Fantôme de Noël

Brewed by Brasserie Fantôme
Style: Saison
Soy-Erezée, Belgium

Aroma like funky Christmas cookies. Flavor is super elegant. Subtle spices and a light tartness. Fantome again defies all expectations and makes a truly unique beer.

Big acid bomb in the nose, this may be a tart one! Clear pour with a red brown tint. Not sour in the mouth at all. There is a sweet flavor, and some of the classic flavours of christmas (nutmeg type spices). There is a sap like flavour, with everything well balanced. Quite enjoyable on its own, I don’t think I would enjoy eating anything with this. I am quite impressed by how many spices are involved with a very balanced taste.

Bottle from secret santa ’09 enjoyed during the super bowl. Pours a muddy, leathery brown. A finger of creamy mocha head. The nose is pert and floral, spicey, earthy, and a touch of bread. Lively. The taste is more of a chocolate malt, piney, spicey, and light yeast. Earthy and dry, but still sweet (without being sweet, really...) Overall very lively and full of personality. Very nice.

Rating from old notes found in my kitchen. Pours raisiny-tawny, with a 1.5-finger tan head, great lacing. Nose is tart, sour cherry, spruce/juniper, clove, lots of tart berryishness. Complex in a groovy Christmastime way. Flavors of tart berries, toffee/treacle, spice, juniper berries, nice but not my favorite Fantome, or my favorite Saison.

750-ml bottle Marcello’s, Lafayette, LA - Aroma: tart, caramel; Appearance: hazy, brown color, light tan head, laces; Flavor: citrus, sour; Mouthfeel: medium bodied, thick texture, average to lively carbonation, dry finish; Overall: a tart sour belgian beer with the sourness overwhelms any other characteristics (fruity, spicy) that has a dry finish. However, I would drink it again.

750, capped and corked. Pours a deeply hazy dark bronze with a dense and creamy tan head and plenty of sheety lace coming down the sides of the glass. Nice tart note leads the nose, some balsamic showing with a bit of lemon under. The blend of spices and spruce show up slowly as it warms, but they’re subtle when the beer is cooler. Creamy medium body with soft pleasant carb. Lemon, balsamic, chocolate, pepper, and spruce on the mid palate. Unusual, and highly focused on chilly wintertime drinking. But it’s skillfully executed, both refreshing and complex, and thoroughly rewarding to drink. Really a great spin by Dany--what this has to do with saison escapes me, but it’s a fantastic mid-winter beer.

750 ml bottle. Very dark maroon with a three bubble head that settles to a tiny edge. Aroma of cinnamon, grassy herbs and cocoa. Taste of butterscotch, toffee, bitter chocolate and prunes, sourness enters at the half way point. Nicely complex and interesting, but a weird combination of spices.

Pours a dark nut brown color with a thin tan head and a nice pleasant aroma. It is full of dark fruits and black current with a mix of sour notes. As you sip on it there is an initial sour taste with the dark fruits in the background. There is a lot of funk and a good blend of carbonation. I personally like the yeast funk and dark fruit combination. it leaves a lasting impression on the palate.