Phase Three Brewing (2020)

Alright, you people finally convinced me to drive aaaalll that way to Lake Zurich! I want to see what all the fuss is about with this Terrazzo (and Pixel Density). I've actually had only 4 beers from Phase3 so it will be good to try stuff now that operations are more 'dialed in', according to feedback in this thread.

 

Pixel Density is fine, but frankly it's too "safe" (READ: SUBTLE FOR THE MASSES) that unless it's a DDH variety (DDH Double PD was absolutely bomb) I personally skip it. The regular has almost a lemon zest to it and is too light by my standards at least. P3 just has far better Hazies and I feel PD is just a compromise and nonoffensive entry point for a broader audience. Not to say that's all bad in its own right...

Terrazzo gets REAL NICE if you sit on it a couple weeks in the fridge.

 

Some thoughts on this batch of Terrazzo. Off the bat I prefer this batch more than the 1st one. Seems a touch drier which is my preference. The mouthfeel this time seems much more 'oily' to me but I'm digging it - like drinking hop oil (ok, I'm probably being odd in this regard). Kudos to Phase Three for making this again soon after the first release (and improving upon it - again imo. ymmv). Looking forward to seeing it again soon.

 

I’m having my first one now, and I’m feeling the opposite. I find it sweeter and less dry than the last batch (the last batch was sweet too, but this seems more than I remember). But I’m blaming my palate after having Mindspark before this. I’m sure your description is more accurate.

Mindspark was excellent, however I would prefer a bittering hop used as well to counteract all of the tropical fruit notes of mosaic. But hits every other more perfectly imo.

 

I had one last night and had similar thoughts, it did seem less "dry" (for the record, MUCH less dry than Pliny or Pliny for President IMO). More sugary sweet than the dry alcohol sweetness I remember from the first batch. The hop flavors are great but overall it felt softer.

 

Another new P3 release:

There’s no denying that Chicago has a sweet tooth. A lot of our hazies play off of that and are designed to be fuller bodied and while balanced, have a higher residual sweetness than other hazies from other regions of the U.S.
.
For Tonal Range we experimented with dialing back that residual sweetness but made sure to not lose the creamy body that’s so important to us in our hazies. Tonal Range is a 7.5% double IPA redesigned to drink like some of our favorite hazies from the North East. Slightly dryer, carbonated higher, and packed with Citra and El Dorado hops.
.
Available online today for brewery pickups beginning at 3pm. Distro will begin next week. Have a happy, fun and safe weekend!

 

Now you're speaking my language.

 

So, like Heady Topper, maybe?

 

Maybe. Not sure which NE hazy they are referring to. No pics on social media yet, just that 4 second via of the can on the canning line. Once they open at 3pm, we'll see who is the first person to get a pic up, haha.

I typically don't like their DIPAs due to the sweetness (and HB for that matter), so I'm going to check this one out and see if the changes work for me.

 

Wasn’t lying about the carb. Way more than usual. El dorado heavy in smell and taste which is weird since citra is in bigger bolder letters on the can. Nowhere near as sweet than his other ipas either. Definitely shooting for more of a Maine and Vermont type of hazy. Reminds me of a core lineup beer from Bissell, granted I’ve had more Swish than any of their other beers but feels like the same vibe as Substance or whatnot.

 

I'll "third" this view. This batch is tasting a lot sweeter to me than the last go around. It's missing that crisp hop punch. Perhaps it has something to do with the softer water that has served their hazies incredibly well?

 

If it’s RO water, every beer should have customer water treatment based on style.

 

Terrazzo drinks really smooth for an 8% dipa but the hops are really muted to me. It finishes dry and almost watery if that makes sense. Glad to try but doesn’t move the needle for me and I’m not getting the pliny comparisons as well. If i want a hop bomb dipa clocking in around 8% id chose nvu

 

If I’m paying for the beer, I’m not treating the water.

 

Ha! Damn it House!

 

https://imgur.com/a/RGs4XGa

Alright, so I was able to do a side by side of Terrazzo and Pliny tonight.

I have been a big believer in these two beers being very similar to one another so tonight was me testing that hypothesis.

You can see from the picture (hopefully) that Pliny pours much more transparent than Terrazzo does and also is a bit lighter in color.

The hop profile between the two is more dissimilar than I thought they would be, with Terrazzo being a bit more biting and Pliny being a bit smoother. The malts and finish seems nearly identical to me though. Whoever earlier in the thread described Terrazzo as "oilier" than Pliny nailed it. The mouthfeel is definitely heavier in Terrazzo. To those thinking Terrazzo is much drier than Pliny, I have to disagree.

I wish I had a can of Terrazzo batch 1 still because batch 2 is noticeably different to me. I remember batch 1 being lighter/crisper on the palate which is probably why it gave me such Pliny vibes. Maybe the initial hop profile that hits you is the biggest difference, but I think batch 1 and Pliny are nearly identical after the first hop flavor burst. Batch 2 and Pliny are different enough that I don't think they can be considered comparable, despite the finish being identical.

This was very fun for me and I hope people enjoyed reading it. With these tasting notes in mind I'm going to have a can of Terrazzo a week to see if the later cans more resemble my experience with batch 1. For those who have only had batch 2, I wish you could have had batch 1 because it was an utter joy and still might be my beer of the year.

 

Batch 2 is completely different. I remember batch 1 being really good initially if missing the mark of outstanding, but found myself a bit disappointed by the glowing reviews in search of a outstanding wcipa answer, and then a few weeks later thinking Terrazzo morphed into a sheer super beer that I begged P3 to repeat. Had a Terrazzo last night from batch 2 and the initial impression was very...umm...homebrew? Almost "dirty water"? Like poor yeast productivity and too much sugars left over? Also cloudy...Unfortunately don't remember or did I snap a shot of how batch 1 poured. It did "clear up" as it warmed, and flavors much improved. Hoping these improve a bit and move more to my FOND memory of batch 1 as I picked up 2 packs this round. Did P3 skip the CTZ this batch and that's the difference? They aren't listed on the can but don't have a batch 1 to compare. Regardless, hope a couple weeks in the fridge can improve these a la Batch 1.

 

Too soon to put Terazzo in the Galaxy Bowl category of beers that will never live up to B1 status?

 

I didn't have the first batch of Terrazzo, but I thought the second batch was enjoyable. I agree on the oily, slick feel others are getting. Almost like it's wet hopped. And this beer is all about Centennial hops and their floral sweet flavors, to me.

 

Have to echo some of the comments on Terrazzo. I really wanted to groan at the "not as good as their first 7" demo they played at Fireside Bowl" comments, but yeah, this feels more like a syrupy Midwest IPA. Almost Pipeworks DIPA bomber-esque. Which obviously isn't a bad thing, but not the cleaner, crisper tr00 WCIPA the first batch was.