Phantom Canyon Brewing Company

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Transcribed from notes dated F, 25 Sept 2009.

This was our third (and last) stop of the day on the annual Ale Street News GABF bus tour. Located on the corner of Pikes Peak and Cascade, the the doorway was oriented on an angle to the corner. The m.d.s. was just inside, slightly to the right and incorporated stained glass, which was a recurring theme in the brewpub. The oval bar was at a right-oblique to the door. The bar area was a sea of high, round tables and Captain's chairs with standard tables lining the windows. A word about the windows - they encircled a good 2/3 of the bar area and some of them were topped by stained glass. The windows ended along Cascade where the brewhouse began, also glassed in for my viewing pleasure. The back bar was a blonde wood, stained glass and mirror construct. The Sun Room was a private meeting room on the first floor, just beyond the stairs to the second floor. The second floor housed their extensive Billiards Room with its own abbreviated blonde wood bar and a buncha pool and billiards tables as well as foosball and HDTVs for the NFL Sunday Ticket. I was soooo envious ...

Beers: Both the Phantom IPA and Zebulon's Peated Porter were on cask during our visit and I had both. Yummy! The IPA was fabulous with lots of bitterness on the tongue followed by a pleasant finish. The porter really caught a peaty, smoky flavor to accompany its silky mouthfeel.

Others: Queen's Blonde Ale; Hefeweizen; Railyard Ale; Cascade Amber Ale; Demolition Cream Ale; Downtown Brown; Blueberry Ale and Ginger Wheat.

08-24-2010 15:34:16 | More by woodychandler

brewman63

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -9.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Stopped in for dinner back in May a few years ago and was excited at first to see the selection available. Unfortunately, a big selection sometimes means only average beer. And this was the case. I was happy they had a Kolsch on tap but after my first sip there was definitely something wrong. It had a distinct sour after-taste. Thinking maybe the Kolsch wasn't a big mover and it had gone bad in the keg, I ordered a pale ale next - a definite crowd favorite. Nope, same problem. Either they don't keep their beer lines clean or they have other, more serious problems keeping batches from spoiling. As for the food, it wasn't bad but I agree it tried to be a little more upscale than you would expect from a place like this. There's nothing wrong with a brewpub trying to be a little more fancy than your basic pub but the food quality didn't match the price. I have returned to the Springs a few times since and haven't had the urge to go back. It's too bad because it looks like it could really be a nice place. Just work on the beer and food.

06-11-2010 20:49:21 | More by brewman63

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.6/5  rDev -10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Kind of a neat place, massive in size, was actually here for a wedding. Coolest wedding location I've ever been to! This building obviously had some warehouse aspect to it. Big open ceilings and floorplan, brick building, two stories. Great downtown location, beautiful backdrop of the mountains.

Beer was good, a little too much of the "everything tastes the same/made with similar yeast strain" aspect to it, but nothing I tried was garbage by any means. Seemed to be leaning heavily on the British style tradition rather than the American neuvo hop it up vibe.

Food was decent, standard pub fare, with a little bit of fish. But I guess that is standard British pub fare, so nevermind.

05-28-2010 18:46:00 | More by Beerandraiderfan

damndirtyape

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Had dinner and drinks with a good friend here and I can see why it's his favorite. The atmosphere is good - nothing special, but plenty of room and not excessively noisy. A little cool temperature wise, but it warmed up as the place filled up.

Service was good especially when the waitress recommended getting that 2nd beer early while it could still be had a happy hour prices.

I would put selection, food, and quality in the same category here. The food was very good and the beer was as well. The Hefeweizen had all the things you want in an American wheat (hint of sweet and citrus) and their porter had great color and coffee/chocolate smells. They had IPAs and other house beers on tap as well as beer by the bottle and they provided the right classes for the beer chosen. The food was just right in portions and the desserts were huge for their price.

Overall I'm quite impressed and should I be this way again, I'll definitely stop in again.

05-05-2010 02:47:00 | More by damndirtyape

LittleDon

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The place was hopping on the Wednesday night I was there, with a long wait for dinner. Had a few beers at the bar, where the bartender was knowledgeable and happy to serve. I was a bit on the noisy side, despite the high ceilings. After a few beers, sat down to a reasonably good meal, green chili chicken soup, Caesar salad, and a Stranahan's. The menu contained both pub grub and fancier entrees, a decent selection. Service at the table was good. Housed in a wonderful old building in downtown Colorado Springs.

04-02-2010 21:33:57 | More by LittleDon

slander

New York

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Wednesday pre GABF play day down south in the Springs. The snow has not really accumulated worth a shit but it's still pretty breezy, 'ouisey, or maybe they just call that "cold outside". On the heels of that other place not so good, this next one had best offer love's recovery, something to salvage the day. Brewpub twopub, surely not coincidentally on the corner of a street named Cascade...

Century old corner joint formerly something and else before that. Entered from the side so as to sneak up on things and because it was the closest door to where it was it was cold outside from. Stairs there where goes to billiards & banquet, we'll see, but for now we're just going to head up front to the big room. High vintage pressed tin ceilings, large pillars and massive windows. On the wall to the rear, a looong "L" brown splotch concrete topped bar with a kinda cool fossil fish imprint down further, brown wood lip and a piping foot rail, seating for about a dozen and a half. 2 towers of 10 taps each along the bar with a pair of hand pumps at each. Barback is a massive ornate pillared arched unit, with an inlayed arched mirror on center with tiered booze below and smaller arches mirrored to both sides. A fit rack holds dangling glassware below some specialty displayed booze & logoed glassware. Wines are lined in rows on the counter below, and a cooler fridge on center with shelved glassware, pitchers, growlers and sampler paddles. A single flat in the far corner of the bar.

15 hightop roundies with matching chairs forward the bar across the room. 8 tables in a slightly raised penned area up front in the windows, running from the corner shwag area vestibule door to the 3 sided glass front brewroom. And a dozen or so tables & booths to the far side of the bar adjacent to another raised penned area with 9 tables along the far wall, brick with fogged vertical windows. Plants in pots on sills. Clustered art work, a series of 4 here, 4 there, and 8 mismatched in the far corner. The ceiling there all glass looking up between buildings.

A whole lot of window up front and 4x8's on the side over Cascade, with stained glass uppers. Beige & burgundy inner walls alternating and some brick. Slat wood floorings, beige ceiling and matching exposed duct work pointing about with large ceramic mug art dangling there. Drop suction cup lamps over the bar, drop chandeliers with fans throughout the room. Some trim and the pillars plum with beige uppers holding potted plants midway and a few holding slat boards listing tap selections.

Around the bend and through the door near the stairwell; a small room alongside backbarside with 8 tables. And now upstairs crazy, like 13 billiards tables across 3 wrap around rooms and a handful of foosball tables, too. Lots of mounted wall pieces and a dozen and a half tables scattered about. "C" shaped wood bar with seating for 9 in the end room holds 10 tap towers on the ends. A large framed horizontal mirror lies mounted over the barback, tiered booze below, and TV's in the corners. Good views of what mountains there are to see from up there. And a climb again to look in on the banquet room of big on the 3rd floor. Elevator there or stairs it back down.

Sampler offers 10 beers on a slat paddle, in baby bowling pin glasses all easily dealt by the paddle handle. (Queen's Blonde Ale, lightly hopped, decent; Hefeweizen, Lyle says it's the best Hefe outside of Germany, it is bananagood; Railyard Ale, lightly hopped & somewhat sweetish; Cascade Amber Ale, a nice red, good malty sweetness & hoppiness; Phantom IPA, on cask, nicely done, not overly fruity or sweet; Zebulon's Peated Porter, also on cask, smoked malt, the first non band-aid smoked beer we've had all week), and specialty beers (Blueberry Ale, I can smell it from here, a good boo, not overly sickly sweet; Ginger Wheat, not terribly gingery really; Demolition Cream Ale, malty & smooth, destructive for a Cream Ale at 7.5%; Downtown Brown Ale, toffee sweet, but not too much, nice maltiness). The Hefeweizen, Cascade Amber Ale, Phantom IPA & Downtown Brown Ale were the best of the lot.

Oh, and the soup is pork green chili, I don't even think I asked. And Witz laughs as it's all I've been talking about for 4 days now, how when we get to Colorado, there will be pork green chili! Yes, I will imbibe. Solid, good viscocity, sensory mmmm.

A well lit room filling in, clean & comfortable; I like the stained glass lit panel corners on the bar and leaves on the pillars. Seems they have the radio tuned to 80's station today; some good, some a hurtful reminder of the 80's. Lyletender is engaging, funny, ball breaking, and knows his beer. He may stay. The beer here, a couple of things I very much so liked and nothing to drain pour for. Oh, and pork green chili, it haunts me in my dreams...

01-08-2010 15:16:54 | More by slander

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have been to this brewery a couple of times, and have always enjoyed the atmosphere and the beer. In one of the upstairs rooms there are pool tables (much nicer table than Old Chicago's) darts, and foosball tables. Windows wrap around this third story bar/game area and display excellent views of downtown and the Rocky Mountains. The beers I have had ranged from moderate to good quality, and all were reasonably priced. The service did not match the atmosphere last time I was there, but hopefully that waitress will not last as an employee. If pool is your thing, don't waste your time at Old Chicago's in Colorado Springs, come here.

10-08-2009 16:19:52 | More by allforbetterbeer

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Went in on a Friday afternoon about 530PM, not to crowded for a Friday afternoon crowd. Seated right away at the bar area. Server was nice and never let us down on the beer. Atmosphere was a college, after work type crowd.I ordered the 22oz porterhouse which was really good. I also ordered up 2 beers which ranged from good to average. The beers were very well priced at $2.50 a pint! The selection was a out 20 beers ranging from porter, blueberry ale, IPA, amber, hefe, cream ale, stout and several more. Pretty good trip and better than my last trip almost 2 years ago.

08-29-2009 01:41:43 | More by barleywinefiend

rye726

Colorado

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is one of the better pubs in Colorado Springs. It is located right downtown on Cascade and Pikes Peak. Cool looking historical building.

The atmosphere is nice with a restraunt downstairs and a bar and pool tables on the upper level. They also have a quite room for private banquets which they do a nice job with. Their fajita buffet is delicious and costs only about $10 a guest. That also inludes a drink.

They have a good selection of you average bar foods as well.

Decent beer selection. Most are pretty mild in my opinion, but I'm hard to please in that area. The porter and IPA are probably their best ales.

I think beer is around five dollars a pint and goes down to $2.50 during happy hour. Nice place, but they need to expand their beer horizon's.

09-08-2008 22:38:55 | More by rye726

EagleTalon

Arkansas

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Phantom Canyon BC is conveniently located across from the Antlers Hilton and within walking distance of the other downtown brewpubs (Il Vicino and Judge Baldwins'). For the complete brewpub experience and good beer, the Phantom is the place.

The layout of the dining and bar area is pretty open, with high pressed-tin ceilings and the many high tables and stools in from of the bar. There are booths and regular tables around the perimeter of the L-shaped restaurant. Loud classic rock plays on the stereo. The brewery is located in a glass enclosure in the corner. I visited in the late afternoon just as happy hour began. it was not yet crowded.

They even have free wi-fi, but according to my server, the problem is that the college students that live in the apartments above the restaurant connect to it and eat up the bandwidth sometimes. I had trouble getting any activity and the manager offered to help me get a better connection on one of their private routers. As for the attentiveness of the staff as a whole, they treated me very well.

The beers are clean, tasty and technically sound. But, as some other reviewers noted, they are brewed with the general public in mind, so don't expect strong hop character, except in the IPA. However, they had a peat-smoked porter that was distinctive and uncommon to find in an ordinary brewpub, so the brewer is on-board with craft beer sensibilities. They also cater to individual tastes, so if you order, let's say, their blond ale, they will ask you if you want it in a chilled or room-temperature glass.

The food was excellent. I discovered a new appreciation for green chili salsa. Food was hot, fresh and served fast. Standard brewpub fare on the menu with a slant toward southwestern tastes. Good stuff.

I will go back again.

04-27-2008 15:55:56 | More by EagleTalon