Is Phantasm the Brewing World’s Coolest New Ingredient?
Beer makers like Arvada’s New Image use the powder, which is made from wine grapes, to amplify the fruity flavors of hazy IPAs.
Roshae Hemmings August 3, 2022
The lineup at New Image Brewing. Photo by Jess LaRusso
Phantasm may sound like a retro magic act. But it’s actually one of the newest ingredients in the beer world—a powder made from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grape skins that works to amplify the fruity flavors of hazy IPAs, making for an even juicier sip.
“The reason that we use it is because the grape powder contains precursor molecules to fermentation byproducts that produce fruit flavors that are tropical,” says Brandon Capps, co-owner and head brewer of New Image Brewing, which opened in Arvada in 2016 and debuted a second location in Wheat Ridge this past March. “They’re derived from a sulfur compound, but they have sort of the flavor and aroma of very, very ripe tropical fruit.”
For those who aren’t familiar with the style, hops are the green, cone-shaped flowers that are derived from the Humulus lupulus plant. Inside each flower are yellow pods called lupulin that are responsible for the bitter yet fruity taste IPAs are known for. When he initially started brewing in 2009, Capps wasn’t a fan of IPAs and their signature flavors and didn’t make them often as a home brewer. But that changed after he got his first professional brewing job—which inspired him to make an IPA that was appealing to his palate.
““The biggest thing I didn’t like about IPAs at the time was that the old-school, West Coast IPA was a dominating profile. They’re very bitter, very intense, and I just wanted to make something that was softer, balanced, and more cohesive.””
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