Fantôme de Noël

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

Sampled at the O-Town throwdown. Pours deep amber with off white head. The aroma has sour notes and some berry fruitiness. The body is thin with some berry fruit, hints of sweet honey and sourness. Nice combination of flavor. No sense of the 10% ABV.

Pours a dark brown with 2cm of thick tan head. Quite a spicy aromas, typical of Fantome beers with some cinnamon to compliment it. Taste was very nice, very spicy, with some dark malts, and some light chocolate characters that seem to balance out the sourness pretty well. Fantome does great stuff. Finish was pretty smooth and the alcohol was masked pretty well. Another great effort from these guys.

I really like Fantome, but this was my first disappointment from this brewery. A dark brown beer with lots of sediment, almost black and surely the darkest saison I have ever seen. The aroma has barnyard and yeast, promising a complex and unusual flavor. And it surely is unusual, but not in such a good way. The black pepper is evident. The honey and coriander take a back seat. The finish is very dry. Overall the flavors just don’t work. But I do understand what they were going for and I respect the effort. The taste just isn’t for me.

I poured this into my St. Bernardus trappist glass and waited for it to warm up as well as tame the large head. It was almost a gusher after I initially opened it. Brown colored body with a fluffy, yet somewhat concentrated head. I get sweet candy sugar, banana, toffee, vanilla, spices, and vegetal aromas. Very interesting flavor. Along with some of the aromas described above, there is a peppery bite to this that I wasn’t expecting. Definitely unique. I would not have guessed 10% ABV. It is totally masked. A dry finish,; different than expected and it grows on me as I drink more.

Pours a dark black with ruby highlights and a large long lasting beige head. Aroma of sweet malt, roasted malt, a lot of spice, and the ever so wonderfull Fantôme wild yeast. Taste is peppery, and full of spices. Finishes very dry with a slight sourness and good bitterness. Another wonderfull brew from Fantôme.

Appearance is nearly black with an off white poofy head. This could pass for a stout/porter on appearances alone. Aroma is typical Fantome - yeastiness and black pepper, etc. Flavor is peppery and spicy with hints of coriander. It’s odd that a beer that’s this dark in color has as little roasty/chocolaty flavor as it does. It finishes pretty dry and hides the alcohol tremendously well. Notes of clove and phenols are slighly apparent. There’s also a slight alcohol burn in the finish - but again not at all prevalent. Overall another winner from Fantome. It’s not my absolute favorite from them, but it’s still one heck of a beer. THIS is what I expect from Belgian winter beers.

750ml bottle pours dark brown with a short tan creamy head that stays pretty well and laces some. Aromas of orange, corriander, honey and some oak. Flavor is oak, vanilla, caramel, some cinnamon, yeast, and a sourness that I just couldn’t put a finger on almost vinegar-like. Palate is soft and lightly carbonated with medium body and a creamy finish. Not bad.. Sourness was unexpected though and turned me off some..

Very dark brown color. Almost black. Very small brown head. No lacing. Looks good. Coriander very prominent in the nose. as well as a myriad of other spices that I can’t quite recognize. Sweet and spicy flavor, bit of honey in there. Creamy mouthfeel. Rich complex and enjoyable. Alcohol is masterfully hidden. This shit gets my dick hard.