Fantôme de Noël

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

Aged several years. Pours a dark and hazy cola brown color that glows bright reddish-amber when backlit. A frothy, beige colored head settles quickly to a wispy film, leaving soapy spots of lacing behind on the glass. Aromas include dehydrated dark fruits, primarily figs and dates, with a cola-like sweetness and a touch of sour orange peel and earthy spice. The signature, minty Fantôme yeast funk is there as well, but not as prominently as in some of their other beers. Flavors show quite a bit more sour, the yeast profile really showing its age. Hints of wintergreen and orange peel just don’t mesh that well with the dry, sour yeast and the flat molasses sweetness. I didn’t get any chocolate malts at all. The mouthfeel is dry, almost vinous, save for a delicate carbonation. This isn’t Fantôme’s best work, by any stretch. I’ll have to try a fresh bottle to see if it’s any better.

Pours hazy amber with a huge white head. The honey and coriander are up front inthe nose, as is the malt and yeast. Very spicy. The pepper gives it a spiciness that I haven’t had before in a beer this sweet. The chocolate malt and the honey are very sweet, btu kept in check because of it. An underlying musty fruitiness is there throughout. There is jsut so much going on in this beer it makes it kind of hard to describe. I definitelty recommend this one.

Bottle. Love the artwork. Pours an amber brown body with a rocky white head. Lots of spices pepper, allspice. Citrus and orange. Honey and caramel malt for sweetness. A magnificent warming makes this beer taste like Christmas. Good Beer.

Bottle shared with Katie. A nice Holiday Season offering; although we enjoyed this in middle September. Pours hazy bronze color with a tasty-looking rocky beige head. Lovely spicy aroma of hops, rosemary, sage and Christmas ginger spices. Flavor is sweet and dry with notes of cherry, cinnamon, honey, a bit of raisin and a finish with tones of dark potpourri and peppery hops. Medium bodied with a nice carbonated finish. I like these dark Saisons.

Bottle at Lowlander. Alround rating: Oxidised tart fruit acidity, fruity, dusty, floural peppery hop, quite thin though. The tart fruit character made it quite drinkable.

Dark brown pour with a thin cream colored head. Malty, sweet, dried fruit nose that leads into the flavor. Dry and spicy, and subtly smokey, along with a slight sour influence. No hint of alcohol.

Bottle at BRSG08. Creamy dark pour with spice and pepper aroma and flavors. Nice body for a 10%. Very enjoyable.

Bottle while in San Diego on 08/01/2008 for the RBSG Friday Pub Crawl. 6 years old. Cloudy brown body with a frothy tan head. Rich molassas, caramel, rum soaked fruit aroma. More rum soaked fruit and caramel flavor. Medium full body with low carbonation.