Local MADD Chapter Slams Beer Named for N.J. Highway Exits

The Flying Fish Brewing Co. may have thought naming its beers after exits on the New Jersey Turnpike was a clever marketing move, but highway-safety groups are not amused by the association between drinking and driving, the Associated Press reported July 10.

The New Jersey-based brewer dubbed its first beer Exit 4, and a forthcoming brew is slated to be called Exit 11 Hoppy American Wheat Ale. But both the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority — which does not endorse the beer — have questioned the thinking behind Flying Fish’s expression of local pride.

“The combination of a roadway and advertising for any kind of a beer doesn’t make any kind of sense,” said Mindy Lazar, head of New Jersey MADD. “This is almost a mockery.”

Gene Meuller, president of the Cherry Hill brewery, said that the company plans to continue releasing its series of “exit beers,” but has shelved plans to associate the exit numbers with the alcohol content of each beer. “The one thing that both of us agree is drinking and driving is never an option,” Mueller said.