Iron Hill Brewery
A local brewery with eight (soon to be nine) locations around the region!
Flying Fish Brewery offers a unique array of deliciously wholesome beers. All ales are preservative free and are never pasteurized, resulting in honest-tasting brew. Located in Cherry Hill, N.J., the microbrewery boasts record tap-to-taste distribution. After the brewing process, the beer arrives to vendors in usually under a week—can’t get much fresher than that, unless you go right to the source.
The source being founder Gene Muller’s quaint brewery; it is open for tours every Saturday, from 1-4pm. After experiencing all steps of the process, from barley to bottling, you’ll be able to sample the freshest the Fish has to offer. The beers on tap are rotated frequently, but seasonal and classic options are offered for take-home enjoyment.
Not only does Flying Fish value freshness, but they’re also a competitive brewery running with the best. Each year, Flying Fish is featured at the Oregon Brewers’ Festival in Portland, Ore. and the Mondial de la Bière Festival in Montreal, Canada. In addition, it’s Philly’s favorite brew; Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale is by far the most popular local beer offered at Citizens Bank Park, and has been served to Phillies fans since the days of the Vet.
Behind the delicious varieties, including a unique Chocolate Stout, Muller takes great care to ensure Flying Fish production remains sustainable and local. It’s hard to find an item used in the brewing process that isn’t recycled: barley is returned to farmers for feed, yeast is reused to enhance taste and water is recycled, saving 60,000 gallons a year. Muller struggled to find a way to recycle the non-biodegradable packaging materials needed to wrap cases of beer, and managed to find a useful alternative derived from soda can holders, cutting down Flying Fish’s shrink wrap usage by half.
All varieties—and there are quite a few bubbly brews to choose from—are produced on site, at the Cherry Hill microbrewery. In addition, Muller uses no artificial chemicals to create carbonation. All ales are 100 percent naturally carbonated, resulting in the smooth, creamy texture Fish fans know and love.
Muller brews staples year-round, like the Extra Pale Ale, but the Jersey Turnpike-inspired series is a truly local experience. Aside from the line’s uniquely local names, the Exit Series uses local ingredients to create the novelty flavors. Named after the New Jersey Turnpike exits, the beers use local ingredients that result in award-winning flavors. While Muller believes no Flying Fish ale out-sells another, Exit 1 is by far the most note-worthy concoction. Brewed with oysters from the Delaware Bay near Exit 1 of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Exit 1 brew is a popular local favorite—not just due to its curious origins. In addition, other Exit Series beers use local ingredients, like Exit 6’s key brewing ingredient: local rye. The 7th edition of the Exit Series will be released soon, following by the remaining 11 editions, culminating in a grand total of 18 exit-inspired libations.
Flying Fish is a proudly local establishment, and even offers Jersey-proud t-shirts and Flying Fish bottle cap earrings at its tasting lab. With over 100 bars and restaurants serving Fish ales in the Philadelphia region, there’s no excuse not to go-local.
