3 Floyds "Fantasmo" Mexican Style Lager

The 3 Floyd's dynasty is upon us. So far, this is my third of their beers, and these guys have been dead center of my five point scale. Yeah, there is a little give-and-take one way or the other, but my average range is from 2.0 - 3.0, and they haven't been able to break out of that range yet. Mind you, that means that they're not terrible, and any of their beers will be perfectly fine if you went out to a bar. But average beers aren't going to make your night.

Yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep. That is a pale yellow beer. That is exactly the kind of beer I expect when I order Mexican lager. When it comes out of the can, it produces a modicum of head, and that eventually boils down to the powdering across the top of the glass. Yep. This is a Mexican lager. Wheatgrass, flowers, and corn are the predominant aroma is coming out of the top of the glass. Yep. Mexican lager.

First sip is not half bad, but it definitely reminds me why they typically serve these with a lime wedge. This could absolutely use a little citrus, and I think the brewery knew that they should have added citrus hops to make up for the lack of that particular flavor in their beer. That said, the wheatgrass and some grains bring a lot of sweetness, and the flowers only seem to add a dry finish and maybe a mustiness in the middle. It's certainly not bad first sip, but it's not hard punching.

Tip-in is moderate carbonation burn alongside the lemongrass right up front with a flower mist around it. The middle is thin, but a corn joins a baked loaf of bread while the sweetness rises. The finish is a snap of dryness followed by lemongrass and grains with a little bit of flowers for the trail off.

Bottom Line: I'm starting to think that even if you hit this style absolutely correctly, it will still never be beer at its best.

3.0/5