Fantôme Saison

750ml $11.49 West Lakeview This is from the batch that became available in the US in late ’07. Fantome is written in black with "biere artisinale sur lie" written below. I pulled the cork and all was well. Setting the bottle down to grab the phone I was back in 30 seconds, that was long enough to let the gushing start. Lucky it was a slow gusher. As soon as I looked back foam was dripping down the neck. I caught it with minimal spillage but the yeasties, I was so careful with; got shot up into the beer in the process. Even with the yeast explosion the body of this beer looks really great. The appearance is of a setting sun over a lake with that deep orange and golden that fills the sky. There’s haze from the yeast that was released but it doesn’t hurt the appearance. The head is big and billowy white, two fingers to start off and never fell to anything less then a finger. The glassful of quickly rising carbonation keeps the head in place and helps with the sticky sheet lacing down the glass. What a great looking beer! The nose on this saison is phenomenal! The smell is that of summer in a glass. I have yet to encounter such a fruity farmhouse brew. The nose on here is all melon and reminds me of a big plate of sliced cantaloupe and the ripest honeydew. A sugary sweetness hides out in the background and is from natural sugars, like the sweetness in strawberries, which are big in the aroma as well. This beer smells so vividly like a fruit plate that I can actually taste it from the smell alone and my mouth waters uncontrollably. This is the best nose on a beer I’ve encountered in quite some time. The melon is abundant in the flavor as well. As a matter of fact the flavor follows the nose very closely. Cantaloupe, honeydew, and strawberry abound in waves of flavor. This beer is so dizzyingly complex it’s hard to even describe but I’ll give it a whirl. Behind all the juicy fruitiness lies a hint of candied lemon peel. There’s a good amount of spicing in here as well. I’m going out on a limb and saying Curacau and coriander were added which add a hint of Belgian wit into the mix. This beer is a wonder! The mouthfeel is the only thing lacking on this beer and I suppose lacking isn’t the correct word because it’s still very good. The body is a on the lighter side of medium but has a bit of stick on the swallow that allows the flavors to linger. The carbonation is more smooth then airy like I expected but it works very well for the higher abv. The drinkability is out of this world. A perfect beer for the warm weather of the summer but one I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up at any time of the year. This could be paired with so many different light desserts and fruit/cheese plates and would create a match made in heaven. I’ve sample Fantome’s Saison in the past and while it was damn good this beer just goes above and beyond. This is my new favorite farmhouse ale. Fantome Saison has an incredible depth of flavor with a 100% refreshment factor. Delicious! 5/17/08

Hazy golden-yellow with decent white head. The nose is a total thrill: slightly musty and tart stable (urea) with a little spice, but balanced with yeasty, juicy fruit, like red delicious apples. Sweet, slightly tart refreshing fruit flavor with loads of yeast and a little sour bitterness. Very dry and a little too fizzy, it’s still very drinkable, getting more sour as the bottle goes. Yet while it works and I like it, something about yeast+sour doesn’t strike my fancy.

Wow - the pour is really murky - yellowish orange. Minimal head, but the carbonation is lively. LOTS of sediment. Flavors of orange, lemon, apricot, hints of melon, coriander and nutmeg. Really complex, I don’t know how this could be 8%. It’s totally hidden. Definitely one of the best Saison’s I’ve ever had. Bravo!

Pours deep opaque/cloudy orange with no real head. I expected this to have a much more full and robust head like other Saison’s i’ve had. Aroma is citrus, herbal and funky with a hint of yeast. Flavor is salty, herbal and sour. Tastes more like a sour ale/lambac than a Saison. Very similar to Isabelle Proximus from Lost Abbey, but less sour. I think this bottle might have been bad, I couldn’t finish it. I was expecting something else.

Easily the best beer of the weekend. Pours hazy yellow with a big, rocky white head. Thick lacing. Funky sweet aroma with candied fruits. A wonderful taste for a saison. Lots of sweet oranges, strawberries, and plums. Sour yeast balances out the sweet and lets out the pepper and spice. Loved this beer.