Fantôme Saison

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

funk earthy fruity melons peaches apricot very fruity some spice and citrus sour tasty and refreshing

Bottle. Pours a clear golden with a small white head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing. Aroma of citrus, leather, some funk, and a hint of strawberries. Taste is the same as aroma with sweet strawberries being more prominent. Medium thin mouthfeel with very light carbonation and slightly tart finish. The low carbonation detracted from the overall pleasure of the beer but it’s still a very tasty brew.

Very intriguing and unique aroma, strawberry, pineapple, apricot, peach, etc. Super hazy foxy orange body, not so much carbonation. Flavor is fine, sweet, a little funky, very yeasty, and rather bitter for a Belgian, quite original and overall good, but for me it’s more appreciable than actually enjoyable. And in the end, a little too alcoholic and a little too expensive...

750ml. Pours a very cloudy, bright cidery color with a big fluffy white head. Not quite as carbonated as usual Fantome, the head isn’t enormous like I’ve come to expect. Aroma is very strongly funky. Huge brett presence, lemon, funk, horse, hay, citrusy, hops?. Taste is strawberry, intense fruitiness, with a nice soft finish. This is very different from the other Fantomes I’ve had. Much fruitier and less dry. This one has a silky, even creamy texture, which I like just not what I was expecting. This is very good, as usual with this brewery though I think I prefer the Printemps and Hiver.

Starts with a faint aroma with some citrus, some spice, and a bit of funk in it. Pours a clear bright amber, with a thin white head. Flavor is a bit on the sweet side, very refreshing with no alcohol bite at all. Very little funkiness detectable in the flavor. Mainly strawberry notes are detectable. May want to lay some of this down and see if the funk comes out with some age.

Bottle w/ Simon. This beer is sick! This could easily lead to a saison obsession... Flavor wrapped up lemon rind, citrus, spices, biscuits, and an effervescent barnyard/farmhouse feel. Behind the flavors hid a grainy, gritty texture that made this whole thing work in harmony. Faint funk lay behind everything. Very drinkable, quenching, but intriguing and complex. Just a really cool, contemplative beer... let the saison search continue...

Initial sip left me sort of confused. The rest I did not like. It was most likely just me as others found it quite agreeable. I think it may have been the fruitiness that I did not care for. Sorry fantome...

**Rerate** WOW! What a great saison! I won’t do another full rating, but after I opened this beer I waited for the full 4 finger white head to settle and I could smell the light fruit, the lemon and funk from a few feet away. The taste was superb. Strong lemongrass, citrus and a horse blanket thick funkiness in the aftertaste. So fruity and easy to drink with so little alcohol detectable. Nice sour aftertaste. How could anyone not like this? ***Rerate*** Original rating 5/11/08 AR6 AP3 FL7 P3 OI16 TS3.5 Delicious saison by a bewer who knows how to do it. Aroma was a nice funky mix of barnyard floor and wet blanket. Pour was a nice light gold with a one finger white head and lots of tiny bubbles. Taste was crisp and refreshing. The funk is full and relentless. Lemon, grass and pear are in the front with an almost sugary sweet aftertaste. I did not care for that sweetness and that hurts it in my opinion. Nice bitey carbonation. Very delicious.