Flying Fish: Exit 16

Holy $%*&. Sometimes a beer comes completely out of nowhere and BAM!, it just lingers on the tongue like bliss. Everyone’s probably got a beer like this, a beer that just shows up in your fridge (this one was included in a beer trade) and after a week or so you finally pull it out and crack it open. Starring me in the face this whole time was a beer made so perfect. That beer was Flying Fish Exit 16 IPA. Exit 16 is made with 5 different hop varietals, and Rice! Fucking rice? What is this, Bud Light? Seriously though, when I pulled this guy out of the fridge I was intrigued, Wild Rice. I looked at it with stern face before I realized I had to drink it to find out what it tastes like.

Just by opening the bottle I could smell blasts of citrusy hops escaping from inside the beast. Immediately I knew I had a gem. I poured it hard into the glass and got even more grapefruit and tropical citrus wafting up. First sip and it was over. This beer was outstanding, with a lovely sweetness on the tongue and a massive wave of hops right on the tongue, and a super crisp finish with nice bite on the back of the tongue. The rice wasn’t so much a taste as it was a suppressor of sweetness to let the hops ride out in the open, and it was amazing. The art of double IPA’s has just had a bar raising moment for me. Might be the only reason I’ll go through Jersey the next time I have to drive to Virginia.