Phantom Canyon honors longtime workers with legacy beers

By Jay McKinney

In the hospitality industry, employee longevity is something to be celebrated. Phantom Canyon Brewing in Colorado Springs understands how valuable its dedicated employees are to the success of its business, so the brewery honored four of its longtime employees with their own legacy beers as part of its 30th anniversary celebration. Phantom Canyon head brewer Charles McManus brewed the beers with the employee’s personal beer preferences in mind.

The Two-Headed Shauna is a double IPA brewed to celebrate Shauna Stewart. Not only has Stewart worked at the brewery for 23 years, but her daughter Eden is also an employee at the brewery now. Stewart describes herself as an “IPA gal” and wanted McManus to brew a hop-heavy double IPA to celebrate her commitment to Phantom Canyon.

The Cascade Amber brewed in honor of Johnny Mills was the brewery’s original flagship Amber Ale, which has distinct aromas of grapefruit derived from Cascade Hops. When it was originally brewed, the beer was considered cutting edge and helped solidify Phantom Canyon’s reputation in the craft beer community. Since Mills has been with the brewery from the day it opened, you can’t blame him for wanting to brew a throwback as his legacy beer.

Jimmy ‘Pops’ Schmidt is universally loved in the Colorado Springs community and Pop's Porter honors the beloved brewery icon. One of Pop’s favorite styles, the porter has smooth roasted flavors and tastes great on a winter day.

The final legacy beer is the Peppermint Patty’s brewed for Patty Lovekin, who started at Phantom Canyon’s sister location, Wynkoop Brewing Co. in Denver, but relocated to Colorado Springs years ago. Her beer is a chocolate peppermint imperial stout that’s just as sweet as Lovekin herself.

“I really wanted to find a way to highlight the history of our Brew Pub and how incredible it is to reach 30 years,” McManus says. “It was obvious there was no better way than to honor those who have helped us achieve this major milestone. Johnny, Patty, Pops and Shauna are legends here at Phantom Canyon and these are their Legacy Beers.”