Circling the globe many times and educating his beer palate for nearly four decades, Phil is a former Vice President of the Beer Judge Certification Program, a Grand Master V level beer judge as well as a cider and mead judge. He has been homebrewing for over 25 years, winning medals and striking gold at the American Homebrewers Association national competition. As Brewmaster of Stillfire Brewing in Suwanee, GA, he has continued his winning ways in local and national competitions. He believes the perfect pint is out there waiting for him somewhere on planet Earth.
This is a deep, dark amber beer. Under a tan head, it is very hazy with evidence of a little debris floating around. The nose hits initially with resin, pine, light grass, and mild grapefruit all appearing. Despite the hop component, there is a toasty malt with a touch of caramel. The flavor has... Read More
This clear, yellow beer displays a low, white head with tight bubbles and great retention. Some corn, biscuit and a noticeable pine resin are first encountered in the aroma. The hop aroma level is about half of what you would expect from most IPAs, similar to what you would expect in a Pale or... Read More
This nice-looking pint feature a gold, fairly clear, low, white head with good retention and lace. Lots of pleasant hop aroma jumps out of the glass at me. I smell fresh grapefruit, pine, resin, zest, spice and a bit of tropical fruit. There is a little bit of the dankness many newer hop strains... Read More
I smell a pleasant mix of resin and citrus followed by a little orange citrus, biscuit malt, and a touch of coconut/tropical fruit. I also detect some underlying generic spice. The flavor is fuller than the aroma suggests. I get a lot of resin flavors, some citrus, and a firm, bitter finish.... Read More
After pouring, I'm greeted by a light brown beer that's clear around the edges but otherwise difficult to see through. The head is off-white and drops low, then sticks around, lacing the glass nicely. Roasty initially with an earthy coffee aroma being the most noticeable element in the nose. As... Read More
This clear light amber beer sports a thick, cream-colored head. The aroma is clean with toasted malt and a touch of spicy hop character. I detect a hint of bready yeastiness and sulfur notes, which is consistent with a well lagered beer. The flavor is very homogenous from start to finish with... Read More