Our friends over at The Pizza Project (blog writters from Montco) regularly review craft beers and unique brews. They recently purchased a variety case from Flying Fish Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in New Jersey located close by in Cherry Hill.
Flying Fish Brewing Company
This is pretty significantly hopped for a pale. Nice vibrant scent and punchy floral taste. Very crisp, extremely refreshing, and perfectly colored. There’s a bit of an aftertaste, but not really a bad one. More of a by-product of the extra application of hops.
Not a lot of flavor jumping out here. The recipe is based mostly on malt, yet the flavor is a little weak. It isn’t horrible, but it is certainly a little too simplistic. Not much to enjoy.
Very strong hops. They are detectable in the scent, and they pop out upon first sip. However, it is missing a bit of the hop concentration that you get in the California big boys as well as a distinctive flavor to contrast with the hops.
Belgian Style Dubbel
Very distinct Belgian flavoring with a perfect amber color. There is a touch of bitterness, but nothing too unbecoming. While it does not live up to the upper echelon of Belgians, it would probably rank highly among U.S. varietals.
The Labels
The first thought is to say “Incomplete,” because Flying Fish does not seek to achieve individual distinction with its labels. They are more of the school of establishing their brand, which is why they feature their fish-skeleton-as-airplane insignia prominently on every bottle. The only difference in the bottles is the color of the background. Since I don’t want to wuss out, and give an incomplete, I will pick the Belgian Style Dubbel as my favorite label in this case. I just think the brown-and-gray background works well with their standard red-and-yellow look. But really the labels are sort of boring and unattractive.
The Winner
The Extra Pale Ale in a close one over the Belgian Style Dubbel. I will say though: Was a little underwhelmed by the overall offerings.
The Pizza Project
In addition to local pizza reviews, The Pizza Project blogs about a variety of other topics such as Philadelphia Sports, music and beer. Make sure to check out their website below and to follow them on Facebook as they post humorous and insightful content on a regular basis.
Just a nibble: http://twitter.com/ThePizzaProject
Single slice: http://www.facebook.com/ThePizzaProject
The full pie: http://thepizzaproject.blogspot.com/
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