Flying Fish Brewing Company - XPA

This pale ale from Flying Fish, which started it all as the brewery's initial offering, presents a golden-amber color with a head of off-white foam. We poured half our bottle, then roused the yeast sediment and poured the rest, giving the brew a hazy look. On the nose we picked up lots of floral and citrus zest character, along with an herbal flourish of cut grass, and some stone fruit and melon notes. On the palate, look for the malts to come through clean and fairly pale in character, but flavorful, with a subtle complexity thanks to the use of six different malts. Bright hops come through as the stars here, though, with this revised version of XPA boasting prominent zesty citric notes thanks to a generous dose of Citra, along with a good bit of herbal character. For food pairing options, the brewery recommends spicy foods in general along with fish, fowl, and grilled meats. They make a point of stating it's not a dessert beer, but to be contrarian we might suggest lemon cake; the citrus notes will complement each other, while the beer's hoppy acidity will play foil to the cake's sweetness. Cheers!

When Gene Muller founded Flying Fish in 1995, his approach was a bit unusual. While working to build his brewery, he launched the company online – becoming a “virtual brewery” to allow microbrew fans to contribute their assistance and opinions by weighing in on upcoming beer styles, naming the beers, designing labels and merchandise, and even signing up to be volunteer taste testers and applying for employment. By late 1996 the brewery was finished and the first beer was released to a waiting fan base. A pretty clever approach if you ask us.

Muller, a graduate of America’s oldest brewing school at Chicago’s famed Siebel Institute, remains at the helm to this day, presiding over two decades of impressive growth. In 2012, having outgrown their original location in Cherry Hill, Flying Fish moved to a new facility in Somerdale. Here, they pursue sustainability as a top priority. Solar tubes provide natural light, solar panels provide power, a steam capture system reduces water and power consumption, high-efficiency boilers reduce gas usage, and all spent grain (over 2 million pounds per year) goes to a local dairy farmer for feed.

Winners of multiple Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medals, among many other awards, Flying Fish currently offers seven year-round beers along with various seasonal and special offerings, including super small batch one-offs and barrel aged beers that are only available at their Tasting Room. For more info about the brewery, their Tasting Room, tours and more, contact them at 856-504-3442 or visit www.flyingfish.com.