Fantôme Brise-BonBons!

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

750 bottle. Beer is a clear bright gold color with a huge, off-white, mostly lasting frothy head. The aroma is malty with a trace of toasted grain; Hoppy with bright moderate notes of lemon, straw and herb; Yeasty with light notes of soap, light-to-moderate notes of dank basement; Moderate miscellaneous notes of orange zest, lemon zest, white pepper, coriander. Aroma doesn’t brace you for the bitter grip in the flavor. Flavor is moderately acidic, moderately bitter, lightly sweet with a long, grippy, moderaterately bitter, trace sweet finish. The body is medium, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively. Refreshing.

Another really bitter fantome beer, I like this one a lot more then the Printemps though. Nice blend of herbs and spice in the finish made this an amazingly refreshing beer on a hot day. Lighter fruit tones fade while peppery clove notes come forward in the finish. The bitterness was a bit overwhelming on the first sip, but really settled after that.

Bottle: Poured a very hazy dark orangey color ale with a huge foamy off-white head with perfect retention. Aroma of funky yeast with a side of horse blanket is very attracting. Taste is a mix between some sweetness and strong malt presence, sourness and funk from the yeast are just plain great and the slighter bitter hops finish is very rewarding. Body is quite full and alcohol is well hidden. Another masterpiece in this brewery line-up.

Another Belgian treat courtesy of Poperinge. Giant head. More foam than beer in the glass. Cloudy dark orange. Great label. Great story. Aroma of yeast, hops, old socks, apples and pears. Head looks like septic sludge. Spicy flavour is a surprise not advertised in the aroma. Big alcohol kick warms the ears. Big kick even for 8%. Beer almost evaporates on the tongue. A fun beer to drink. A ton of pepper in the finish.

Hazy orange. Nice white head, good lacing. Fresh orange and apricot, lavender, clove, very perfumy nose. Really nice. Palate is crisp and medium, just right. Flavor is fresh orange and bitter orange rind with a little lavender and a hint of pine. A bit muted on the flavor, but exceptionally well balanced.

Aroma:Floral,sour... Appearance:Very hazy amber,good white head... Flavor:Wierd flavor.I taste something like sand or land (cork porbleme???)Small citrus flavor....

Bottle... Very cloudy, amber ale with a large, frothy, white head. Outstanding retention. Lots of tiny black particles. Noble hops in the earthy, floral nose. Also notes of white pepper, fuzzy fruit and mandarin orange. Balanced nicely flavorwise. Sturdy malt backbone with plenty of hops/herbs to cut deeply into any residual sweetness. Full-bodied and creamy with fizzy carbonation. Finishes grassy and dry.

Ugly, murky brown with a huge, dense, white head. Nose of must, flowery hops, skunky cannabis, grainy malt. Simple but very nice. The description does not lie. Bitter from start to finish. Flavor has the same must and cannabis, the malt adds a very subtle caramel touch to the grains, and the hops turn down the flowery notes a bit, add some cedar or pine, and kick the bitterness into high gear. Yeast adds some pepper. A saison with heavy IPA influence. Finishes very dry, bitter, yeasty, with that same subtle touch of caramel. Aftertaste is all hops, full spectrum - flower, pine, citrus - freshly bitter. Similar aftertaste to that of an American IPA. Medium/full body, well carbonated. Excellent.