DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:
Behind the Twitter Avatar Series

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!