Fantôme Strange Ghost

Brewed by Brasserie Fantôme
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Soy-Erezée, Belgium

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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750ml bottle pours a hazy, ruby red with one ring of off white head. Nose is tart, herbal with some tomato. Tastes like pizza sauce, oregano, tomato, light lemon, caramel, blood orange. Medium bodied, pizza finish.

Bottle. Muddy light brown color with a very light tan head. Ginger and a light sourness in the aroma and a light yeastiness. Ginger dominates with a slight unripe fruit sourness with a very dry and almost puckering ginger-sour finish. Lighter to medium body with very subdued carbonation. Almost a little slick, and I don’t mind the ginger-sour combo (even has a slight woodiness about it), but it gets tiresome for me after a while. Meh

Thanks to Paul for bringing this up a few weeks ago. This beer pours murky brown with a light tan head. There is a strange funk for sure in the aroma with sweet light notes. The flavor is earthy, light tart, with almost cider notes. There are spice notes on this medium to thick-bodied Belgian brew.

Pours a foggy caramel brown; lots of large suspended yeast sediment even after decanting. Aroma is earthy, funky, spicy, herbal, and fruity. Taste is tart and complex– there’s something new with every sip. Builds on elements of smell; lots of caramel, Belgian yeast, and herbs– ginger and cinnamon stand out. Medium bodied and moderate carbonation. Quite enjoyable and quite unique when compared to all other beers I’ve sampled; pick this up if you get a chance/you have a good chunk of spare cash.

Bottle thanks to Julia. Pours dirty brown. Nose of dandelion, grass, figs and brown sugar. Taste of wild flowers, dried apricot, dates, fig and lemon grass.

Vintage 2010. Opened on 12.30.2010. Pours a red-hued umber, like the color of clay, with a slightly vanilla head. There’s some lacing, but it’s thin and recedes down the side of the glass quickly. Second pour is cloudy, like dirty water. Lovely nose. Some lemon acidity, a strong aroma of green apples, some light fruitier notes, and some herbal spiciness. Surprisingly sour on the nose. Some acetic character in the mouth, but a stranger mixture meets the tongue; I get some ginger, pepper, old mint, grassiness, muted muskiness, and other earthy notes. The sourness is more muted than on the nose, but I do pick up on some maraschino cherry and apple. Medicinal bitterness runs throughout the palate, which can be off-putting, especially early on, but the tongue grows accustomed to it. An interesting combination. Herbal, slightly dry finish. I expected a little more body given the color of the beer (which suggested some maltiness), but SG drinks well for its ABV. I like this, particularly in the nose, but the odd bitterness distracts, and the spicy, herbal notes are indiscriminate and run together. It tastes a bit like the kitchen sink; though this was partly my expectation, I wish the clean sourness in the nose came through more in the mouth. Still, very different and worth a try.

Bottle @ Steve’s 1st Annual Sour Fest (amazing); Pour is cloudy brown with a thick frothy white head. Interesting aromas - spices, berries, vinegar. It really does seem like one part christmas/spiced brew and one part sour fused into this really interesting concoction. Dark fruits, sweet bread, vinegar, sage, cinnamon, earthiness, and general funk. Strange Ghost, how I love your bottle art and I think I know what to have for Halloween next year.

This is a great beer. Tastes a bit like a sour, a bit like a saison. It makes for a wonderful winter "warmer" and wow, smells like spice.

Capped and corked bottle courtesy of bmanning. Pours brown with a large, thick, and foamy tan head. Large amounts of lacing. Nose is quite strange. I get some mildly funky notes along with ginger, cinnamon, and other spices. However, the nose is dominated by something everyone seemed to describe as akin to swtrawberry seeds. Everything was incongruent and didn’t really come together. Taste was much better with the apices integrating and the strawberry seed scent fading into the funk. Good mouthfeel like nearly all Fantome beers. Nice complexity and quite drinkable. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-27-2010

Bottle at the 5th Annual Epic Beer Tasting in Richmond, VA, November 28, 2010. Pours a hazy amber color with a medium frothy head. Decent head retention and lacing. Fruity aroma with notes of peach, pear and faint caramel. The taste is caramel, peach, pear, other fruit notes, earthy notes and a tart finish. Medium bodied. Nice beer.