Name: Insight Phantom Taxi
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 84
As some of you may have noticed, many of my recent reviews have been lacking in the IPA department and there's a reason for this. I still very much like my IPAs but I feel that I haven't devoted enough reviews recently to make it more diverse. Fear not, there will be more IPAs popping up in the near future. With that said, let's take a look at Insight Brewing's Phantom Taxi.
The newest canned release from Insight, I believe this was originally a draft-only offering but I'm going to assume that it was popular enough to warrant a canned release. As for the name Phantom Taxi, the only lead I have to go on is the story of a taxi cab in California that drives itself on the back of the can.
Appearance - Mildly hazy bright orange color with a light amount of visible carbonation. The head starts out pretty foamy but settles to a finger width after a couple minutes but the lacing is nice and plentiful.
Aroma - Citrus hops & orange peel with some mild caramel maltiness. I'm also getting a very light hint of grapefruit in here as well.
Taste - Tangerine on the front of the palate with some orange peel and light grapefruit in the middle along with a solid caramel malt backbone. The back of the palate is more of that caramel maltiness and orange peel with a mild bitter hops. As for the aftertaste, it's just light bitter & citrus hops.
I like this. It's nice, bright. and is a textbook example of what a good West Coast IPA should be like. I've heard musings on Facebook that this is more of a limited release so be sure to grab this should you so happen to see it. As for the story itself, I want to know more. A novella perhaps, Insight?
Insight Phantom Taxi - 9/10
