[Troegs Flying Mouflan info now available at official site; they will have bottles beginning Friday, March 13 at gift shop!]

(Harrisburg, PA) – Troegs Brewing will release in bombers by early April (if not sooner) a beer that could challenge Nugget Nectar as its most highly-touted seasonal. The brewery calls it, “

Flying Mouflan

, this alluring ale is like ‘pushing Nugget Nectar off the side of a cliff,’ tastes like hops dipped in candied sugar and rolled in dark chocolate nibs. Patient beer lovers who cellar the Mouflan will be rewarded with mellow hops and luscious malt.”

From The Celebrator Beer News’ Jack Curtin’s article, “[The Flying Mouflan is] made from recipes developed by John Trogner and his brother Chris more than a decade ago when they were considering a brewpub rather than a brewery. ‘It has a nonsense name, a creature we just made up,’ said John Trogner, ‘reflecting that we weren’t quite sure exactly what style beer it was […]”

The beer was released commercially as part of the Scratch Beer Series, #4 to be exact, in September, 2007. Scratch #4 featured a pompous 100 IBUs made up of three hop varietals: Warrior, Chinook, Simcoe. Despite the hops, this was no IPA though; the beer was balanced with “raisin and chocolate overtones.” The brewery was so proud of the 9.3% beer, one they eventually decided was a Barleywine, they entered it into the 2008 Great American Beer Festival where it took bronze, beating out 52 other entries.

Firkins of will be on tap for Philly Craft Beer Week which starts this coming Friday. Bottles are expected to be labeled this month and the beer should ship out to retailers in a month or so. Beer Advocate member, Phillyduke, also mentioned in the forums that the brewery might also bottle Scratch #15, a Double Espresso Oatmeal Stout.