Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

orange/copper color with a small off-white head. cloudy. aroma of pepper, coriander, creamed corn and hops. the flavor is grainy, creamed corn, coriander, and something earthy, herbal, and minty. maybe some lemon and orange peel. light pepper. herbal flowery flavor.

750ml bottle, 2005 vintage(?). Rather intriguing and complex aroma -- fruity, sour, musty and sweet with notes of cherry, plum and orange along with some dusty, earthy yeast, oaky and sherryish tinges and in the background a faint, sugary sweetness. Deep reddish copper color, lightly hazy with a foamy, lasting, off-white head and plenty of lace as a result. Flavor is composed of a unique blend of elements, beginning with a blend of spices and dark fruits, becoming sweeter and maltier with hints of roastiness and chocolate coming through before a lightly tart, bittersweet, yeasty and tangy finish. Palate is lush and creamy with plenty of effervescence and a medium-full body. Alcohol does not make its presence known. Wondrous and enjoyable.

Got this in a trade. I like Fantome and just don’t seem to buy them. this was a dirty water looking brew. I was expecting more of a radical sour funky brew but this was more like a blend of different style.Some caramel notes blended with a bit of earthy notes. An interesting beer but not my fav.

Bottle. Pours a deep amber with a limiteed head. Nose is musty and woodsy. Flavor is coffee and tobacco, two other vices to go along with the third. This is not a traditional Saison and I would have liked more ot the regular notes associated with the style. It is more roasted and not as clean as I would have liked but an interesting brew none the less.

Pours a dark amber with a light white head. Very interesting aromas of black pepper, mushrooms, and other funky spices. Taste was a lttle bitter, almost like unsweetened ice tea with lemon in it. I thought this one was just all right. It might have been a lttle too funky for me. I would still drink it again though. This one was courtesy Todd at the Abbey in Deland.

The loudest ’POP’ ever as I removed the cork. Impressive. Then foam started very slowly climbing out of the bottle. No big deal, I poured some off into a stemmed tulip glass, and left the room to grab a snack to enjoy while watching the hockey game. I come back to find foam still oozing out of the top of the bottle. This continued for quite a few minutes. Anyways, the beer poured a somewhat hazy deep amber - almost a light brown. It is very effervescent, producing a huge head of foam that just does not want to die down. I’m fairly patient... By midway through the 1st period of the game, I can finally take a whiff and then a sniff. I detect a mildly malty aroma, with an earthy spiciness to it. This beer tastes a lot maltier than I have come to expect from Fantome - with caramel and bitter chocolate. There’s a real earthy presence to it too, with dry cinammon spice, wood, and leather. I really enjoy this long-lasting black tea-like tannin bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. When I get towards the end of the bottle and stir up the yeast, a brief butterscotch flavor comes out. Smoother beer, medium bodied, softly but aggressively carbonated. With Fantome, rightly or wrongly, I tend to expect a dry tartness with a generous supply of citrus and funk. Didn’t happen this time, but I’m not disappointed. In fact, I really enjoyed the complexity, subtlety, and all around flavor of this beer.

Musty aroma, very earthy, spicy in the nose. Pours a light brown/dark blonde. Sweet and earthy upfront, dry, alittle spice, then i taste very floral aftertaste, herbal, some sage, and orange peel. Lovely!

75 cl bottle. Golden beer, farmyard smell. Some spices well blended with the maltiness. Nutmeg, cardamom, orange peel.