 jhumphries69 (718), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
Nov 6, 2007 Updated: Nov 7, 2007
750ml capped&corked bottle. Pours a very dark and cloudy brown/black with a thick tan head that quickly fades into a thin, wispy layer of small bubbles. The aroma is alarmingly similar to Jolly Pumpkin’s Madrugada Obscura: a mix of spices, dust, chocolate, sour apple vinegar, and alcohol. The sour vinegar smell seems strangely inappropriate with the earthy musk and chocolate. The flavor starts dry and dusty with semi-sweet chocolate - balanced by hints of fruity acid. The combination seems a little more successful on the tip of the tongue than in the aroma. The middle of the tongue detects some funk - the acid builds and is paired with dry, musty notes - but is strangely lacking sourness. It is incredibly dry on the tongue at this point and leaves a strange, cloying mix of vinegar and unsweetened cocoa powder. The finish is hot with alcohol, very dry, and keeps going the odd combo of vinegar and unsweetened cocoa. The mouthfeel is pleasantly carbonated and surprisingly light for a beer of this strength - but the funk (brett, lactic bacteria, acid) gives a wicked sensation of dryness across the middle and back of the tongue. As the beer warms up (or maybe its the alcohol hitting my brain) it improves a little: the beer reveals flavors of roasted grain and prunes, mixed with the chocolate and must. Also, the dryness isn’t so distracting once the tongue gets acclimated to it. Overall, I’m a bit disappointed. I have really enjoyed a few other Fantôme beers (especially their signature Spring Saison), but this one is much weaker. I think this sort of thing - the funky, brett stout - just isn’t up my alley. I think Jolly Pumpkin’s brew was a little more successful than this one, though.
Cole (270), , Alberta, Canada
Nov 10, 2009 Deep brown colour nice head. Very malty, yeasty aroma. Very unique flavour. Sweet candy like aroma, and a finish dominated by brett yeast. Strondg and comples with a very spicy flavour. Quite frankly this beer is awesome!
hobbersr (393), Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Nov 5, 2009 Bottle shared with cole and savvy1982. Thanks for the share savvy! Pours a hazy chestnut brown. The aroma is very complex with candy sugar notes with hints of hops and spice. Flavor is crazy complex, plums sweet fruit, candy, just a hint of tartness. Very nice carbonation. Excellent.
Ober (1165), Bommelerwaard, Netherlands
Oct 21, 2009 A dark red/brown colored beer, with a small beige head. The aroma has some sourness with wood. There is dough with fruits. The taste ihas also some sourness with wood. There are malts dough with some sweet fruits. A little spices in the back. It reminds me at a Flemish brown. The aftertaste is dry with some sourness and bitterness.
Soonah (900), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Oct 6, 2009 Poured somewhere between ruby and brown. The head was almost tan and provided a lingering bit of lacing. The aroma was slightly sour with spicy malts and a distant whiff of funk. The flavor was a nice blend of roasted malts and very light sourness with that same funk hovering in the back. Thin mouthfeel, dry finish. Really solid.
arrogantb (695), Denver, Colorado, USA
Sep 4, 2009 This beer was a little pricey but actually worth the price given the quality. It had a dark black color with brown edges I instantly enjoyed the smells of dark sour fruits like sour cherries or raspberries. The taste was like sour dark tart fruits such as blueberries and it puckers my mouth a little. This brew also has some funkiness going on in the background and a dry mouthfeel (which I assume is due to the high Abv which I can’t detect). This is very good and I look forward to the rest of the Fantome beers I can find.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 07-25-2007 15:03:46
Jayb0 (750), Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
Aug 25, 2009 This was excellent. All kinds of things going on, dark and evil up front, playful in the middle, and slightly funky (in a good way) at the end.
nqualls (1429), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Jul 22, 2009
Source:750 mL bottle consumed all by myself...hell yeah.
Glass:Urthel tulip glass.
Appearance:Slightly hazy, deep amber pour with a two finger beige head.
Aroma:Notes of caramel, bread spices and a hint of dark fruits.
Flavor:Very bready and spicy. Not picking up much alcohol. Very dry finish.
Palate:Medium/light body with solid carbonation.
Overall:Very impressing. Very spicy. Not sure I would buy more, but a pleasant experience.
cmillward (419), Orlando, Florida, USA
Jul 13, 2009 Bottle, shared by GodOfThunder. Dark brown with a fuzzy tan head. Tons of fig, chocolate, fruity, cherries, caramel, some spices and funk in the nose. Much the same with some pleasant tartness in flavor, caramel, fruity, spicy, chocolate, bretty yeast spice. Lush mouthfeel, pleasant carb, drying finish. Very nice, Christmas Fantome-style.
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