Fantôme de Noël

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

Dark nutty brown with a HUGE creamy tan head, the nose presents a whirlwind of spicy scents atop a sweet caramel base. Raisins and chocolate blend with pepper, coriander, clove, a hint of mint, and the gods know what else Fantome threw into this Saison. This softly creamy drink has flavors to match the aroma with perhaps some pine and nuts and a definite alcohol zing to boot. It finishes on a spicy but slightly soured note. Very, very good drink.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Wine & Spirits, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Smells and looks great! An interesting, full-feeling winter brew. Some raisins, perhaps, an and unknown Christmasy spice. An excellent brew, esp. for the season.

Murky auburn brown in color with a thin fluffy dash of tan for the head. Aroma comes to fruition with red grapes, figs, cherries, prunes, pepper, brown sugar and honey suckle. Sweet and tart, like Braeburn apples. In a word, lovely. Flavor continues the tradition. Caramelized dried apricots, port, chocolate, birchwood, maple sugar, tobacco grinds and thawing leaves. Smooth, sweet and delicious. Dark skinned fruits (prunes, plums, etc.) have a mild expose with chocolate. At times, interjections of peaches and nectarines entertain an audience of tart sweetness. When met with chocolate, the offspring is toffee in nature with sublime spicing flowing around it. Smooth, sullen and far reaching on the palate, seeming to do everything right by means of balance. Sugar sprinkled raisins drizzled with brown sugar sum up the finish. Such a splendid time I had with this 750-ml. bottle.

Bottle, 750mL: Pours a well carbonated body, brown in color, with a large sustaining tan rocky head. Aromas are fruity and tart, with a slighty mustiness in the background. Flavor was fruity sweet, with some caramel and sugars. Lots of tickling mouthfeel.

Smellsl like barrell aged-- is one of those secret ingrediants bourbon??? Dark roasted nose and taste, warming on the nose and tongue, very nice....a tease to drink in Sept while waiting for seasonal season/

Holy crap, this is a good beer! Pours a wonderful brown, with exquisite lacing. Flavor is dull raisin, strong spice, and a variety of fruits, most notably strawberry. Complex, yet simple. I’ve had this beer before, but this version surpasses others. Not much different than a spring seasonal, but what the hey. I’d love this one again. Awesome!

This capped and corked bottle had a cork marked 0B5/477044. It poured a large sized head of frothy light brown colored fine to large sized mostly lasting bubbles that left behind a hazy carbonated brown colored body with a lot of suspended carbonation in it as if the bubbles were drifting up through molasses. It had a musty fruity sour lambic like aroma mixed with a few mild brown notes. The mouth feel was tingly from start to finish mildly vinous mildly sour and ended with a thin flavor that was mild and off in a strange manner.

Bottle. Corked marked 085/477044. Large ivory hed that was mostly lasting, fine-large sized bubbles, fair lacing, carbonated on the 1st pour and no visible carbonation on the 2nd pour, transparent on the 1st pour and opaque on the 2nd pour, dark brown hue. Malty, caramel, alcohol, and spicy aroma. Malty, caramel, dry, spicy, vinuous, but not overpowering on the 1st pour and the vinuous set in on the 2nd pour. Smooth, thin and somewhat dry mouthfeel. Medium body.