King of the Case: Flying Fish Brewing Company

Wherein I will buy a variety case and decide what the best beer in it is.
Flying Fish Brewing Company

Extra Pale Ale
This is pretty significantly hopped for a pale. Nice vibrant scent and punchy floral taste. Very crisp, extremely refreshing, and perfectly colored. There's a bit of an aftertaste, but not really a bad one. More of a by-product of the extra application of hops.

ESB Amber AleNot a lot of flavor jumping out here. The recipe is based mostly on malt, yet the flavor is a little weak. It isn't horrible, but it is certainly a little too simplistic. Not much to enjoy.


Hopfish IPAVery strong hops. They are detectable in the scent, and they pop out upon first sip. However, it is missing a bit of the hop concentration that you get in the California big boys as well as a distinctive flavor to contrast with the hops.

Belgian Style DubbelVery distinct Belgian flavoring with a perfect amber color. There is a touch of bitterness, but nothing too unbecoming. While it does not live up to the upper echelon of Belgians, it would probably rank highly among U.S. varietals.

The LabelsThe first thought is to say "Incomplete," because Flying Fish does not seek to achieve individual distinction with its labels. They are more of the school of establishing their brand, which is why they feature their fish-skeleton-as-airplane insignia prominently on every bottle. The only difference in the bottles is the color of the background. Since I don't want to wuss out, and give an incomplete, I will pick the Belgian Style Dubbel as my favorite label in this case. I just think the brown-and-gray background works well with their standard red-and-yellow look. But really the labels are sort of boring and unattractive.

The WinnerThe Extra Pale Ale in a close one over the Belgian Style Dubbel. I will say though: Was a little underwhelmed by the overall offerings.
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