Fantôme Saison

Bottle at home. Cloudy yellow/golden - white head. Soapy, sweetness, winegumms, fruity, orange, yeasty, dusty, spiderswab, bubblegummmmm. A bit unpleasant.

What took me so long to get around to this classic? The body is a pale and cloudy, stratified, golden straw color. A fizzy, foamy, off-white head leaves soapy swaths of slow drying lace on the glass. The aroma is a virtual enigma, seemingly neverending in its complexities and unexpected components. Estery fruits, including peaches, strawberries, aged pears, and melon emerge from the musty, earthy, barnyard depths. Tart, citric fruits join the foray, orange peels and yellow grapefruit coming to mind. Bright and inviting, the dry, fruity nose begs for the first sip, and that first sip does not disappoint. The flavor starts out with a dry, musky, farmhouse baseline, quickly shifting to the bright and tart citrus notes. Layer after layer of jubilant fruit comes out of the woodwork, everything from strawberry and pineapple to sweet-tart peach and musty apple. Hints of grassy, slightly spicy hops lend a hint of bitterness to the equation. The palate is simply perfect, substantial and round up front, finishing very dry and lightly fizzy. This is as refreshing as a 8% beer gets, and there isn’t even a hint of alcohol detectable. Simply fantastic. A masterpiece.

Sample @ Stockolm Beer Festival 2008. Looks pale and hazy. The aroma is very inviting, like a geuze but also fruity and sweet. Tastes like a sophisiticated strawberry chewing gum.

This is a great saison that I also tried at the Ratebeer tasting...citrusy flavor with a hint of honey and corriander with a dry finish. A must try if you like saison.

From a cellared bottle at a RateBeer tasting (thanks Joe!): Pale yellow and somewhat hazy in glass, like lemonade. Syrupy-citrus aroma with a high salty nose, tastes of bitters and grapefruit rind as well as marshmallow (the herb as well as the campfire treat). Represented by flavor of canned mandarin oranges. Memorable.

Stupenda saison che finalmente riesco a bere in una forma che se non era perfetta ci si avvicinava. Bottiglia da 75cl divisa in tre al Mulino. La gradazione alcolica del tutto insospettabile.

Orange color with a nice white foamy head. Cloudy look. Smell is sweet, fruity (pears), and some spices. Taste is again fruity, a light tough of tartness mixed with sweetness. Very good.

hazy yellow/gold like the sunrise. Bright white head, like foam off the surf in a cool lagoon. Aromas of distant dreams, lost loves, tangerine, lemons, sweetness, corriandro, and a hint of funk/newspaper. Lightly sour, orange, good amounts of carbonation, spicy hints from the hops, and a lingering sour/tartness. i love you casper, you magnificant bastard. But the fake eyelashes have to go.