Exit 4 - Flying Fish Brewing Company

cosmicevan

New York

4.47/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

big thanks to ThoreauLikeAGirl for the generous extra!

a - cracked the 12oz bottle and filled my la fin du monde tulip. poured a rich transparent golden with a medium generous frothy yeasty head. visible carbonation throughout. lacing was pretty sticky as well.

s - very nice. candied sugar. bubble gum. clove. banana. timid tripel, but very pleasant and pretty spot on for style.

t - powerful match to the nose. very nicely done tripel. a bit on the sweet side, but i'm really digging it. bubble gum clove and candied sugar.

m - pretty rich and thick, but in a good way. not overbearing.

o - overall, i'm rather impressed. tripels are somewhat polarizing for me. this has a unique spin and feels a bit thicker and sweeter than what i'm used to, but it works.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 05:12:50 | More by cosmicevan

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured chilled in large bulbous glass

A: dark yellow; fantastic four-finger head; cloudy; good carb action
S: pleasant hops smell at first, yielding to clove and banana
T: sweet, gentle but compressed Belgian style; bottle conditioning is muted; the traditional cloves, banana, and pear are there, but not strongly; alcohol content nicely masked; I would have expected a more intense flavor; draws you in the more you have

Overall, a very pleasant beer; I'm looking forward to more FF beer

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 03:59:27 | More by Arithmeticus

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ba Review #15
Served On: 7/20/2011
Glassware: Pint Glass

This was my first experience with Flying Fish but not my first experience with a Belgian (American) Tripel. I had the Victory Golden Monkey about a year ago. I remember the Victory Tripel had clove as the predominant flavor. I personally find strong clove notes to be nauseating in a beer, so let just say the Golden Monkey was not the Belgian beer for me.

Look: A rich golden color - slightly darker than straw but not quite copper. The head was a thick white 2 fingers of random sized bubbles. This was an extremely nice looking beer in the glass that pored real smoothly.

Smell: I got some butterscotch at first, with some green apple and caramelized pit fruit towards the end. Butterscotch certainly dominated the nose on this one. Not much clove; surprise for a Belgian Triple.

Taste: This beer had a thick syrupy body with the butterscotch hitting the palate first, followed by the green apple and some slight spice from the mild clove. The clove wasn’t overpowering at all, which was a total relief for me. Also got some hops that carried over into the aftertaste. This is a well balanced Tripel. Even the usual alcohol heat for a 9.7% beer is virtually undetectable.

This is a phenomenal Belgian (American version) Tripel. I highly recommend this beer to anyone who is annoyed by overpowering clove in Belgian style beers. This is also a great offering from Flying Fish. I will definitely be picking up more from this brewery when I find it.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 17:28:23 | More by CraftBeerTastic

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasty US take on a trippel, nicely hopped making it feel more like a Belgium IPA than anything else.

Presentation: 12 oz brown capped bottle. Purple background label with brewery identity and a highway exit illustration naming the ale. Side paragraph notes intent, and main characteristics. Shows 9.5% Alc. by Vol. Served in a tulip glass. Served in a tulip glass.

A - Lightly hazy pale amber pour with a fair frothy head, and retention, good surface memory and lacing.

S - Rich nose, sweet, lingering malt base, with a nice hoppy flow, glowing citric and floral notes with touches of spice.

T - Palate in sync with the nose, good malty sense with some caramel, a yeasty spicy touch, hint of banana, more clove, richly hopped with some grapefruit and resin woven with the sweetness.

M - Medium body and carbonation with a smooth flow and a complex lingering bite.

O - Rich surprise, great flow and quite pleasing.

Notes: I was expecting a good take on a trippel and found a surprising sense of a Belgium IPA. At least for me, despite the sweetness and spiciness, or precisely because of them, there is a rich hopped sense that competes with the best takes on the emerging BIPA style, maybe the bigger alcohol profile makes it stay in the Trippel camp? Regardless, this is probably the best Flying Fish I've tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 03:38:05 | More by Daniellobo

Ahoyhoyindeed

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: admittedly did not pour out to be able to determine
Smell: slightly sweet, raisony
Taste: Surprisingly light for its alcohol content and heavy structure, but sweet and heavy at the same time, hints of raisons and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, slightly thick
Overall: There's a reason it won the Washington Post march madness tournament, it's heavy enough to appease the dark beer drinkers but light and flavorful enough for more casual or light beer drinkers to not overwhelm
Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 15:42:53 | More by Ahoyhoyindeed

FosterJM

California

3.23/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

626th Review on BA
Bottle to Goblet
12 oz.

Total Wine and More Las Vegas, Sumerlin

App- a very murky hazy darker yellow with some orange highlights. A 3/4 in head that fell quickly. A little bit of cling.

Smell- So gone is that normal yeasty wheat based triple and replaced with some citrus malt.

Taste- Much bigger citrus than I expected. It was lacking a yeasty wheat aspect but a big bigger than given credit for. Damp and a bit thick.

Medium- Thicker medium bodied and Medium carbonation. A nice thick citrus taste.

Drink- A weird triple to say the least. Wasnt bad but just off from what I am used to. Tasty just bigger and thicker. I probably wont have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 04:17:03 | More by FosterJM

ianjsullivan

Maryland

2.9/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

ST: 12oz poured into a snifter.

A: Dark gold (it looks like dark honey in a jar) with a very thin head; though, it does leave decent lacing, and it has steady carbonation.

S: Surprisingly, hops dominate the aroma. Citrus and pine stand out. There is some malt and clove in the background.

T: Deep sweet malt with large bread flavors dominate the starting flavors. Some clove and fruit meet in the middle. The finish is a lot of spice and bitterness from the hops. There is also warmth from the alcohol.

M: Very light for a Tripel.

O: This is a bit of a disappointment as a Tripel. I have enjoyed other things Flying Fish has brewed, but this beer does not have near the quality of other Tripels I have had. It is very dark (darker than most Tripels I have had that are brewed with Belgium candied sugar). The aroma and the flavor is not as complex as other Tripels, and the beer is not as heavy as it should be (I am not saying it needs to be syrup, but it should have some larger body).

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 01:05:36 | More by ianjsullivan

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured out as a hazy looking golden color. The head was pretty good looking and white. Not a ton of lacing but just enough to grab the glass. The smell was hoppy, not sure why it was that hoppy, but the nose had a little spice going on too. The taste was hoppy, spicy and had just a bit of yeast in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel was pretty good. Medium bodied and nicely carbonated. Overall not the best Tripel but it wasn't a bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 04:42:32 | More by Knapp85

trappistlover

Arizona

2.13/5  rDev -44.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

(12oz bottle from Total Wine Desert Ridge). Pours clear golden with white head. Active carbonation and a bit of lacing. Aroma is musty and has dank hops, along with some citrus. Is this an IPA?? Taste is sweet and has artificial perfumey notes. Medium bodied. This is the worst example of a trippel I have ever had. Terrible.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 15:28:11 | More by trappistlover

BikeChef

District of Columbia

3.15/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy golden color. Interesting... smells more like a BPA. The taste is in line with a BPA as well, with hops riding over the tripel backbone. A clean, well-made beer. However, the pronounced sweetness is very offputting and really throws the beer way out of balance for me. How in the world did this win the 2011 Washington Post Beer Madness bracket?!

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 01:33:02 | More by BikeChef

Dotcubed

Arkansas

2.93/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A few weeks ago i got a six of these, this is a favourite style of mine.

No foam pour to speak of, making this out look dissapointing, but I know it's an older bottle. The ginormous tripel karmelit glass gives off better aroma than the sam adams glass with the first five.

Smells lighter, banana over ripened and clove. Made for the masses, this is nowhere near my fave La Fin du Monde.

Lighter than i realzed, mild and tame with big breadyness. Alcohol heat, mild bitterness. Wet yeasty thing. Worth getting for that any meal belgian inspired treat.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 01:07:34 | More by Dotcubed

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From the bottle at SAVOR 2011. Served in a goblet.

Pours a sparkling golden color with an average white head. A bit of spotty lacing on the way down. The nose carries some light grain and bread plus a bit of spice. Nothing too complex or involved. The flavor is slightly bready with a light sweetness and just a touch of yeast. Not too much going on. Light to medium body with good carbonation. Falls pretty flat for the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 20:47:46 | More by Thorpe429

mactrail

California

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Sweet, liquor bomb with a spritzy feel.

Some head on the golden hazy pour, and a modestly pleasant carbonation on the tongue. But sweet candy flavor takes over. Not even the slight harsh back of the throat Belgian rasp can balance it. Fruity like an overripe papaya. Saved by the distilled raisins and peppery sugar that does rise out of the swamp.

I like big, sweet, malty beers, but this lacks as much interest as so many in the Tripel style. If only you could get Olde English Exit 4 for $2.19 a quart, we'd be on to something.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 04:39:58 | More by mactrail

harrymel

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle date: unknown

A: Pours out a hazy golden-on-copper ale. A transient loosely packed bone white head falls to a see thru, broken sheet of the same. Unimpressive. No lacing.

S: Citrus, pine and earthy hops. WTF?! The grain comes through midway and the yeast only whispers in the background. This smells more like a belgian IPA. Hmmm..

T: Up front, the hops add a bitterness which weaves into sweet bready characters from the hops. The yeast is finally a followup to the beer and provides a good earthy flavor. Much to my surprise I like this. I wouldn't call it true to the style, but not bad at all. Some hints of corn in there. The alcohol is surprisingly evident. There are some metallic tones on the finish as well.

M: Medium to full bodied with typical spritely carb. Finish is relatively dry for the style. Feels just barely creamy in the tongue.

O: Not my favorite Tripel, and IMO, not much of a triple. Much to their efforts, however, this is not a bad beer in any way. It in fact is pleasant. Would enjoy again - wish I new the bottle date.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 15:16:04 | More by harrymel

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a bright, clear golden-orange color. The medim-sized, off-white head has a even, foamy consistency. Retention is decent. A little lacing sticks to the glass, but not nearly at the same levels of some other tripels.

S: Tangy, fruity, and alcoholic are the best words for the aroma. Not much in terms of malt complexity, but there's a lot of yeast character (tangy and spicy notes) and a prominent hop profile (citric and tropical/fruity) to go along with some fairly noticeable alcohol. Non-traditional, but interesting.

T: Some lightly grainy malt presence, along with some sweetness. Not an especially dry tripel. Yeast character provides spicy, peppery, and lightly tangy flavors. Hop bitterness is solid. Fairly vibrant tropical/citrus hop flavor overall, with a minor floral note underneath it all. Alcohol isn't shy, lending a bit of heat.

M: Medium body. Carbonation is average. A bit of dryness, but for a tripel, this is lazily carbonated and not very dry. As mentioned above, alcohol lends some heat.

D: An enjoyable, interesting beer that shoots stylistic guidelines to hell. Has at least as much in common with a Belgian-inspired IPA as with a tripel, but this drinks surprisingly cohesively. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 23:22:58 | More by Clydesdale

pzrhsau

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Fantastic rich golden color with a very robust foamy head that clings to the glass very well.
S: Nice spicy hop aroma. Very rich and herbal like a parsley or corriander.
T: Deep and complex with great bitter hoppiness and fruity bready malt to it. Very much like the herbs for a fish of sorts.
M/O: Not the crispest carbonation that I was expecting but the beer has a great complex flavor with some great sweetness and bitter hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 02:38:54 | More by pzrhsau

Boto

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. Bottle: This one pours a fairly clear dark golden color. There was just a touch of a white head on it that went away quickly. For a bottled conditioned Belgian, there was no sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Nice nose, but a bit light for a Tripel. I get some orange, clove, faint wheat and breadiness. Somewhat sweet. Some of your typical tripel characteristics are missing. I get a hint of clove, orange, banana and some wheat. Maybe even some pear? Actually some hop bite to the finish. Not bad, but a little different for a tripel.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 21:02:31 | More by Boto

Chaney

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first Flying Fish beer ever...

A: Gold in color, crystal clear, and with a nice 1/2 inch or so head that didn't go softly.

S: Grassy and then some. Under first inspection, it reminded me of a Belgian IPA. Sweet, hoppy, sugary, and very good.

T: Once again, if someone served this to me sight unseen, I would have pegged it as a Belgian IPA. Sweet, very juice-like, with no alcohol detected. Pleasant hop profile.

M: Danger, danger, Will Robinson! This one was smooth, but not as interesting as I'd hoped. The carbonation was moderate, and so was the lacing.

O: Trippel my ass... this was a Belgian IPA with pixie stick dust added. Still, pretty good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 20:59:48 | More by Chaney

Ghenna

California

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Golden, with 1 finger of white head.

Nice orange-ish citrus hop smell, with a pleasant sweet smell in the background.

Orange hop and malt sweet almost make this taste a little orange juice-ish. I mean, it isn't as if you were actually drinking orange juice, but there is definitely an essence of orange juice to this beer.

MF is fairly light, thought the citrus hop flavor lingers for a bit. This is actually a super nice beer, with not a hint of heat that I would expect with the alcohol content. Super happy to see Total Wines carrying flying fish beers here in Northern California,

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 02:23:59 | More by Ghenna

Guden

Maryland

3.23/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Looks like a nice tripel, golden with a hint of copper. A 1 inch white head sits on top and fades slowly, leaving good lacing.

S- Huh, a lot going on. Very cidery with some alcohol coming through and american hops. A little like someone mixed a hard cider with an IPA, not very enjoyable but the belgian yeast notes of pear and apricot bring it a little bit back, still kind of weird.

T- Similar to the smell but without the alcohol being noticeable and the fruity yeast character going more in the direction of pear than apple. The flavors are all bold and in a lot of different directions (fruity yeast, sweet lager like malt and citrusy american hops). Overall it doesn't taste bad but it seems like some of the flavors are unnecessary. Were it a little more bitter it would be a cidery belgian IPA, but as is it's just a strange take on a tripel.

M- Feels right, lots of good carbonation with a fairly thin but perky sip.

D- For how strong in ABV this beer is it certainly is drinkable, that said the flavors never came together in the way I would've liked and the belgian yeast notes were not quite where they should have been. A nice try but not something I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 21:54:08 | More by Guden

edthecat

Delaware

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Saw this new at the store and decided to try it out.

Served from a bottle into a chilled glass.

A - Cloudy and golden. Very little head to this one, with little lacing. Some carbonation noticeable, but very little. The sediment from the bottle seem suspended in the beer... which gives it a "jelly" kind of look... if it weren't for the few bubbles of carbonation I would think that I could take a spoon of it and spread it on toast...

S - Very "clean" smell... and not strong on the nose at all... subtle hints of the hops, may be banana?... surprising... there is not a word I can use other that "clean", not like pine sol or cleaning products "clean", but like fresh clear water clean... and with the 9.5 abv I would think that the alcohol would come through.. but not at all. I'm not sure if I wish there was more to the smell... or if I like the fact that it is such a crisp, clear nose.

T - Good taste... nothing overpowering, but nothing too complex. The flavors of citrus, banana, some clove... all there but well balanced. Sweet finish. Easy on the tongue and pleasurable... but nothing that gives me that "wow" I can't wait to try another. This is the kind of flavor I'd like in a beer for spring or summer cookouts...

M - Not watery, but not thick either. Just... o. k. At times I felt like it was almost "oily" with a coating in the mouth that needed to be cleared after the initial swallow.

O - Not bad... but not exciting. I don't think I will get this one again... but am glad I tried it. I think where this one shines is in the fact that it is REALLY potent, but unlike many strong ABV beers where the alcohol scent/flavor are very noticeable... the Exit 14 makes it smooth, and easy to drink. Part of me really wants to rate this one higher... but for all of it's uniqueness... it comes off as just average, and in that... I'm torn... like I said... I really want to like this more than I do... it seems that it was an ambitious brew... that just barely missed the mark of amazing.

Additionally - this is my first try at a "Trippel" style beer, and after reading the description of what this style is... Exit 4 nails it on the head. If this is the kind of beer you enjoy... I think you will like this one. I won't alter my review based on my new found knowledge of the style... as it is my honest review, and may be this is not the style for me... but I think that if you like Trippels... you should check this out.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 14:43:28 | More by edthecat

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Acquired from bonkers, courtesy of Quick & Easy High Card BIF so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a murky golden brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin on the glass.

S: The aroma contains Belgian yeast, spices, caramelized malts, a good amount of hops and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and citrus followed by a burst of hops bitterness, which you don’t often see in the style, but it blends in well. Then some breadiness from Belgian yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character comes in to create a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style while adding the hoppiness, this is a very good beer to drink for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 02:57:17 | More by TheManiacalOne

Mattvt00

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a 6er of this at Total Wine in Alexandria after reading a good review in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/beer-madness-new-jersey-reigns-supreme/2011/04/13/AF4Z4G5D_story.html

Good tasting beer, but a little sweet for my taste. It's grown on me as I've gotten to beer 4 (over a week or two).

Nice head, small bubbles that linger for a bit. Good looking beer, too, lots of sediment.

Beer is very sweet on the front of the tongue and I'm afraid that may turn off many drinkers. But, the WaPo reviewed it as a "fruit beer," so given that, the overwhelming honey and citrus taste doesn't bother me, it may bother you, so, you've been warned.

Very high ABV, usually you can't find a 6er at this ABV, and you really can't taste the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 05:03:54 | More by Mattvt00

HattedClassic

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a one fingered white and creamy head that diminishes quickly but lasts. The beer is a golden straw and clear.

Smell: Grassy hops with a hint of bubblegum or really sweet fruit.

Taste: A very fruity taste with an undertone of grassy hops. I can certainly taste some apple and a tiny hint of apricot but not much else. Honestly, the beer reminds more of a Belgian IPA than actual Tripel. I think the beer is too hopped that it bypasses the Tripel taste.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation and smooth feel.

Overall: Not a bad drink but it won't be replacing the Tripel Karmeliet anytime soon for me. I think that the Exit 4 is a little too hoppy to be a Tripel and too fruity for my taste to drink or even buy a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 03:59:17 | More by HattedClassic

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Finally made it down the Turnpike to Exit 4 - well, I actually got this via the single 12-oz. bottle from Buy-Rite in Jersey City but nevertheless, this was the first of the Exit series that I tried. The idea seemed intriguing and so did this style since it's not something that I sample that often. Sure enough, this was worth the hype as I was quite surprised by how enjoyable this was!

Nice pour to this with a goldenrod hue and fluffy head that lasted for quite a while. The lacing was good too and present throughout my session. No sediment could be seen except for just a hair that I was to swirl around the bottom of the bottle to get out. As for the taste, this was beautifully complex like any good Belgian beer should be. Nice notes of plum and bubblegum underneath the sweetness of apple and pear with just a hint of apricot in the mix too. The sugary flavors lingered well into the aftertaste and the carbonation reminded me of Sierra Nevada - lots of bubbles that made the beer look like a well-preserved piece of amber.

Had this been not so wonderful to behold, the alcohol surely would have crept up on me. Yes, this is strong but you wouldn't know it unless you saw the information on the side of the bottle. The flavors and well-balanced mouthfeel hide the power of this quite well and if this was randomly given to me in a glass, I'd have a hard time discerning where it was from. Like a good Victory or Ommegang beer, this can hold its own with the beers from overseas and has me wondering what the other offerings in the Exit series taste like. I can't recommended this enough for those who love a well-crafted belgian beer and this was good enough to make me want to try others down the road. Yes, it's that's good!

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 18:32:47 | More by JerzDevl2000