Just Use Your Wings
Phase Three Brewing Company
- From:
- Phase Three Brewing Company
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
Ranked #2,432 - ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #22,192 - Avg:
- 3.88 | pDev: 5.41%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 15, 2025
- Added:
- Dec 16, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
It’s quickly become our motto around here to Just Use Your Wings. It’s a reminder for us to reach for things that seem hard to attain and to challenge ourselves. The first rendition of this beer was selfishly brewed to pay homage to our fast-growing team, to have a nice warm, toasty IPA to drink during our winter break and we wanted to share it with you.
Just Use Your Wings utilizes sweet honey malt and toasty Munich malt on top of an otherwise simple grain bill that has been hopped with a classic trio of “C” hops, consisting of cascade, centennial and chinook. Notes of pine, lemon zest and lemongrass with a hefty abv of 7.5%, a perfect old school Pacific Northwest DIPA for the holidays to keep you warm and keep you coming back for more.
Just Use Your Wings utilizes sweet honey malt and toasty Munich malt on top of an otherwise simple grain bill that has been hopped with a classic trio of “C” hops, consisting of cascade, centennial and chinook. Notes of pine, lemon zest and lemongrass with a hefty abv of 7.5%, a perfect old school Pacific Northwest DIPA for the holidays to keep you warm and keep you coming back for more.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania
3.56/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
A thanks to the creator of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a burnt orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of pine, citrus. Taste follows the aroma, malts are present, significant bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer.
Jun 15, 2025
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
3.75/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Released 12/11/24; drank 2/25/25 @ the Yarchives.
Murky orange rust appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice khaki head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lacing remained.
Pine, orange peel & faint caramel notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Pine & orange peel flavors, with a hint of orange soda on the finish.
Phase Three's version of Celebration; I like all these knockoffs, but this one isn't quite on par with the original.
Mar 03, 2025Murky orange rust appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice khaki head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lacing remained.
Pine, orange peel & faint caramel notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Pine & orange peel flavors, with a hint of orange soda on the finish.
Phase Three's version of Celebration; I like all these knockoffs, but this one isn't quite on par with the original.
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana
4.35/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nearly clear burnished copper color with a fluffy off white head that provides thick ropes of lacing. Beautiful beer.
The nose features a nice bit of resiny pine and lemongrass courtesy of the “C” hops, with some caramalt and honey aromas.
The taste is more of the same, with the resiny pine providing a nice bit of bitterness, flowing into the citrus flavors, but the star of this show is the caramalt and honey, which provides balance and drinkability to this WCIPA.
This is exceptionally well done, and a beer I’ll look for every holiday season.
Jan 21, 2025The nose features a nice bit of resiny pine and lemongrass courtesy of the “C” hops, with some caramalt and honey aromas.
The taste is more of the same, with the resiny pine providing a nice bit of bitterness, flowing into the citrus flavors, but the star of this show is the caramalt and honey, which provides balance and drinkability to this WCIPA.
This is exceptionally well done, and a beer I’ll look for every holiday season.
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin
3.95/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.95/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
No canning date
Appearance: Pours a mostly clear (70% clarity) dusky orange to bronze color with a strong off-white head. SRM of 13. (4.00)
Aroma: Strong aromas of caramel, tangerine, orange citrus rind, some stone fruit. (4.00)
Flavor: Strong flavors of orange, tangerine, citrus rind, some stone, fruit, and pine underneath. Clean and dry finish. Minimal bitterness. (4.00)
Feel: Lighter to medium-bodied, strong, carbonation, finishes, clean, and dry. (4.00)
Overall: This is their Winter IPA. Lots of West-Coast hop flavors. Expecting sort of malt-forward old-school hop flavors here. Pours beautiful. The aromas were milder than expected. The flavor is also a bit milder. Some caramel upfront with some hop flavors of orange citrus rind, tangerine, stonefruit. Finishes clean and dry. (Rating: 3.95)
Jan 15, 2025Appearance: Pours a mostly clear (70% clarity) dusky orange to bronze color with a strong off-white head. SRM of 13. (4.00)
Aroma: Strong aromas of caramel, tangerine, orange citrus rind, some stone fruit. (4.00)
Flavor: Strong flavors of orange, tangerine, citrus rind, some stone, fruit, and pine underneath. Clean and dry finish. Minimal bitterness. (4.00)
Feel: Lighter to medium-bodied, strong, carbonation, finishes, clean, and dry. (4.00)
Overall: This is their Winter IPA. Lots of West-Coast hop flavors. Expecting sort of malt-forward old-school hop flavors here. Pours beautiful. The aromas were milder than expected. The flavor is also a bit milder. Some caramel upfront with some hop flavors of orange citrus rind, tangerine, stonefruit. Finishes clean and dry. (Rating: 3.95)
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota
3.96/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz can. Bottom date stamp is off-center but the canning date looks to be in early December, 2023.
Slightly cloudy, dark amber colored body. Two fingers of white head settles back to thin cap and very high ring. Leaves thick rings of lacing on the non-drinking side of the glass.
Aroma is muted with pine, citrus, and toasted malts.
Taste is much more expressive than the nose. Centers on the dank pine resin/high drying bitterness. Sweet bread dough malts.
Medium mouth feel. Light syrup texture. No burn nor sting; higher ABV% is integrated. Very good carbonation.
Fits into the style of West Coast IPA but does not provide the bitterness bite that is expected.
Jan 13, 2024Slightly cloudy, dark amber colored body. Two fingers of white head settles back to thin cap and very high ring. Leaves thick rings of lacing on the non-drinking side of the glass.
Aroma is muted with pine, citrus, and toasted malts.
Taste is much more expressive than the nose. Centers on the dank pine resin/high drying bitterness. Sweet bread dough malts.
Medium mouth feel. Light syrup texture. No burn nor sting; higher ABV% is integrated. Very good carbonation.
Fits into the style of West Coast IPA but does not provide the bitterness bite that is expected.
Rated by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin
3.94/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A well-made West Coast style DIPA. A bit of sediment in can, but not hazy. Well-rounded, good malt backbone, with good hop bitterness.
Mar 25, 2023
Reviewed by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois
3.79/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
10 oz serving tasted in a pub glass from draft at Phase Three Brewing on December 28, 2020. Brewed with sweet honey and Munich malt. Hopped with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook.
Dec 30, 2020
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!