Flying Fish Brewing Celebrates 20 Years with Pork Roll Beer
Turnpike photo via iStock/Dave Melian
New Jersey’s Flying Fish Brewing Co. is celebrating its 20th anniversary with three new Exit Series beers. A ceremonial tapping occurred the afternoon and Exit 5, a Sour Forage beer; Exit 17 and Imperial Pilsner and Exit 7, Pork Roll Porter were all tapped at the Somerdale, NJ brewery. All three beers are extremely limited and will be available in 750 ml bottles and a small number of kegs. Beers will be available at the brewery as well as at retailers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Founder Gene Muller says, “twenty years calls for a celebration. We created three dynamic craft beverages that each capture an essential piece of New Jersey. How can we choose just one for such a big anniversary?” In Muller’s time at Flying Fish, he’s seen craft brewing explode in the Garden State. When he opened in Cherry Hill, the closed New Jersey breweries were Triumph in Princeton and Tun Tavern in Atlantic City. Now Muller notes, there are at least 20 breweries within 20 miles of the modern brewery Flying Fish built in Somerdale.
The Exit 7 Pork Roll Porter celebrates New Jersey’s favorite breakfast meat. The porter is described as: “deliciously dark brown caramel porter is enhanced by the addition of pork roll and spices in the brew kettle. The aroma features notes of cocoa, with hints of maple and smoke from the peat-smoked barley. The flavor showcases characters of chocolate, maple, toasted nuts and a bit of spice from the pork roll.”
Exit 5 Sour Forage Beer (a saison style) is brewed with pine needles, wintergreen, and goldenrod. The beer is part of the Beers Made by Walking project, an idea that encourages brewers to create a beer inspired by the environment local to their brewery. Flying Fish worked with the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to explore New Jersey’s Pinelands National Reserve. The result is described as a “medium bodied beer with a dry, tart herbal flavor. The herbal notes of the foraged pine needles, goldenrod and wintergreen (all found on private land) blend perfectly with the peppery, earthy notes of the Saison.”
And in a nod to the big guys, Exit 14 Imperial Pilsner is inspired by the massive Budweiser brewery located at the Turnpike exit. Though a pilsner in style, this hefty beer clocks in at a heavy 8.5% alcohol by volume. The pilsner includes an international mix of hops from Germany, France and the US. It is described as “a beer with many layers. The first is a floral, fruity aroma. Next, black currant reveals itself. Another layer brings a complex spiciness. All of these backed by a big, hoppy bitterness.”
There are now 14 beers that have brewed as part of Flying Fish Exit Series, each representing a particular exit of the New Jersey Turnpike. Each beer is initially released in 750 ml bottles and on draft. Some of the most successful releases have re-appeared in 12 ounce. bottles as seasonal or even year-round offerings.
Exit Series [Flying Fish]
