Important note to self: self, always check the freshness dating on your beer purchases. Truth be told, I almost always do. But last June, I was in a Target store for the first time in months due to the Covid 19 pandemic. I was in a rush to grab some food and garb some beer, and, well, I did just that. Amongst the beer I bought was a 6-pack of Three Taverns Phenom India Pale Ale with Simcoe, Citra, and Cascade. Sounded good to me and hey, Three Taverns is always wonderful.

When I popped a can on June 9th, I noticed a date on the bottom of 07/25/2019. Yikes! I assumed that was a canning date, so the beer was almost a year old when I bought it. Not to worry, it was actually very tasty indeed. I took these notes:

Three Taverns Phenom pours to a hazy yellow color with a thick fluffy head and a lush nose full of citrus, pineapple, and mint. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body with tropical pineapple notes, citric grapefruit peel and pith, and a long dry bitter finish. There are light notes of earthy mint in the finish, too, and orange juice.

Last night (February 1^st of 2021), I found I still had a few cans, and decided to drink one. It was still quite tasty but had lost a little luster from June. I am redoubling my efforts to drink the rest of them. Beer in cans does seem to hold up better than bottled beer.

Three Taverns says:

Phenom is a 5.5% summer IPA that’s bursting with aromas and flavors of citrus fruits (orange/tangerine, lemon/lime) and pineapple from the copious amount of dry hopping with Simcoe, Citra and Cascade. With a restrained bitterness, a subtle sweetness from Golden Naked Oats to balance the hops, and a flavorful, dry finish, Phenom is a crushable and thirst-quenching IPA that won’t survive long in your glass.

Three taverns calls this a “summer IPA”, and I can see that. I paid $11.39 for my 6-pack at Target. I would pay that again, for sure. Though next time, I’ll check the date.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, canned

(D)=Draft

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