Fantôme Black Ghost

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

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.

27th October 2008. Cloudy brown beer. A pleasant citrus sour start rapidly mutates in to a very dry and slightly spicy beer. The ending is suprisingly watery for it’s abv making this beer slightly hard work.

Deep amber pour with spotted offwhite head. Aroma of belgian yeast, dust, straw. Flavor is dry, yeasty, light sour note. Dust, straw, hay. maybe some cherries and a hint of spice. A bit of strawberries. Pretty crazy beer. Mouthfeel is pretty big, lively carbonation. Finishes kind of sour. I like it.

750 ml capped and corked bottle generously sent to me by alagnak. Pour is a cloudy murky brown burnt orange with a minimal off white head. It was striking just how murky this beer was from start to finish - I had made a point to keep it settled, and was expecting at least the first pour to be less clouded. Aroma of dusty dry straw, some herbal medicinal sweetness and the Fantôme yeast. Actually fairly subdued by Fantôme standards. Taste is a grainy, slight smoke, herbal and citric sweet. The yeast takes over the finish with the herbal medicinal Fantôme flavors. Just a bizarre mix of flavors, jutting out all over the place. In many beers this wouldn’t work for me, but there is something about the yeast in the back that ties it all together. Weird, but compelling. Palate is medium to heavy, coats the mouth a bit, long yeasty finish - some mild alcohol notes in the back. Thanks for sending this my way Chris, much appreciated.

Bottle:   Deep amber, reddish hue, thin off-white head, moderate sudsy light beige head.   Musty barnish nose, a little roasty and black like malts on the tongue.   Tart and dry as well, mild sweetness.   Barnish, a little malty.   Not as bright as others.   Perhaps that’s the intent.   Meatier Saison by all means but not as tart or dry as other examples.   Odd duck.

Dark brown in colour, with beige head on top. Aroma is fruity, malty and earthy with a slight burned edge. Taste is round with a little sour side, fruity, berries, cereals, chocolate and some greeness in the finale. Strange but originale beer.

Bottle shared with Davinci and xnoxhatex. Pours a clearer glowing but dark rootbeer color with a tall frothy light beige foamy sudsy head. Creamyish full aroma, rootbeer candy, spicy, somewhat mellow, enticing but round. Flavor is of burnt rubber, spicy, tires, dark dark, charcoal, some sharp sweetness towards the finish, almost a hint of sourness, overall nice and dry, hint of brett and yeast, crazy weird. Medium bodied with lively medium large crisp carbonation. All I can remember about this beer is sweet burnt rubber.