Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

THIS RATING IS OF A BOTTLE THAT IS TOO OLD. 2000 bottle drank in 2005. Pours to a hazy orangish color with a white head. The aroma is plasticy. The flavor is a tart and lightly vinegar. No worries, I will get a fresh one and re-rate.

2000 vintage orangish color tiny white head. Some nice spice smell a sweet carmel backing and a light sour vinagar part too. and a sour part as well. Even palate good coat. Lightly sweet finish sour front some very light spice. A very mild saison.

Oh what a joy. In the 750ml bottle that’s a pain to uncap, followed by a long battle with a cork. In the end the cork lost as it was decimated, but it decided to take quite a bit of foamy beer down with it. Poured a deep golden body with a large head. Aroma is quite spicy. Yeast, candy sugar and a hint of fruit as well. Flavor is the same, probably the spiciest Saison I’ve had yet. Very light bitterness and a little bit of sourness there as well. Interesting and enjoyable.

Excellent. A little spicier than other Fantomes but seriously drinkable. Like all Fantomes it has that thick head and is not dry like other Saisons. Not that winter-ish but very very good beer anyway.

Poured a murkey brown color with a large white head. The aroma on this changed by the minute. The most complex aroma I have ever experienced in a beer. One minute it was very floral with a hint of caramel and then the next minute it was full of raisins. There was also some hay, fresh cut grass and a bit of a sour note in the nose. There were also many other smells that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The flavor was also great and complex with a nice spice and raisin flavor and some sourness with a nice yeast addition. Mouthfeel was medium with medium to high carbonation. Had at a tasting with about 19 other top rated saisons and this was definitely the best. (IMO)

Bottle. Pours cloudy burnt orange color. Large fluffy head that diminishes. Lacing lasts all the way down. Aroma of spice and dark fruits and baby aspirin. Carbonated apple jiuce taste, a little sour, but not bad. A little watery. Thin and carbonated mouthfeel. Spicy feeling on the lips. Finishes dry.

Odd beer with a interesting spice and aftertaste. Different from most Saisons. Very dark and cloudy brown. Some sourness as well. An odd beer in many ways. One of a kind, but enigmatic. I liked it I hated it, I liked it. Final feeling, decent beer.

Bottle, probably from 2003 or 2004. Murky brown color, with a thin off-white head. Aroma has some caramel maltiness. macintosh apples, coconut flakes scattered on waffles. Subdued acidity for a saison, darker malts. Lots of apple flavor, finishing dry and bitter, similar to a cider without as much of tthe sweetness. Another tasty brew from Fantome.