Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery has announced the release of their Collaborator Doppelbock, the first “open source” beer to hit the U.S. market. “Open source” is a term most commonly used in the software industry and refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit.

In this case, Flying Dog’s Open Source Beer Project allowed beer drinkers and homebrewers to offer recommendations and feedback on the beer’s recipe via a website.

The recipe ended up impressing Flying Dog’s brewers. Head Brewer, Matt Brophy says, “The result is a Dopplebock that has a full body with a complex malt profile and a slight roasted caramel character. The knowledgeable feedback from the homebrewers and the passion they put forth really made this project a success.”

Flying Dog’s Director of Marketing, Neal Stewart is encouraging homebrewers to try their hand at the recipe. “We have posted the final recipe and a downloadable label at www.opensourcebeerproject.com giving homebrewers everything they need except the ingredients,” said Stewart.

Those making the trip to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival will have two chances to try Collaborator:

Flying Dog Brewery Booth at the Great American Beer Festival, Oct 9-11
Wild Dog Release Party at Flying Dog Brewery on Friday, Oct 12 at 3pm

Collaborator is the latest in Flying Dog’s “Wild Dog Series.” Wild Dogs are extremely limited edition beers that come exclusively in hand filled, corked and labeled 750ml bottles. Only 5000 bottles of Collaborator will be available.

For more information on the Open Source Beer Project, please visit www.opensourcebeerproject.com.