Fantôme Saison

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

Smells like cotton candy, strawberries, and cereal grains. Basically it’s a beer version of Frankenberry cereal, although some bottles are more peach/apricot than strawberry. There’s tremendous variance bottle to bottle, and the overall impression can range from decent to killer. I’m re-rating this to reflect my most recent bottle. This last bottle was absolutely 100% amazing. The pleasant fruity aroma was detectable from several feet away from the glass. The head was dense and creamy, but settled down rather quickly. When I opened the bottle it was quite the gusher. Had this after a Saison Voisin and it just blew that beer away.

Wow!! I love saisons, but this beat my expecttions. Poured a golden yellpw with a fluffy white head. Aroma of fruit and yeast funkiness that is huge; barnyard is a good descriptor. Flavor is tart and refreshing, with light fruitiness that I can’t quite pin down, but I loved it.

Tap maproom. Wow. That’s my first impression. Amazing aroma of fruit rollups. Flavor is a very nice fruity tart character with loads of complexity. Tart fruits, bread, nice. So much nice flavors. And no sense of alcohol at all! Bottle version, Old yellow label. Cork says 086/477044. This is different. not quite as good. The tap was cleaner and fresher. Perhaps age does things to this, I dunno. Anyway, deep copper-orange, no head, no light through it. Nose is horseblanket, sweet, sour, peaches and apricots. Taste is very subdued, orange juice, peaches. Alcohol. Actually, the alcohol is quite present in this bottle. A little thin on the palate as well. Perhaps past its prime. (9/3/7/3/15)

Fantome Saison off tap. How can I pass this one up. I’ve had it out of a bottle before, but this was a superb beer experience. The sweet nectar was poured off tap into a Fantome tulip glass. The beer was a beautiful oranged yellow color wtih a thick billowing head over top that didn’t want to fall for anything. What a nose. Lemon, acid, slight pepper, grapefruity citrus. Damn. All I can say. Nirvana. The nose was great...the flavor was perfection. There is an underlying mandarin orange sweetness that is overlayed with huge lemony citrus acidity and peppery notes. There is a whole lot more going on in there, but I couldn’t put pen to paper and give it justice. Suffice to say it was orgasmic. The feel was right below moderate, exactly where it should be. My only issue was that I was drinking it in the dead of winter, when I thought it should be a summer brew. Overall, I think it is second to none. I could have parked my glass under the tap all night and just drank this. If I ever find it, I will be forced to see if I can get a keg for home. I will actively seek this beer out whenever I can.

Let me start this with just a bit of background: I've become just a bit bored recently with beer. Its been a long time since I've discovered a beer that truly tantalized my senses and so wading through the oceans of pale ales and such that are all beginning to be variations on the same thing had gotten me down a bit and it was even reflected in my nearly rote reviews...formulaic run throughs on the appearance, aroma and flavor components. And then POW, along comes a beer like this! It has reminded me exactly why I love this hobby of seeking out and sampling new beers, and it recalled earlier days when I only knew about a handful of different beers.<P> It's not the most attractive of beers, pouring a 2-tone cloudy yellow-gold, with only a thin fizzy head that nearly immediately faded. Soon the appearance mattered none. Aroma was initially skunky, I was dismayed at first, thinking a bad bottle (but was the skunk from the green glass or an appropriate barnyard ester?). Soon I habituated to the mercaptan and began to find all kinds of stuff in the nose: the 3 P's of light fruits: peach, persimmon, pear, then alot of bubble gum, coriander seed, cardamom, and rich flower honey. Flavor was equally complex, with a light fruity palate that fully rounds out the mouth with peach and honey, soft malts, some indistinct spiciness, finishing with a well integrated bitterness. Alcohol warmth in the chest. Lightly tart in an appealing way, complex aftertaste, lingering spiciness. Perhaps a tinge of doughy yeastiness arises as the ale warms. So appealing and drinkable I nearly did myself in devouring the entire bottle. Palate is light in body but with a full flavor, nothing is missing.

75cL bottle ingested early 8/16/07, BBE not notched. Vigorous pour yields about 1.4" of stark white foam atop a very nice golden colored beverage. Aroma is less sour than I’ve had from this beer, instead a much more tropical fruit note with hints of spice. Flavor is just divine, again not nearly as tart as previous bottles I’ve had, but instead full of rich fruitiness with such subtle spicing. It just pleads to be drank. This may be the one beer I can point to say that no matter what the mood, it fits the bill. Simply fantastic.

This is what alcohpop dreams about. It was the followup to my first Abt 12, it was perfect. ’Bit too sweet at the end for my companion, but I enjoyed every drop and grain.

750ml capped and corked green bottle from The Lighthouse in Manchester. Pours a murky light straw yellow with a half inch of off-white head. Smells fruity - grapefruit, orange, and hints of apple, as well as hints of caramel malt. Tastes sweet, with strong orange notes, as well as apple, pear, lemon, pith, and malt. Wonderfully complex. Fairly dry and clean toward the finish. Medium in body with ample carbonation. Super tasty, wonderfully rich and complex, yet light and very drinkable. This beer disappeared well before I thought it would, and I’d gladly have this on hand at all times.