Exit beers - brewer names new beers for NJ Turnpike Exits

The Flying Fish Brewing Company (FFBC) are naming a series of their beers for Exits on the New Jersey Turnpike.  Located off Exit 4 of the Turnpike in Mount Laurel just ten miles due east of downtown Philadelphia these brewers are champions at marketing. They've scored a heap of TV and radio features for their new line of beers, the Exit Series.

In honor of the NJ Turnpike these beers are big - Big Beers in Big Bottles, they say. They're Australian-sized 750ml (25 fluid oz) beer bottles.

General manager Gene Muller says he got tired of jokes about which exit he came from after he said he was from New Jersey, so he decided to try a line of brews inspired by the distinctive character of each Exit of the Turnpike, starting with Exit 4 nearest Flying Fish, which they describe as a Belgian-style Trippel with a hazy golden hue and the aroma of citrus with hints of banana and clove.

Given that the Turnpike has 26 Exits - where the heck does anyone ever enter if all they have on the Joisie Pike is Exits? - there are 25 beers still to come. Flying Fish has set up a special website and is inviting ideas.

Some are already posted:

Exit 16A goes to the Lincoln Tunnel so that beer has to be deep and dark, one drinkler helpfully suggests.

Exit 10 leads to Edison reputedly the city with the largest proportion of Indian immigrants, so of course it has to be an India Pale Ale.

Exit 12 at Carteret with the petrochemical plants and oil refineries will have a beer within a slight head of naptha

Exit 14 at Newark will have the distinctive nose of the largest port on the east coast with a dash of diesel

Exit 16W Kearny beer celebrating the Meadowlands will have an aroma of swamp modified by occasional whiffs of a Mob victim dropped off a couple of weeks back

Exit 16X the lonely interchange in Secaucus - the ramp to nowhere - will memorialize the developers who didn't come with a plaintiff nose

We made up the last few.

Not enthusiastic at the Turnpike

We wondered if the Turnpike's spokesman  Joe Orlando might be the beneficiary of complimentary cases of Exit beer, but we guess not since he says unprintable things about its quality:

"I can tell you a few things - one, we're not thrilled with the tie-in. Two, the beer tastes like (unprintable)

"Our lawyers have spoken to them and they are supposed to be revamping their marketing plan and running it past us. That has not happened yet.

"We'd like to keep things amicable but if they continue to promote an association with the roadway we are going to take further steps. We don't believe that a government agency should be tied in with alcohol. The fact that it tastes like it does makes that tie in worse."

http://www.flyingfish.com/

TOLLROADSnews 2009-06-10

ADDITION: Joe Orlando was making a joking comment in a light hearted banter, not making a serious negative assessment of Exit 4 beer. He hadn't even tried the beer - editor June 16

TOLLROADSnews 2009-06-16 13:40