Flying Fish Brewing Company Finds Inspiration in New Jersey Turnpike

We've all come to look for America. As Simon and Garfunkel know, the U.S. of A. can be found on the classic stretch of highway known as the New Jersey Turnpike. And as most of its citizens know, America can also be well represented by a classic bottle of beer. Or 18. That is, the number of exits along the New Jersey Turnpike highway, and the number of different beers that microbrewery Flying Fish Brewing Company plans to create, based on the famously congested toll road.

The 14-year-old Jersey-based company aims to focus on a "unique aspect" of each individual exit to flaunt the diversity of its notorious state, according to the series' website .

First on the list was Exit 4, where the Flying Fish brewery is located. To match the exit's cheap, chain-filled businesses, Exit 4 beer is an American-style Belgian trippel with banana, cloves and a bitter finish, according to NPR's "All Things Considered." Not tempting enough? Try the upcoming Exit 11, which will be a wheat-tinged, warm-weather beer, based off the beach-going Jersey Shore crowd that usually packs the exit.

Because the remaining exits' flavors are still in the works (the series is said to be a multi-year project), Flying Fish welcomes beer fans to brew their own ideas in the brewery's Exit Idea Lab. The interactive site also features custom Jersey postcards, as well as a mini-tour of the Turnpike, describing points along the highway to help inspire your own creative concoction.