Flying Fish OktoberFish

Brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company
Style: Altbier
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA

Cask at Andy’s O’fest.Gently dry hopped, pleasant subtle hop aroma. Fruityness blends well with the hops. Malty rich flavor. Peppery. Some hops. Nice and complex.

(draft at brewery). This is actually an ale, not a lager. Reddish-brown, nearly brilliant in clarity. Munich-toasty malt dominates the aroma. Nice malt flavor with a bit of citrus esters that work nicely with the beer. Smooth follow-through: balance seems to be a hallmark of this brewery.

Picked up a six pack on a visit to New Jersey because it was something I hadn’t heard of and the bottle looked interesting. It was worth the gamble. Really enjoyed the beer and will definately try other flavors next time I see Flying Fish available.

This is definately the best Flying Fish offering II’ve had yet. Flavor is mildly sweet wih a hint of citrus, and crisp hoppy bitterness throughout.

Bottle. Really just a nice October from Flying Fish. Mysteriously labeled as an altbier? Is it really? I dunno but give me a few more of these

September-October 2005 bottle from the generous Zathrus13, consumed on 2/24/06 in a Nashoba Valley wine glass at about 50 degrees to start
Very large head even at 5 months of age. Beige with dirty snow colored flecks. Tiny bubbles rise in an auburn-to-rich-amber body, not quite crystal clear, but more like fatigued glass on a mirror.
Sweet, sourdough-like malt sugars rise up to greet the nose, with zesty rye-pumpernickel notes and notes of sugary caramel over warm baguette. BUT, unfortunately, it is very weak in strength. Let us, however, keep in mind that it is quality not quantity! As it warms, I note light cherries and mashed walnuts with some brown sugar thrown in as well (though a little more dry than that sounds) that prove to complement the zesty, bready malts. And by the way, the head is still well-retained after the 15 minutes it took me to write that.
Cherries, sweet baguette dough and brown sugar combine to serve a strong helping of malt upon first sip. Bitter hops clear the sweet, round malts, while a soft, very rounded texture smooths the moderately bready, munich maltiness. Only a mild spiciness from the tettnangs (horizon and crystal in actuality) and perhaps the malt flavors could be a little deeper. But then, perhaps not. This is a session style, it’s not a doppelbock. Head never falls below cover (never fully dissipates) and there is light, web-like lacing. No alcohol apparency, little yeast apparency. The different malts are well-represented here. I was wondering why I couldnt find a crisp lager yeast bite on the end, and now it all makes sense. . .

Clean reddish hue. Thin slightly off-white head. Rather malty flavor with a late hop bitterness. Had more of an ale feel to me than a lager. Even so, this was one of their better beers.

09.03.04 12oz bottle. Very handsome pour - dark teakwood brown with red and gold highlights. The head is thick and white and, while fading, leaves a smattering of lace. Aromas are toasty malts, salty, bready - almost alt-ish. The palate is light to medium bodied, sticky with malts; slight tart quality shows up front. Hops on finish distinguish this beer from alt, to me, but not necessarily as an oktoberfest. Nevertheless, this is a great East Coast take on a traditional German style.