When Shapeshifter co-founder James McCall was asked how they come up with names for their beers, he had a simple answer: “We have a group chat and we just drop names in there.”
With Phasers To Stun, the suggestion came from brewer Carla Naismith, inspired by "Star Wars and related nerdy-ness" (before realising later the origins of the phrase belong to another sci-fi classic, Star Trek). Whatever the reasoning for the name, in beer form Phasers to Stun is a 7.8 percent ABV oat cream IPA – the sort of beer with which Shapeshifter made their name – laden with hops in the shape of Ekuanot Incognito, Sitiva and Amarillo.
And the beer most certainly does stun: pouring an opaque pale-yellow colour, there's a sweet sugar candy aroma that works well with the juicy orange and tangerine. The aroma translates exactly into the flavours too, where that sweetness-juicy citrus one-two combo flows over the whole palate. The mouthfeel is as soft and creamy as such a beer should be, with a low bitterness that allows for the hop flavours to really... pop.
Matt King
Published March 7, 2023 2023-03-07 00:00:00
