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JetBlue to Host a Sam Adams In-Flight Beer Tasting

Bottoms up—up at 30,000 feet, that is.
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What's better than a beer tasting during Oktoberfest? Try a beer tasting at 30,000 feet with the guy behind one of the most famous brands of the hoppy goodness. On October 5, customers onboard JetBlue Flight 97 will depart New York's JFK Airport shortly after 8 p.m. bound for Denver, Colorado and enjoy a special sampling of Samuel Adams beer with none other than the company's founder and president, Jim Koch. It's a flight of beer in-flight, if you will—and the first-ever of its kind.

In addition to Sam Adams's well-known Oktoberfest beer, two new flavors will be unveiled on the flight and served in samples on wooden-paddle sample trays. According to a Sam Adams representative, the two surprise flavors on the beer flight will include "an extreme beer coveted by beer geeks and a new experimental brew from the Samuel Adams nano brewery." The beers were selected in part due to their notable flavors, which hold up in the sky, where taste buds are dulled.

Beer pouring will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. Eastern, about an hour into the four-hour long flight to the Mile High City; all passengers over the age of 21 are welcome to enjoy the free beverage samples. Everyone on board will also receive gift bags that include a Samuel Adams tasting paddle—perfect for flight sampling once they're back on solid ground; a Samuel Adams paddle opener; a Bavarian Samuel Adams OctoberFest hat; Jim Koch’s book, Quench Your Own Thirst, Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two; and JetBlue earbuds, sunglasses, and a pen. There will also be some surprise in-flight activities involving Bavarian hats and entertainment. Want to book this beer flight? All you have to do is visit jetblue.com and search for Flight 97 on October 5.

The special "FlytoberFest" is aligned with the Great American Beer Festival, a celebration of craft beer taking place in Colorado from October 5-7. (It's sold out, but hey, Denver is not short on good breweries.)

"We had this crazy idea to celebrate craft beer on the way to the Great American Beer Festival and knew exactly who to turn to: JetBlue," Sam Adams founder Koch, who will lead the free tasting over the PA system, tells Condé Nast Traveler. "JetBlue shares our fun-loving spirit."

JetBlue, an airline known for offering name-brand snacks, has been pouring Sam Adams beer as part of its onboard offerings since 2013, and a cup will normally cost you between $7 and $9 on one of their flights. The effects of beer consumption may be enhanced at altitude. Some studies show that two to three drinks at 10,000 feet equal five drinks at sea level, but the data is inconclusive. Drink up—responsibly, of course.