Flying Fish To Debut Exit 6 Wallonian Rye

Cherry Hill, NJ – New Jersey’s largest craft brewery Flying Fish Brewing Company, has announced the latest entry in its “Exit Series” of big-bottle beers honoring their home state of New Jersey, Exit 6 Wallonian Rye Belgian-Style Ale. A collaboration brew, Head Brewer Casey Hughes created Exit 6 with brewers Ric Hoffman of Stewart’s Brewing Company in Bear, DE and Gordon Grubb of Nodding Head Brewery in Philadelphia, PA to celebrate Philly Beer Week 2010.

“Exit 6 is named in honor of the area’s first settlers, Dutch Walloons (now Belgians), who landed, built a fort – and then promptly constructed a tavern. They were definitely our kind of people!” says owner and founder Gene Muller.

Exit 6 Wallonian Rye Belgian-Style Ale is named for the exit that “puts the green in Garden State,” a part of Burlington County that was settled in 1624. The surrounding farmland has long been an agricultural anchor, and the locally grown rye used in the beer comes directly from an area farm. The beer itself is a deceptively simple recipe: pale malt augmented by 20 percent rye, then fermented with Belgian yeast, giving it a bright saffron color and spicy character. The beer’s lemony citrus notes come from the addition of English East Kent Goldings, Slovenian Styrian Goldings and unusual Japanese Sorachi Ace hops.

“We made Exit 6 with authentic New Jersey rye, as a tribute to the region’s rich agricultural heritage,” says Hughes. “Since all three brewers are from the tri-state area, we thought using a local ingredient as a flavor accent would tie it to us as local brewers and show our collaborative spirit as we launch the brew during Philly Beer Week on June 5,” says Hughes.

On Saturday, June 5 at 3 pm, brewers Hughes, Grubb and Hoffman will hold the Exit 6 launch event at Nodding Head, 1516 Sansom Street, 2nd floor. The event is free to attend and will be pay-as-you-go for beer.

Established in 1995, Stewart’s is New Castle County’s first brewpub. Their beers have earned 11 medals from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Championships (WBC), and represent some of the finest hand-crafted ales and lagers produced in Delaware. Nodding Head is a similarly successful brewery and restaurant located in downtown Philadelphia. Their beers have earned 13 medals from the GABF and WBC, and has been named “Best Brewpub” in Philadelphia magazine.

Flying Fish’s Exit Series will continue with three or four beers a year to eventually encompass all turnpike exits. Other entries have included: Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA; Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat and Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout. Recently, in response to the overwhelming popularity of series starter Exit 4 American Trippel, the brewery re-released it in six-packs. The Exit 4 is a GABF gold medal winner, and was named “Best Belgo-Style Beer in America” in 2009 by Men’s Journal magazine.

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 five 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 GABF, WBC and the Real Ale Festival, and have two beers featured in the recently released book 1001 Beers to Try Before You Die. Flying Fish was also named “Local Hero: Beverage Artisan of 2009” by Edible Jersey magazine.