• Mike Riedel

TF - Phantasm: This new beer features a hot new ingredient designed to augment and broaden the flavor profiles of the hazier, juicier styles of IPAs. Phantasm is a powder made from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grape must; it's incredibly rich in Thiol precursors, which when added correctly to a fermenting beer, can unlock rich, strong tropical fruit flavors and aromas. The wine world has been using tannins from grape skins to balance the residual sweetness in wines since the dawn of time, where the beer world traditionally uses the additional spice of hops. So the makers of Phantasm hope to take the balance of beer to a level that hops can't get you to by themselves.

Pouring a fairly standard off-turbid apricot color, the beer has a creamy white crown while swooning the nose with a host of radiant citrus, tropical, melon, herb and berry aromas. Its creamy sweetness on the front of the tongue is redolent with cereal, light honey, faint caramel, all in a shortcake kind of way. I get the New Zealand white wine right away on the nose, along with copious other hop characters from sliced pineapple to honeydew rind, all slightly heavy to me with this much grain—not sweet at all, but sturdy.

The flavor has a cool citrus aspect, orange maybe, along with Meyer lemon, lemongrass, key lime and cannabis notes. The phantasm makes the fruitiness pop, and it starts early and stays late, lending an almost cryo hop vibe to this. Light coconut, peach, and honey notes emerge as it warms, fuller-feeling but soft, and relatively clean on the ferment.

Overall: This isn't the first beer that TF has infused with some wine character. This IPA utilizes the more tanic berry essence, however, rather than the finished wine flavors that you might expect. I think you'll find the added vine flavors in concert with the citrusy hops create a pleasant and complex drinking experience.

Shades - Raspberry Pistachio Pie: With this beer, Shades Brewing marks the end of an era with the departure of their head brewer, Marcio Buffalo. Buffalo has been credited (or blamed) for combining Kveik yeast, lactose, graham crackers and various fruits to create some of the most interesting pie-inspired beers in the world. Shades will, of course, continue with all of the exotic flavored beers, but this is the last of the Buffalo-overseen brews.

This brew is ruby red in the glass right from the tap, with a slightly pink-stained dense head. The aroma is rich with sweet and tart raspberries alike, along with a light nuttiness and a bit of graham cracker.

Raspberry hits first upon first swig—sweet and tangy at the same time, fruity and fun, upbeat with all the carbonation. It's also just a little bit sour, offsetting some honey and vanilla notes so it's not sugary through to the finish, and very drinkable for what it is. I think this is one of my favorite yeasts for this type of beer, and an interesting addition to some hop-forward ales. The pistachio component isn't too heavy handed, but it adds to the overall scope of what they're trying to achieve flavor-wise.

Overall: Once again Shades delivers on what is promised on the label. This may not be for everyone, but you can't deny that this beer and others in the Shades portfolio make drinkers stop and think as they imbibe, which is no easy feat.

Raspberry Pistachio Pie can be found at both Shades locations, along with many various restaurants and bars, including Slackwater and The Ice Haüs. Phantasm is available at TF in 16-ounce cans, and is a limited-production offering. As always, cheers!