Fantôme Black Ghost

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

Purple label bottling. Opaque brownish-black with an extremely fine mocha head that stays at a persistent cap leaving good lacing. Nose is European bready black licorice over slightly sweet yeasty brown bread. Nice green leafy note, that eventually melds into something like wintergreen. Tons going on, but the overall effect is a bit muddled. Medium in the mouth with wave upon wave of brown malt, licorice and a bit of tart raspberry fruitiness. There is great acid structure which keeps the beer lively, when it easily could have tumbled over into a formless maltfest. Extremely long with intense chocolate notes echoing seemingly forever. Caressing, wonderful mouthfeel. Very drinkable for what it is, and an excellent companion at the table. Fascinating stuff. As an aside, I had to put the partially full (note the optimism) bottle in the fridge whilst I put my kiddos to bed. When I returned to it about an hour later, the contents of the bottle still held a 1/2" head from the last pour I made. Now THAT is head retention.

Colore marrone scuro, molto velato, sottile schiuma giallastra. Aroma erbaceo, ginepro, zucchero di canna.Gusto fresco, come di mirtillo,malto. Veramente sorprendente. Buono il corpo.Ottima.

Flemish Sour Tasting with MartinT & Rastacouere Part 1 #11 (and last). Dark umber, thick moderately stable head, lovely thick lacing in the glass. Yeastier and spiceir than most, with sour apples and a bit of citrus predominating. Chocolate-cherry-apple wonder abounds on the tongue, acids softened by carbonation and medium-thick body; grapes, caramel, licorice come in at the end, and always there is the strange fruity chocolate. Wonderful, I am so glad we finished with this rare treat!

Head is initially large, frothy, light brown, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark reddish-brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately yeasty (barnyard, cobwebs), moderately malty (toasted/roasted grain, cookie, caramel), with notes of clove, dried herbs (sage), mushroom, bark, eucalyptus. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately to heavily bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. Very unique aroma, and certainly enticing. Quite dry in the mouth, but still luxurious.

Dark brown, fully hazy; slim rim of yellowish foam. Cypress nose, fresh juniper, some dark candi sugar. Again a fresh taste, like blueberry, myrtle, bog-myrtle, and enormous depths and strange and rare malts. Truly amazing. Very well-bodied. Again a just superb realisation by Dany. I'm more than impressed. Has to be tasted to be believed. BUT... a Flemish brown???

Pour is deep deep brown almost black with a big dense tan head...smell is as beerhugger said yeasty malty and spicy...definately dates and maple...caramel chocolate nutmeg...taste is sweet and yeasty with a superb mouthfeel...some cocoa and chocolate and grapes and raisins...delightfully complex, but the nose is really what was so intoxicating...lingering spicy yeasty something going on in the finish...good...

Bottle: Poured to a rich mahogany hue with lots of reddish highlights producing a long lasting creamy beige head and outstanding lace. The aromas are deep and complex with notes of plum, over ripen cherry, smoked malts, bittersweet chocolate, floral hops, pipe tobacco, pumpernickel bread, and dusty yeast esters. NICE! The taste didn’t disappoint either with an initial dose of ripe fruits and mocha undertone. Got some burnt malts and nutty tones midsection. The finish displays a dry and woody nature with just a subdued lactic twang. The feel is heavy and lush but still lively to keep from overpowering my palate. There is no alcohol bite, very well hidden. Holy cow, this is among my favorite offerings from Fantome. Different from their saisons, yet so good. I must get another bottle or two. I suggest you do the same!

I still can't believe CaptainCougar could get his hands on this for me. Very appreciated Tom. Appearance is another winner. It's a dirty brown, full of yeast creating microcosms of clouds in the glass. Watch my stance: Imperial bottle-conditioned ale. Superb big foamy beige head, fully laced as the Fantôme tradition wants it. It looks marvellous. Infinitely complex aroma: earthy, chocolatey, intensely yeasty, lots of fantôme goodness at work in there. Acid peaks here and there, cherries, cinnammon, rhubarb, grapes melted in a little vinous profile. Delightful fantôme yeast taste, how do you do it Sir Prignon? Cobwebs (is it normal to enjoy this flavor?), moderately acidic, earthy, plain green leaves, sage, nutty, cranberries, juniper, oregano, nutmeg and other spices, english tea, wow! Add to this a long finish, eternal finish and a rather full, highly carbonated fitting body. What else do you want? It looks murky, it tastes murky. This is just as good as the great Hiver. Simply magic.