Robert Simpson becomes Flying Monkeys

BARRIE, ON –  Robert Simpson Brewing Company is being renamed and relaunched as Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, according to this announcement from the Ontario Craft Brewers website:

Once upon a time, we were The Robert Simpson Brewing Company, but we’re morphing into The Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. Why? Because being named for a dead white guy just isn’t very exciting. Where’s the fun in that? Beer is supposed to be way more fun than a history class. It’ll be weird for a while, but the new name opens up so many more possibilities for us to express ourselves (and be flakey).

We’re still a Craft Brewery. Or a Microbrewery -whichever name is o.k. with us. Obviously, we’re just a little schizoid about names. The point is we’re small. And small means we carry less baggage and we can move quickly. In addition to our Robert Simpson beers, Confederation Amber Ale and Antigravity Light Ale, we’re coming out with Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale, the first brew under the auspices of Flying Monkeys. And from there . . . well, we’ll just see where the ride takes us!

In addition to the name change, the brewery has also launched a new beer, Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale, described as follows:

Defying real focus (how unlike us!), we had to call Hoptical Illusion an Almost Pale Ale (5% Alc./Vol. / IBU 17.5 / Colour SRM 3.44). Hoptical Illusion approaches the characteristics of a pale ale, but takes a quick u-turn at the end. At 18 IBUs versus 25 and up for English Pale Ales, we’re hoppier than most commercial beers, but not too crazy. The star of the show is the dizzying aroma of the privately grown Amarillo hop. Beyond the provocative citrus and floral essences that resonate from the Amarillo’s small, tight cone is a subtle but unique maltiness blended from amber kiln and roasted specialty malts. Finishing with a final Amarillo reference, Hoptical Illusion is a beer that doesn’t beat you over the head, steal your wallet, and jack your car. But you still wouldn’t want meet it in a dark alley.