff.

Consider yourself Flying Monkeyed.

Well done old friend. I shall be back to visit again soon.

#BEERSaturday!

Here is to all you playoff warriors who trek to the pub or tap house to capture and release with @detlev and I and the gang at #beersaturday This week, you can join us at https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/beersaturday-306 for this week's #beersaturday post. Grab a pint and join in the fun with a beer story of your own.

This week for #BeerSaturday, I would like to invite my new friends @lhes and @tydynrain who powered up big this month and took home prizes for locking value into the blockchain. Take a few pictures, tag #beersaturday and raise a glass with us on Hive!

Cheers to our global family of beer-drinkers!!

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Show us your favourite wild-looking beer?