Fantôme Saison

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

Serve in Tulip

I had this beer at Milltown in Chapel Hill a few weeks ago. It was by far the best Belgian farmhouse ale I’ve ever tasted. I’ve been a beer lover for a long time and have had many different examples of Belgian beers. But this one has renewed my interest. I’ve been searching for other farmhouse ales and saisons lately (hennepin, dupont, a couple of others). None can match the perfect bottle of fantome I had. The aroma was incredibly pungent with yeast. It overwhelmed the nose. The beer was golden, translucent (little hazy) with a decent bit of sediment. The sediment was even attractive - fine particulate instead of the chunks of ropey yeast I’ve seen in other bottle-conditioned beers. The beer had a nice white head. The flavor was fantastic - slightly grassy (but not in a bad way - like grassy beers that smell like horse blankets), malty sweet, intense bready flavors (though not near as yeasty as the smell), and a very mild bitterness that did an excellent job of balance. The taste also hid the alcohol content quite nicely - a fantastic beer and amazingly quaffable at the same time (dangerous for a beer of this strength). The mouthfeel was also nice - full body with a lot of carbonation.

Appearance: Pours a hazy bright yellow gold. The head subsides rather quickly.

Aroma: Pineapple, flowers, bread dough.

Taste: Yeasty dough , lemon drops , bitter spicy earthy finish. Alcohol is very well hidden.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied.

Overall: Tasty, balanced,bold, thought provoking.

Bottle pours hazy gold with a dense head that becomes sparse as the glass diminishes. Aroma is honey, pilsner malt, marshmallow, coriander, sage, some tartness/sourness. Taste is honey, pils, sage, coriander, banana, pear, slight medicinal note, tart green apple, tangerine. Body is medium, super smooth, lowish carbonation, tart complex finish. Overall, great but not the best Fantome I’ve had. Pretty unusual for a Saison.

Bottle, from EtreGourmet webshop. At last: the fabled "original" craft saison from Belgium! Anticipations are high, particularly after recently enjoying the awesome Vera Mae from Hill Farmstead. Pours a cloudy honey-hued orange body with a medium creamy white head. Aroma is hay, mild saison yeast, sugar, hints of lactic floral tones and mild stomach acid (but in a good way). Taste is hay, sugar, honey, floral lactic stomach acid touches again, with hints of pale malts in the back. Light body, medium carbonation and great drinkability. Great balance, and definitely a classic saison of the greater kind. But it lacks that little X-factor touch and will still have to get behind Vera Mae in my book.

Be si buona, molto particolare, odore e sapore molto intenso di fattoria! va giu’ che e’ un piacere, c’era anche una punta di acido! Ottima! Forse sono stato fortunato, visto che pare una lotteria poter bere il lotto buono!

(Une bouteille de 75 cl servie dans mon verre Avec les bons Vœux de la brasserie Dupont. La trame sonore de cette dégustation : quelques pièces du best of de The Cult) Une robe jaunâtre au comportement trouble. Une mousse blanche qui fond avec une lenteur certaine. Un nez qui se cache derrière des notes fruitées profondes et derrière une levure rustique. Des saveurs dominées par les agrumes. Des saveurs florales et des notes de détergent domestique. Un corps plutôt mince traversé par des bulles plus ou moins actives. Une texture qui n’est jamais aqueuse. Une finale fortement imprégnée par les fruits exotiques et la levure.

UPDATED: FEB 6, 2012 27/I/2012 75cl bottle @ home - BB: n/a (2012-76)

Cloudy yellow to beige beer, small white head, unstable, pretty adhesive. Aroma: very spicy, hay, fruity, red lace candy, citrus fruits, strawberries. MF: good carbon, full body. Taste: very fruity, some grapefruit, red lace candy, forest fruits, spices, wheat, soft bitterness. Aftertaste: more fruitiness, bitter, grapefruit. Very well balanced, one of the best beers in the last few months!

Bouteille de 750ml, bouchon de liège avec capsule métallique. Bière dorée-blé claire. La mousse est blanche et les bulles sont petites et d’une belle finesse. Le nez d’une fraîcheur déconcertante avec ses agrumes citronnées. Il est par contre discret. En bouche la bière déploie toute ses agrumes, le citron domine. Cette bière est ronde et combien agréable.

Fantome Saison pours a cloudy dark orange color. Fluffy 2 finger head is poured with great retention and a ton of lacing throughout the glass. It’s a nice beer to look at. The aroma is lovely. But it didn’t really scream saison to me. First thing I picked up was some tart citrus. Right behind it is some pear and peaches. Small amount of barnyard funk and yeast. Some people say they picked up apples, lemon, strawberries, etc. I didn’t get that at all on this brew. It was very citrus forward. Taste is more of the same with tart and tangy citrus. It hits you up front. I loved it. Mid palette some more fruit hits and small amount of Belgian yeast comes on the aftertaste. Spice lingers. A small amount of funk. Mouthfeel is medium bodies, nicely carbonated. Goes down fantastic.