Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

[Bottle] shared by JK. Pours a murky brown with a smallish tan head. Aroma is a little weak. Typical Fantome spices, but pretty hard to place. Very earthy aroma. Flavor follows, and is a little thin and watery for my taste.

Sampled at the BA Alesmith release. Aromas were a tiny bit sour. Flavors of clove and some orange peel. Good.

Sampled at the Alesmith BA Release line tasting. Aromas of fruit and spice. Flavors were more of the same with the spices really coming through more than the bright fruits that were evident in the aromas. Nice finish without a lot of alcohol flavor. Good stuff.

The flavor is the only bad point to this beer and it isn’t even that bad, just very plain for a Belgian.

Approximate 2005 bottle with the all-blue label. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is a completely different beer than the 2002 I tried earlier this year. Identical in appearance and palate, the aromatics and the flavor profile are significantly different. Gone is the "orange creamsicle" feel, replaced by a more minty, ginger-like profile common to modern Fantômes. There’s also a god deal of earthiness to this, reminiscent of the aftertaste left behind by steamed mushrooms. Clove and orange peel still provide spicy highlights. Two versions, each completely different, each as wonderful as its counterpart.

Approximate 2002 bottle with the pink and blue label, courtesy mcbackus. Pours a murky dark orange-amber color. A small, foamy, cream colored head leaves soapy, sudsy lacing behind. Aromatics are unlike anything I was expecting. Notes of vanilla, cream oranges, clove and coriander tantalize the nose. Flavors were similarly perplexing, with all sorts of fruity notes going on, orange sticking out as the most dominant component. Cream and vanilla again play a huge role, lending a creamiscle sort of feel. Minty, spicy yeast and cloves top things off. Medium bodied and sweet up front, it finishes slightly drier. Dany has such a creative mind, and this brew is just further proof of that. Great beer.

750 ml bottle at BA Speedway line tasting (no idea who brought it). Poured a gold-copper color with a small white head. Aroma of musty-sour fruits, sweet spices and some funk. The flavor was unusual with flavors I really could not identify but were definitely fruity and delicious. The mouthfeel was silky smooth. The finish was long and dry with lingering grapes. Overall: A very different saison--one that I will have to retry in a more favorable setting.

Oreagano and Pencil Erasers...........oh wait, is that oreagano and Pencil Erasers I taste????

750ml - Aroma is Fantome Funk. Like eating a spicy sweet bread dessert while sitting in a musty barn. Pours cloudy light brown with a big head and great lacing. Flavor is bready yeast, sweet and sour with a touch of funk. But not as much funk as the aroma, which is disappointing. Palate is sticky and creamy. Not an overly complex saison from the likes of Fantome, but tasty.