Exit 4
I must compliment Flying Fish for ingenuity. I know a lot of brewers are trying to tackle this "fusion" style of citrus hops and Belgian phenols. For me, it just never works. The beer pours beautiful, the look of a powerfully deceiving tripple with a puffy white head. The aroma starts the fall from grace. The beer smells of plastic. The smell reminds me of being a kid and ripping into the packaging of a brand new action figure. The flavor is a bit better as the taste of both a good Belgian tripple and a solid IPA can both be percieved; however, the flavors compete for dominance instead of blending harmoniously. Finally the plastic returns which hides some pineapple and banana flavors that are lying in the background. I think the problem here is that tripple is a big, expressinve beer. But, there is subtlety to the flavor. With Exit 4 the subtle flavors are masked behind a second layer of bold expressiveness. I love the brewery for pushing the envelope and I look forward to buying the next release in the series. With innovation like this, Flying Fish is sure to hit a HUGE winner sooner than later.