Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill, NJ
Available: DC, NJ, PA
An American trippel, this is the first beer in Flying Fish’s Exit Series, celebrating the brewery’s home state through New Jersey Turnpike exit numbers. Although the Turnpike Authority initially tried to stop distribution, common sense prevailed, when it was realized the name did not glorify drinking and driving.
ABV: 9.5
ABW: 7.6
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 34
Original gravity: 1086
As would be expected with the style, this self-proclaimed American trippel is a strong offering, and, like a proud bodybuilder, it isn’t afraid to show off its muscles. Aromas and flavors of pear, apple, golden raisins and a honey sugariness mingle with an ample dose of hops to keep the sweetness in check. The nearly 10 percent ABV is also evident, in a subtle warming on the tongue. Simultaneously flexing between sugary sweet and slightly bitter, Exit 4 is a complex brew that is a welcome addition in 12-ounce bottles.
Described as an “American Trippel,” this yellow-golden ale certainly has the strength, body and flavor depth to match the best in Belgium, with a good bite of hops to underscore its U.S. origins. Succulent tropical fruit wafts around the aroma and continues into the taste, which is sweet and somewhat chewy, despite tangy, orange-marmalade notes from the hops. A warming swallow results in a dry, bitter, rather thick finish in which hop resins just outpoint tropical fruit. There’s a lot to get stuck into here, but I think I would prefer a little more subtlety.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and one of Britain's best-known beer writers.
