Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

Robe blonde foncée voilée surmontée d’une mousse blanche mince. Arômes de fruits, d’épices et de cassonade. Saveurs acides de pomme verte, de citron, de sucre et d’épices.

750ml bottle: This beer pours a very hazy red-tinged mahogany brown color. There was a small off-white head that dies off quickly. The aroma is pleasant, albeit a little weaker than I expected for this beer. The aroma is complex. It is appealing, with notes of caramel, sourness and I’m not quite sure. It is definitely complex. The taste is good. Somewhat tart, a hint of pepperiness, some fruits, caramel, the list goes on. Very nice.

Bottle from Super Saver. This one poured turbid brown with a repeating 3-finger khaki head. Aroma of caramel malt, big spicy florals, some funk, dark fruit, brown sugar, cacao. The aroma on this is a lot like Rocheforte. The taste was caramel malty, with a lot of fruity, spicy, brown sugar and cabernet notes, and nuts. Very complex, well balanced, and smooth palate, and it retains that gret fantome house quality that guarantees a blind taste test would elicit a response to the effect that this one was brewed in Belgium.

Pours brown with a decent tan head. Smells of nuts and spices. Taste is slightly roasty with some spicey notes. The palate on this one is watery and disappointing.

Aroma recalls dark, burnt malts and burnt fruits. Some carmalized sugar and vanilla notes as well. Reminds me of a brown sugar coated fruit pancake that has sat too long on the griddle. Opaque red-tinted brown body with a two finger thick tan head. For is bready with a mild, wholesome sweetness and a crispness that starts at the tip of the tongue and stays strong enough to whipcrack the throat as you swallow. There is a pervasive toasty, grain flavor that reminds me a lot of sweet toasted wheat cakes. Not the most compelling Fantome, of the few I’ve had, but it is interesting and certainly tasty.

Bottle. Dark hazy reddish brown - looks thin, small creamy head. Aroma of harsh alcohol, dark fruit, and some sourness - not terribly inviting, Creamy mouthfeel, surprising given how thin it looked. Taste is..well..not great. At first. Harsh alcohol and a big sourness. Is this off? It was too expensive to be off!!! But, thankfully as it sat in the glass and as I sipped it, the true beer came out: lovely soft spice, a really nice hop bite and a good pepper character to it. Bad start, but after that, it turned in to a really nice winter warmer. Still the weakest Fantome I’ve had yet.

These Fantomme beers are always enjoyable and tough to describe. Pours a muddy sort of reddish brown color with a thin white film head. Odd sugary vanilla smell sits on top of a cheesy and nutty notes. Funky sort of flavor has hints of vanilla, earth, young cheddar, and sugar. Not my favorite beer by these folks but enjoyable nonetheless.

No year on label or cork. ’05 I believe. Opaque brown, dark for a saison. Small yet dense, creamy, and frothy light tan head. Subtle, intriguing aroma- yeast, must, spices, alcohol, perfume, balanced malt and hops. Complex brew. Flavor- yeast is musty, spicy, sour- malt is grainy with a touch of richness- hops are crisp and bitter- earthy spices floating in the background atop a layer of ethanol. Clean, dry, bitter finish and aftertaste. Full, balanced body. Great brew.