Are you curious about the men and women “hiding” behind Twitter avatar of the world’s most beloved craft breweries? Well, you are not alone. The Wench has gone behind the scenes to reveal and introduce you to the individuals who possess the ever coveted social media positions in the craft beer industry.

Behind the Twitter Avatar: @FlyingDog

Erin Biles

Brewery: Flying Dog
Location: Frederick, MD
Personal Twitter Handle: @erinbiles (But don’t follow me. It’s a waste of time. I’m so immersed in the Flying Dog account that I rarely tweet for myself. And if I do, it’s usually because I’ve had a few too many or I’m eating something really good. I know, such a cliche.)

What is your “official” position with Flying Dog?
Officially, I’m the Director of Public Relations. But as with most craft breweries and companies the size of Flying Dog, I end up wearing a lot of hats. Currently, it’s a sombrero. I’m working on the tequila selection for our upcoming employee holiday party…

What is your favorite beer from Flying Dog?
This past year, we started a Single Hop Imperial IPA series. Our second release, brewed with El Dorado hops, made me weak in the knees. Overwhelmingly sharp citrus hop notes with a clean, dry finish. Plus, El Dorado is a fairly new hop variety. Only 1.5 acres were harvested in 2010, so it was really cool to be the first (more mainstream) craft brewery to use them.

What is your favorite beer and food pairing?
Our Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA with triple creme brie and organic orange ginger marmalade. Raging Bitch is so complex, your palate says “what the hell is going on?” when you take that first sip. We play with beer and food a lot here and were elated when we found an equally complex food combination that perfectly complements all of the Bitch’s WTF?! elements.

If you were a style of beer, what would you be and why?
A classic pale ale. A balance between sweetness and bitterness sounds about right.

And last but not least, what does craft beer mean to you?
Craft beer is art form. We don’t just make beer. We make art.

If there is anyone who rocks at both art inside and outside of the bottle, it’s Flying Dog! And a woman behind their awesome PR and social media marketing efforts? Yeah, gotta love that Cheers Erin!

Aptly themed “Beer is for Lovers,” the virtual tasting is on February 7, from 7 to 8 p.m. EST, live on Twitter. Join Whole Foods Market and The Beer Wench as they taste through a playful quartet of palate-tantalizing beers, sure to bring out the romantic side of even the most cynical beer lover. All it takes to participate is a Twitter account and a beer in hand. To follow the conversation, use the hashtag #WFMBeer in your tweets.

For this event, four craft breweries across the country will participate to present a lineup of beers worthy of Cupid’s praise. Whether you plan on snuggling up with a loved one or celebrating with friends on Valentine’s Day, any or all of these beers will do the trick.

The featured beers include:

• The Poet, New Holland Brewing Co.: The Poet has a rich, smooth malt character enveloped in tones of roast and chocolate. A soft mouth-feel brings luxurious flavors and soothing aroma. The Poet is a seductive companion to dinner and dessert, especially beef, mushrooms & chocolate. 5.2% abv.
• Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Flying Dog: In the words of Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, Raging Bitch is “two inflammatory words…one wild drink. Nectar imprisoned in a bottle.” With fruity funk and hop bite, it’s big, bold, beautiful, and complex, just like a Raging Bitch should be. 8.3% abv.
• Chocolate Stout, Bison Brewing: Often referred to as Barry White’s voice in a bottle, Bison’s Chocolate Stout is a dark, slow-pouring aphrodisiac of the smoothest proportions; rich roast, slightly bitter but, oh so luscious. 100% certified organic, 100% certified orgasmic. 5% abv.
• Total Domination, Ninkasi Brewing: Multiple hops collide in balanced perfection, dominating the senses, achieving total satisfaction. From the Pacific Northwest, birthplace of the modern IPA, comes a beer whose name says it all. 6.7 abv.

Every fifteen minutes, the focus will shift to a different brewery as brewmasters and brewery representatives actively answer questions and share stories about the beers and the breweries. The February 7 “Beer is for Lovers” Twitter Tasting schedule is:

7 p.m. EST: New Holland (@newhollandbrew) “The Poet”
7:15 p.m. EST: Flying Dog (@flyingdog) “Raging Bitch”
7:30 p.m. EST: Bison Brewing (@bisonbrew) “Chocolate Stout”
7:45 p.m. EST: Ninkasi (@Ninkasi) “Total Domination”
8 p.m. EST: After-party (free for all!)

In addition to tasting via Twitter, Whole Foods Market will be streaming the tasting live, with The Beer Wench, from it’s Coddingtown store located in Santa Rosa, CA. All are welcome to join the event in person, or watch it live on the Whole Foods Market LiveStream channel (http://www.livestream.com/wholefoodsmarket)

Participation is limited to those 21 years or older.

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About Whole Foods Market^®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company’s motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than 64,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 315 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.