Fantôme Black Ghost

Brewed by Brasserie Fantôme
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Soy-Erezée, Belgium

Bottle. Pours a brown with ruby red highlights and a big frothy tan head. Initial aroma is lemongrass funk, some light roast, and spices. Some deeper sniffs reveal a layer of unripened plums, doughy yeast, and some light chocolate. Flavor has a hay grass saisonlike base with healthy dose of spices and some light toasted malts. dry. crisp. and refreshing. A very well crafted, interesting beer. AWEsome stuff. GOtta go find more from this brewery. Damn good.

750 ml bottle shared via piscator34- thanks kris! Pours more ruby then dark stout like as described. Good clarity and head. Nose- perplexing, hard to pick out once element here. Taste- shockingly its an big initial wave of grapefruit rind, bitter hop like flavour which then changes gears into a dry astringent finish before you know it. Spicing is earthy which helps contribute the dry puckering finish. Crazy brew- not what I expected all, but then again that’s what you should expect from Fantome.

Bottled sample consumed with oakbluff. Dark amber in colour with strong carbonation. Aromas are of funk, nutmeg, allspice, licorice, damp earth, and sour candies. Flavors are of more cooking spices, funk, and grapefuit pith, before getting very dry and astringent. Light bodied. A very strange brew and not the best from this brewery, but drinkable nonetheless.

What is this? Don’t know what year this was brew. It has a best for 2014 label. Maybe an 08. Light reddish body. Slight sour aroma. Tangy body. Spice. Not a Belgian Strong Ale as you would expect. Tasty in a refreshing way. Any fruit flavors feel a bit laid back. Maybe needs to warm. I’m getting some apple and cherry in the body.

Bottle shared at puzzl’s place: Pours a deep hazy copper with a wispy tan film of head. Unique aroma- some mild lactic tart presence, a white wine vinous presence, subtle cocoa and dry phenols. Slick body. Tart vinous flavor- some underlying dusty cocoa-like malt notes and a subtle herbal spices. A residual lactic tartness is there as well. Like always from Mr. Prignon, a unique and complex ale.

750 ml bottle shared by maxxdaddy. Pours hazy brown with a thinning fizzy head. Aroma is sweet slick diacetyl butter, herbal minty notes, pine and spruce, oregano and juniper berry with some bacterial funky infection- lactic and earthy moldy. Flavor is a bit stale old hops and malt, sherry, paper and oxidation, light soy and some old burnt toffee and black charred malts, herbal spicy grassy, mint and pine with a mineral and metallic-like harshness in the finish with more lactic acid- mildly sour.

not sure what version I had, but shared at Andy’s tasting (my first fantome brew)- arouma is vingar with a little flat oxidation. Whatever acids are in there are a little throat-burning, with some saltiness mixed in and also hits the tip of the tongue. Some fruity and grass notes in there, but all sort of hard to identify. This beer definitely seems to be hit or miss.

Corked and capped 750 mL bottle courtesy of Skyview. Thanks! Not much to look at as it pours a murky, purplish brown muddy looking mess. Thin head with decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of cherries, berries and a mild earthy funkiness. Taste is dry earthy notes, citrus, plum, apple, berries and an herbal finish. Medium bodied.