George Stranahan, who founded Flying Dog Brewery in Aspen, Colorado in 1994, has died at 89.
Flying Dog is well-known for its eccentric and occasionally crude beer labels. Stranahan was a friend and neighbor of famed gonzo journalist and First Amendment crusader Hunter Thompson and Flying Dog’s labels were designed by Ralph Steadman, who illustrated Thompson’s books.
The brewery challenged the Colorado Liquor Board which declared a Flying Dog beer label as obscene and banned the beer from the marketplace in 1995. After a five-year legal battle, and with help from the American Civil Liberties Union, the brewery beat the state.
More on Stranahan’s life here.