Fantôme de Noël

A rich and very tastey treat for the holiday season. At 10 % abv, it also leaves a nice, warm feeling. Too bad it only comes once a year with Christmas.

750 ml bottle. Wonderfully complex. A beer that seems to open itself to different aromas and flavors the more you drink. Large, lasting head. Dark amber body, hazy. The aroma is sweet at first, with molasses and caramel, but also shows hop notes of pine. It is heavy with earthy mustiness. Also full of spices, specifcally clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Some hint of fruit, especially cherry. Great balance of sweet malt, earthiness and spices. The flavor is moderately sweet, light bitter and moderately acidic. Medium body, velvety texture and lively carbonation. Dry finish. Love the complexity and myriad flavors. Thoroughly enjoyable and world class.

THOUGHTS: My first Fantome. I didn’t even know there could be a dark saison. I almost didn’t get to try this the night I opened it because I couldn’t find a corkscrew. I think need one was another beer first for me. An incredible beer. I can’t wait to try more Fantome beers. Hid alcohol incredibly well. If I didn’t have a little cold this might have received a perfect rating. It was like a sour porter. Not all that Christmasy, but I guess it was Christmasy for a saison. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark, brownish red that was nearly black in the glass, but still had red highlights. It also had a large to huge, off-white head that slowly diminished. The aroma was light roasted, milk chocolate, mild coffee malts, cocoa powder, moderate yeast, sour fruit, a little fruit, and once the yeast is added, a slight funk. The flavor started sour and lightly sweet; and finished very sour with and average duration. There was sour fruit, along with some wood and maybe smoke, some yeast and very light coffee and cocoa powder. The light to medium body was a little creamy then fairly dry with very fizzy carbonation and a moderate astringent finish. I went down easy.

750 ml bottle. Knightly Spirits aims to please. Pours a ruby-tinged black and tight webs of tan lace. Tireless and always skunky with a touch of chalk and hay on the nose. Crisp with spicey-yet-subtle notes of Dewar’s scotch and granny smith apples. Head is a huge, tinted brown and the nose is caramel and malt. Perfectly sour with yeast. One of my all-time favorite beers due to its complexity, smoothness, and intrigue.

Wow, what an incredible beer! It takes all of the best characteristics of a saison, porter, and a sour and rolls them all into one magnificent brew. Pours a very deep brown with a creamy tan head that lasts through the entire glass. Notes of apple, cherry, chocolate, and yeasty spiciness are detectable in the nose. The flavor, oh the flavor, is bitter roasted coffee as it first hits your tongue then it migrates into a tart citrus and goes back to bitter in the finish. Each sip reveals more subtle nuances, apple, raisin, plum and spice all make an appearance at some point during the show. It finishes dry with a lingering roasted bitterness. Not at one point was anything overwhelming, just a beautiful parade of flavors carried on a smooth, slightly bubbly liquid without a hint of alcohol flavor. I’m really kicking myself right now that I didn’t buy two bottles. Do yourself a favor if you see this and buy a few bottles.

Courtesy of Secret Santa. <P> I just had this at a Florida RB Tasting, but I was rocked so it was nice to get a bottle to enjoy at my leisure....ie sober. <P> 2004 vintage. Aroma is STRONG and imparts spice and chocolate malt. I found that odd, but welcome. Hazy light brown with a head that is creamy and screams drink me. The flavor is highly chocolate in the fore, but fades to strong coffee flavor due to some sourness in the finish. This is a flavor I love immensely and actively seek out. I can’t believe how well the chocolate malts reach their potential in this style. It tastes like a spiked chocolate/coffee with a complex funky saison thrown in and it really makes a statement. The flavor is beautiful and the feel of the beer is amazing. A fantastic MUST TRY beer. <P> And at 10% the alcohol is amazingly well masked. I’d guess 6.5% if asked based on the flavor.

2001 Bottle:
Deep dark brown coloured body with a nice perfect sized tan head. Ruby tints near the bottom, slightly clear, somewhat opaque - perfect though! Nice sour scent with some coffee, nuts, malt, sugars, alcohol and a light spiciness. Medium-bodied; Strong malty flavour with coffee and chocolate noticeable first, then a perfect sourness and tart finish with everything in between. Aftertaste is the combination of bitter coffee and malt, sweet fruits and a really tart sourness. Overall, a damn good and complex beer - especially after spending 5 years away. One of the best beers i’ve had in a very long time. I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York on 04-January-2006, sampled after 5 years of the bottle being around!!!

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.