Deftones Phantom Bride - Belching Beaver Brewery
Much like pizza and beer, or beer and a Friday night, music and beer go hand in hand. But while those other things might be mundane and normal, a great collaboration between musical artists and brew artists is not.
And that is most evident with Belching Beaver’s collaboration with the Deftones to create the extraordinary Phantom Bride IPA. This is one you have likely seen in your local liquor store with the painted skull of a beaver on the 16oz can… Yeah, that one. I bet you’ve also wondered if it’s any good.
Well, let us help you figure that out.
Besides the interesting artwork on the side of the can, this IPA touts an admirable 7.1% ABV and 60 IBUs. Now let’s move beyond the labels and get down and dirty in our firsts.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--It is quite pale with a slight haze, and it formed a white and foamy head.
On the Nose--As soon as that can is cracked you get a nice hoppy aroma coming out at you smooth and punchy like the first notes of its namesake song. It is very aromatic with a mix of Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops. I must admit, I love this pairing of hops. This blend blasts all the hits of pine, citrus, and floral, as expected from a collaboration between two great hit makers. Each hop stands out on its own, but they play together so well. It makes you want to go back for another sniff to see what else you can find.
On the Palate--The hop flavors are just as smooth and punchy as the aroma. I get a huge dose of pine and citrus, particularly grapefruit. I also get some fruity and floral flavors from what I’m guessing is the mix of Simcoe and Mosaic hops. It doesn’t have a ton of malt complexity, but enough to set the stage for the great mix of hops. It is also worth mentioning that it is very smooth. Many IPAs claim as much and fall short, this one does not.
Phantom Bride IPA is very hoppy, very clean, very smooth, and very powerful. It reminds me quite a bit of Axis IPA from Real Ale, for any Texas beer drinkers out there. But with this beer the hop blend and aromatics stand out. It is worth a try, and it pairs well with any Deftones’ album of your preference. My recommendation is White Pony.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew