Fantôme Black Ghost

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

Dark brown color, small tan head. Aroma has dates and figs, maybe a hint of smokeyness. Flavor is slightly sour, some honey and caramel. Palate is a little thin.

color is a soft deep garnet red, head is beige, thick and creamy. nose is slightly woody, plenty fruity, lots of cherry, and a bit of raisin..having a very difficult time picking up spices in the nose...more wood and cherry than anything in the nose. flavor is initially alcohol, mild notes of chocolate and wood, surprisingly dry, moderately tart....this beer smells as though it is going to have a sweet/sour thing going on...what a surprise, the flavor just ends up dry and woody.

Murky cloudy brown. Very full roasted spiced nose, tart on the tongue at first, then changing to a musty flavor of woody yeast and prickly burnt fruit and charcoal.

Aroma: hay, grass, straw, berries, spices, herbs, and a sourness
Appearance: murky brown, cream colored head, some lacing
Flavor: spicy chocolate, dill, apple crisp dessert--ie cinnamon and apple spice, yeast, slight sourness, and kelp
Plate: smooth, very bubbly, spicy chocolate/dessert bite

750ml bottle, Uncap...but, wait, there’s a cork! Oh, anticipation....making me wait...POP!!!, and ...sour is the scent at first, ...now, we pour...color is magenta, a deep crimson, dark and mysterious, big beigish froth that zips down to nada quick. Aroma, tart, at first, then mellow, dark fruits dominate, sour citrus leads the way, but never goes too far...quite nice. Taste it, already! Mmmm! Wow,plums, grapes, dates, even, ...mmmm, i like it. Very different from other Fantomes I’ve had. Simple, yet complex, flavor aplenty. The label pegs it as an "ale brewed with spices", but I’m not sure which. None jumps out, none screams and shouts, but, as I get deeper into this bottle, I like it more and more and the flavors flood every little center of my senses. Tasty, spicy, ...utterly enjoyable, in every way. Zip, zip, zip, Mr. Beer greets Mr. Palate with tastiness aplenty every time lip meets cup and the taste lasts for seemingly forever. Goodness, it makes itself so familiar in the the mouth, it may as well pay me rent. I need more, but my glass, and the bottle, is nearly spent...oh, so sad...that was, as they say in the Americas, "tast-eee! Hurrah...I’ll be dreaming of this for some time to come.

The beer removes itself from the 750ml green capped and corked bottle a muddy blackberry color with the head ponderous in size, the consistency creamy and the color tan, as it transmogrifies the leftover lace a thick and clinging curtain upon the glass. Nose is cotton candy sweet, big malt with hints of toffee and over ripe fruit, pears comes to mind, fresh and appetizing with the start lightly sweet, rich and thick with malt, the top moderate to almost full in feel. Finish is delightfully carbonated, the hops are spicy in their bite, some alcohol bitterness at the end and quite dry, a delightful beer, but then it is a Fantome.

Deep brown color with a large tan head. The aroma was full of dusty, grassy, metallic, floral, herbal, and peppery tone. The flavor was very earthy...grass, wood, minerals...with some metallic (like sucking on a penny) and wonderful floral (I wish I knew how certain flowers smell) and herbal characters...slightly sour. Very crisp, bubbly feel with an extremely dry finish. Very very interesting. Many thanks to BBB63 for this gem.

Cloudy dark brown color with a large frothy beige head. Floral hops and pepper aroma. Sweet malt, caramel, clove, lemon, and floral hops flavors. Very dry finish.