Phantom Of The Hopera
Freetail Brewing Company

 

Sampled at the Freetail and Real Ale barrel-aged festival.

The beer pours a clear amber color with a white head. The aroma is caramel malt with some toffee and pine notes. The beer smells much more like a barleywine than a double IPA. The flavor is also similar to a barleywine. I get a lot of sweet caramel with some orange citrus notes. There is not too much bitterness, making the beer very sweet. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not really a DIPA, but still a good beer.

Served on tap at the brewpub in San Antonio.

Pours a very cloudy dark golden orange color with golden yellowish orange hues when held to a light source and a one finger frothy white head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Minimal spots of lacing left behind.

Dry earthy pine aroma with subtle citrus notes. Prominent malt backbone with hints of caramel and biscuit. Piney but not as hoppy as I expected with hints of tangerine and orange peel.

Medium bodied with a strong earthy hop presence up front that is pretty dry but again, the malt backbone is way too strong overpowering the hops. It's decent;y balanced but I wish the hops were more prominent and that the beer was a bit more dry. Slightly bitter finish.

On-tap at Freetail.

One of the better names for a hoppy beer, Phantom of the Hopera sits in my pint glass with a sluggish amber hue. Very viscous-looking liquid clings to the ring of tan bubbles with each sip. No visible carbonation, and spotty lacing. The aroma is intensely sweet and fruity, with tropical notes of mango, pineapple, and pear backed by a healthy dose of caramel & toffee malts. The hops add a hint of pine to the mix.

Flavor-wise, the hops make their presence felt in the form of resinous, piny goodness. However, the malt backing is almost sickly sweet with toffee and caramel candies. On the plus side, the alcohol is well-hidden beneath the massive malt base. Mouthfeel suffers from being overly syrupy and sticky on the palate, with a listless carbonation level that gives the body extra, unnecessary weight. All in all, Phantom is a decent IIPA, but Freetail can do better when it comes to their hoppy beers.

On-tap at the brewpub.

Pours an opaque dark copper color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of smooth caramel malts with mild amounts of milk chocolate aromas. Also present are large amounts of pine hops with hints of lighter floral hop aromas.

Tastes good. Caramel malt flavors with a mild amount of muted soapiness - not a bad thing, more of a lack of sweetness - kick things off. Midway through the sip the malt flavors gain more depth with the addition of lightly toasted malt flavors before giving way to pine and slightly leafy hops. The hops carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall after writing this review I realized I'm not sure if this was meant to be a barleywine or a DIPA. Either way, it's a good but not great beer. Worth a shot.