There are certainly many more microbreweries now than there were when Muller, 57, ditched his marketing career and opened Flying Fish in 1994.
“Nowadays New Jersey beer gets a lot more respect,” says the producer of 15,000 barrels a year. (For the uninitiated, a barrel yields 14 cases.) Muller says Flying Fish currently brews about half the craft beer made in New Jersey.
For several years, Muller and his crew have been producing at maximum capacity and still not meeting the demand for their brews, he says.
Muller has a bone to pick with state regulations. He says Flying Fish and other small NJ breweries struggle to work within regulations that have been on the state books since Prohibition. For example, microbrewers cannot offer product samples outside the brewery, and brewpubs cannot sell to outside distributors.
Once Flying Fish is established in its new home, Muller plans to reinstate the popular Saturday brewery tours. But even then he can sell only two six-packs per person on site. Visitors to flyingfish.com can link to more information about new legislation being debated in Trenton, and can voice their opinion about the rule changes microbrewers favor.
With Flying Fish flying higher, the humorous name seems more appropriate than ever. In fact, the name was chosen, Muller says, because, “there are no mountain ranges in the state, but there is a lot of water.”
Some of Flying Fish’s most popular brews are those from the “Exit Series.” These annual, limited editions are named for NJ Turnpike exits. They come in large, 750 ml bottles.
So far, eight exits have been saluted, starting with Exit 1’s Bayshore Oyster Stout, which is indeed brewed with oysters. Other stops–not issued in numerical order–have included beers for Exits 4,6,8,9,11, 13 and 16, a Wild Rice Double IPA honoring the diverse ecosystem of the Hackensack Meadowlands. The latest release is Exit 4, an American Trippel bottle-conditioned ale.
Other popular varieties include the award-winning Belgian Abbey Double–which pairs well with smoked foods, cheeses and sushi–Hopfish IPA, which Muller describes as a great pre-dinner appetite stimulant, and the well-rounded Extra Pale Ale.
Muller eventually hopes to expand into neighboring states, including New York. Flying Fish beers are currently available at local stores throughout New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Muller provided Soup to Nuts with two beer-based recipes you might enjoy:
Grilled Brats ‘N Beer
1 lb. fresh bratwurst sausages
2 bottles (12 oz.) Flying Fish (or other) Extra Pale Ale
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 hoagie rolls
Prick bratwursts with fork (to prevent them from exploding as they cook) and place in a large stock pot with the onions, butter, and beer.
Simmer over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium high.
Grill brats 10 to 14 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly.
Serve hot off the grill on hoagie rolls.
Top with the onions.
Beer Marinade for Beef
2 bottles (12 oz.) of Flying Fish (or other) Porter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Marinate beef in mixture for several hours or overnight in refrigerator, reserving a small amount of marinade to use as a basting sauce while grilling.
SUZANNE ZIMMER LOWERY is a food writer, pastry chef and culinary instructor at a number of New Jersey cooking schools. Find out more about her at suzannelowery.com.