Beers Across America: New Jersey

New Jersey. The Garden State. Highest population density in the nation. Third state in the union, but first up in the BAA series.

The Review - Flying Fish Brewing's Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA: Located in Somerdale, New Jersey, Flying Fish is currently the largest brewery in the Garden State, and is most well known for its "Exit" series. Named after exits on the New Jersey Turnpike (and trust me, after hearing "What exit are you from?" enough times to choke a horse, I can relate to the concept), the series is an "experiment to brew a series of beers as diverse as the great state of New Jersey." The inclusion of wild rice during the fermentation process is a nod to the once-common food plant of Exit 16's Hackensack Meadowlands.

Appearance - Things start well with a thick head on the pour - a good 3-4 inches, with half of that sticking around well after the initial pour, complemented by some solid lacing. It has a slightly surprising pale golden yellow color to it - I could've easily been fooled into thinking it was a pilsner on first glance.
Smell - The aroma continues to give me a good amount of hope - a byproduct of the inclusion of Citra gives it a nice citrusy nose.
Taste - The initial taste is quite citrus forward (again, the Citra coming through), with a nice hit of hops.
Mouthfeel - Finishes smoothly, more so that you'd expect for this style, with a hit of pine on the back of the tongue. One of the main things I find myself judging Double and Imperial IPAs on is the prevalence of the alcohol (or hopeful lack thereof). Exit 16 executes this beautifully- it's a deliberately strong IPA, but its 8.2% ABV never comes through in a distracting manner.
Overall - A very pleasing beer, and one that I'd easily drink again and recommend to others.
8.5 out of 10.

My Experience: Surprisingly enough, despite living my first 20 or so years on this Earth in New Jersey, I really didn't have that much experience with beer in my home state. Then again, not a lot of people have until quite recently, as detailed below in Curio. I will say that I have very little reason not to have ever eaten and drank at Trap Rock Brewery in Berkeley Heights. Mere minutes from my parents' house, I'm sure I've passed it by over 200 times. Heck, it's even the highest rated brewery in NJ on BeerAdvocate! No excuse. Needless to say, I'll be documenting my visit to Trap Rock the next time my travels take me up that way. That aside, my mother was kind enough to bring a make-your-own six pack down with her on a recent visit, so I got a taste of a few local breweries. Climax Brewery's IPA, BOAKS' Two Blind Monks Belgian Dubbel, and another Flying Fish offering - Exit 4 American Trippel were all decent, but fairly uniformly uninspiring.

Holy Taps, Batman.

Hot Spot: Maloney's on Main, in Matawan, is the place to go for a true draught experience. Growing their tap count in four years from 25 to an astounding 125, I have to imagine it's pretty tough for patrons to actually come to a drink decision. In June 2013, Maloney's rolled out their Kon Tiki reserve draught program to celebrate their most recent addition of 20 taps. Aided by a new international distributor, Kon Tiki makes beers from around the world available to Maloney's, many of which have never been served anywhere else in the state. A quick peek at Kon Tiki's current offerings certainly whets my appetite - Harviestoun Ola Dubh 21 (Scottish Old Ale aged in Highland Park 21 Scotch barrels), Birra Del Borgo Perle ai Porci (Italian Oyster Stout that translates to 'Pearls for Pigs'), and Viking Blod (an aptly named Danish Meade clocking in at 19% ABV). Join Maloney's free Beer Club, and you can jot down tasting notes which they keep in an on-site folder. With 125 taps to keep track of, it's not a bad idea.

Curio: New Jersey is home to one of the most complex and restrictive set of alcohol laws in the U.S. New Jersey allows its individual municipalities considerable discretion to regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol, leading to significantly varying regulations from town to town. Supermarkets, gas stations and convenience stores rarely sell alcohol because the state prohibits corporations from holding more than two retail distribution licenses. Liquor licenses are limited by population, and are often further limited by local government. Intense competition for the acquisition of existing licenses is not uncommon; a Cherry Hill license was sold at auction for a record $1.5 million in 2006. New Jersey's once booming alcohol industry was effectively shut down by Prohibition in the 1920's. However, despite the repeal of Prohibition, many of New Jersey's legislative restrictions remained in place, preventing the industry's recovery. Only by 1981 did the state begin loosening restrictions and repealing Prohibition-era laws, allowing craft breweries, wineries and distilleries to start making a comeback.

Next Up: Having made my first-ever trip to Wisconsin a few weeks ago, I'll be revisiting my exploits there as well as trying a new offering.