Flying Fish X New Jersey: Perfect Together

     Sometimes the simplest things are the best.  Or what we think is simple.  A nice, cold, pint of your favorite ale will always be appreciated after a long day, but there's a lot that goes into bringing that to your local watering hole.  A precise combination of nature, chemistry, physics, culinary skill, and imagination all go into bringing us these fantastic brews.  We have literally thousands of choices when it comes to beer and it's even better when you have one of the best craft brew makers in your backyard.   

Flying Fish Brewery has been in existence since 1996, located in Cherry Hill, about 7 miles east of Philadelphia.  It was the first microbrewery in South Jersey and is the largest craft brewery in the state.  They consistently brew 4 styles along with many seasonal varietals.  They also have their popular "Exit" series, which celebrates the Garden State by releasing one time batches of a beer that's crafted in tribute to specific exits of the New Jersey Turnpike.

   Their "Exit 4", a Belgian style Trippel, was so good that it won a Gold Medal in the world famous Great American Beer Festival in 2009 and also named best Belgian by Men's Journal magazine.  "Exit 4" is the only one in the series to be made year round and believe me, it's absolutely fantastic.  The golden color and citrus, hoppy flavor is very drinkable for an ale that is around 10% in alcohol content. There are no plans to brew some of the other exits at this time, although they just released some of their private supply of other exits to the public.  I managed to pick up "Exit 13" Chocolate Stout, "Exit 16" Wild Rice Double IPA, and the one that I definitely wanted, "Exit 9" Hoppy Scarlet Ale, in tribute to my Alma Mater, Rutgers University.  They're releasing a new exit this month, called  "Exit 8", Chestnut Brown Ale, which I'm sure will be tasty.
     They offer tours of the brewery on Saturdays, it's a great time.  You can sample all of their flavors, they explain the brew process from start to finish and they're more than friendly to answer any questions.  Very impressive when you think about how much really goes into making something we think as simple as beer.  They take pride in their craft and it's noticeable.  All of their beers are very drinkable and deliver great flavor.  They pair up very well with a variety of foods and they do have recommendations on their website.
     It's no surprise that they are moving to a bigger location very soon in Somerdale, New Jersey.  The new facility is three times bigger than the current one and will allow them to continue to grow and delivery fantastic products.  I look forward to tours in the new brewery and make sure you support your local brewers, especially ones like Flying Fish.
     Visit their website for more information on tour schedule, building moves,
and beer info:  http://www.flyingfish.com/.  They also have a Flying Fish Newsletter that's emailed monthly with their latest updates.
Click below for more great pictures of the brewery

Kaws X Hennessy

     The holiday season wrapped up a couple weeks ago, but it's never too late to give a nice gift to your friends and bring a bottle to the next social gathering.  An easy way to kick it up a notch is with the limited edition Hennessy X Kaws bottle of their infamous French cognac.  Brian Donnelly, better known as Kaws, has collaborated with the Hennessy brand to put an artistic view on their bottle label.  The Jersey native worked with Dos Equis in 2010 on their bottle (See here) and this year, he visited Cognac, France to see first hand what he's putting his mark on.  Check the video for his own take on the visit and his thought process when doing these collaborations for these world renowned brands.   His design is very recognizable from his recent exhibitions with the bright color, 3-D type layout.  The trademark Kaws double "X" is on the bottle along with the "chompers" and he included a sweet message on the back of each bottle, check the picture below.  It's a simple idea, but at the same time should open up some eyes to some alternative interests and appreciation of art.  Kaws is quite popular and has worked on multiple exhibitions,  album and magazine covers. Hennessy speaks for itself.
Each bottle is individually numbered up to 420,000, so there's enough to share, but they won't be around forever.  Cheers!

NYC Beerathon X Scream Team

November 19, 2011

     The Scream Team made an epic showing at this year's 2011 NYC Beerathon held in the Village in lower Manhattan.  In celebration of Meghan J's birthday, a group of more than 20 thirsty day drinkers,  trained it up to the Big Apple.  Everyone had their sites set on taking on the 26 bar - 26 beer course that started at high noon and went all day and night.  Within this group, there was the legendary Scream Team that fully represented once L-Ron made it to the first bar after registration.  More importantly,  he had the official uniform of the Scream Team which would set the pace all day.   (He was literally making the T's that morning, major props).  You could literally spot the various members in all the bars easily with the trademark red tops and numbers.  At some point, the yells of Scream Team could be heard upon entrance of the drinking establishments as the entire group would take up most of the bars.

OG ScreamTeamers

     This event has to be commended for the organization and overall great time provided to the 1,000 participants.  Each bar was more than happy to entertain the throngs of drunken revelers for more than 12 hours.  The beer flowed aplenty and the weather was absolutely perfect.  New friends were made all day, especially the Brew-Tang Clan who we declared an honorary faction of Scream Team.  Extra special thanks and Happy Birthday to Meghan J for completely taking care of everything for our group, along with making pretzel necklaces for everyone (which I ate by the 3rd bar).  Everybody in the group was super awesome and made it that much better.  Definitely looking forward to next year.

DS, Bday Girl and friends, yes, we were seeing double

Shout to the Scream Team roster of L-Ron, Truth, Executioner, DS, Rizza, and last but definitely not least Big Wes, who actually completed the Beerathon and got punched by all 26 bars.  That's handling your business.  See you in 2012.  Enjoy the pics and hit the jump for more pics.