Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Flying Fish Exit 13 Chocolate Stout

FLYING FISH BREWING COMPANY ANNOUNCES EXIT 13 CHOCOLATE STOUT

CHERRY HILL, NJ (click links for images) – New Jersey’s largest craft brewery, Flying Fish Brewing Company (1940 Olney Avenue, 856-489-0061), is proud to debut their new Exit 13 Chocolate Stout, the latest entry in their “Exit Series” of big-bottle beers honoring their home state of New Jersey.


“We’re calling this an “import/export stout, combining a fuller-bodied, traditional export stout and adding Belgian chocolate that’s imported through the port of Newark located at Exit 13,” says owner Gene Muller.

On Tuesday, December 7 at 7 p.m., head brewer Casey Hughes will introduce Exit 13 to the public with a special launch party at Pub On Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.) (1501 East Passyunk Avenue, 215-755-5125). This will be the only opportunity to try the beer on draft until later in December when the final Exit 13 batch is available.

Created by Hughes, Exit 13 Chocolate Stout is named for the exit that provides access to Newark International Airport and the Port of Newark. Brewed with a mix of imported and domestic malts, as well as dark wheat, the stout gets floral, fruity and citrus notes from Irish ale yeast and Pacific Northwest hops. In total, Hughes and his team added 580 lbs. of Belcolade Dark Chocolate, then aged the beer with 200 lbs. of cocoa nibs and 12 lbs. of vanilla beans. Hughes recommends it as a dessert beer, and also describes it as perfect for sharing with friends as a winter warmer.

Flying Fish’s Exit Series beers are a playful tribute to the various exits of the New Jersey Turnpike, and began with Exit 4 American Tripel, a Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner that Men’s Journal magazine named “Best Belgian-Style Beer in America” in 2009. The Exit Series will continue with three or four beers a year to eventually encompass all turnpike exits; other entries have included: Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout, an export-style stout brewed with oysters that The Atlantic called “a real crowd-pleaser”; Exit 6 Wallonian Rye, a saffron-colored Belgian-style ale brewed with Sorachi Ace hops and local rye in collaboration with Nodding Head and Stewart’s for Philly Beer Week 2010; Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat, a fresh, citrus-y summer beer with aromas of tangerines and apricots, voted “Best Local Beer” by Philadelphia Weekly; and Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA, brewed with local wild rice in partnership with environmental efforts to revitalize the Meadowlands.

Flying Fish was the world’s first ‘virtual’ microbrewery, establishing an Internet presence as early as 1995. That presence helped to generate press interest and woo investors to the fledgling brewery, which would not open for business until late 1996. Today, Muller and his team oversee four full-time styles, as well as a variety of seasonal beers. Their brews have been featured at the Great British Beer Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival and Canada’s Biere de Mondial Festival. They have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival, Real Ale Festival and the World Beer Championships, and are the only New Jersey brewery featured in Best American Beers. Flying Fish was also named “Local Hero: Beverage Artisan of 2009” by Edible Jersey magazine. For more information about Exit 13 or any of Flying Fish’s beers, please visit them online at http://www.flyingfish.com/ and http://www.exitseries.com/, or call (856) 489-0061.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Home Brew Club Meets @ Cork (Westmont, NJ)

I'm definitely going to check out the Barley Legal club. Before anybody calls the cops, check the spelling... Barley Legal. That's the name of a cool homebrew club that met this weekend at Cork in Westmont, NJ. Folks were cookin' up batches of beer right there in the parking lot, with tastes available for visitors and brewers alike.


Brett Mullin of Brew Your Own Bottle and Kevin Meeker of Cork joined forces to host the Barley Legal club at Cork this past Saturday, with more meetings to follow! Some of the brewers had built their own brewing equipment and tap systems, while others just tweaked the stuff they had to add a custom flavor to the brew:


Another pair of brewers had won a contest at Iron Hill Brewery in Maple Shade, NJ and had their coffee stout put on tap at the microbrew/restaurant! The coffee stout included a ton of coffee beans as well as some cold-press coffee magic. The "Decaf" variety was made without the cold-press and came out as a nice dry stout with just a breath of coffee... Mild enough for an Iron Hill house stout? You never know. Here are these guys incognito:
And here they are with their true identities revealed: Ah-HA!!!


The B.O.M.B. (Brotherhood of Merchantville Brewers) made their presence known as well, and presented a nifty IPA for tasting. Rick and crew have fun things in store as well, but they won't be revealed until the next meeting, apparently.

Da B.O.M.B was enjoying the event and will hopefully have their website up and running soon.

So thanks to Brett and Kevin for organizing the event. Hopefully the next one will be far enough away to feature the beers that were brewed up in the Cork parking lot. There's nothing like a triumphant return to kick off a party!

Cheers!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Tonight @ Iron Hill (West Chester, PA)

 WILMINGTON, DE – On Friday, November 19, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will celebrate the release of their latest Bottle Reserve Beer, Winter Wheat Wine-Oh!, with a festive Holiday Party at their West Chester location. All eight area locations will sell the cork-finished 750 ml bottles for $19.50 and the Winter Wheat Wine-Oh! Gift Package, one bottle, two 18 oz signature glasses and a beer tote for $30.


“Our Bottled Reserve series is an opportunity for our brewers to flex their muscles a bit and create some really special bottle-conditioned beers,” says Director of Brewing Operations Mark Edelson. “Winter Wheat Wine-Oh! is a terrific addition to our line-up of bottle reserve beers and a thoughtful holiday gift for beer lovers.”

Winter Wheat Wine-Oh! is a winter wheat wine ale, a hybridization of barleywine and American wheat ale with strong, rich, malty flavors balanced by subtle sweetness. The bottle’s retro-cool label design comes from gifted local artist and frequent Iron Hill collaborator Jeff Schaller of PinkCow Studio. Schaller also created the signature wall murals at all the Iron Hill locations, as well as the labels for many of the Bottled Reserve beers. He creates art pieces that incorporate representational form with the printed word, merging visual and written symbols into a provocative and whimsical aesthetic language. For more on Schaller and his art, please visit www.jeffschaller.com.

The West Chester Holiday Release Party will include complimentary snacks, such as popcorn, cookies and other seasonal goodies, as well as 12-ounce exclusive draughts of Winter Wheat Wine-Oh! Guests who purchase a Bottle Reserve Beer during the event will be entered in a raffle for fun Iron Hill prizes, such as a Jeroboam of Winter Wheat Wine-Oh!, membership in Iron Hill’s Mug Club, gift cards good at any of their eight locations and more. Complimentary gift wrapping of holiday bottles will also be offered, and an ugly sweater contest will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m., with prizes awarded for the worst seasonal attire.

Founded by home brewers Edelson and Kevin Finn and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, DE in 1996, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant is the region’s fastest-growing restaurant group, blossoming from one restaurant and brewery to eight locations across the mid-Atlantic. Each is dedicated to producing and serving top-quality hand-crafted beers and cuisine in a warm and hospitable setting, and all are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Their acclaimed beers have accumulated a wealth of awards from the nation’s top beer festivals, and their restaurants have earned more than 100 “Best of” nods from local and national publications.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant’s eight locations include: Newark, DE (147 East Main Street, 302-266-9000); Wilmington, DE (710 South Madison Street, 302-472-2739); Media, PA (30 East State Street, 610-627-9000); West Chester, PA (3 West Gay Street, 610-738-9600); North Wales, PA (1460 Bethlehem Pike, 267-708-2000); Phoenixville, PA (130 East Bridge Street, 610-983-9333); Lancaster, PA (781 Harrisburg Pike, 717-291-9800); and Maple Shade, NJ (124 East Kings Highway, 856-273-0300).

For more information about Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, or to make a reservation at any of their locations, please visit www.ironhillbrewery.com.