Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

Bottle. Pours cloudy burnt orange color. Large fluffy head that diminishes. Lacing lasts all the way down. Aroma of spice and dark fruits and baby aspirin. Carbonated apple jiuce taste, a little sour, but not bad. A little watery. Thin and carbonated mouthfeel. Spicy feeling on the lips. Finishes dry.

Odd beer with a interesting spice and aftertaste. Different from most Saisons. Very dark and cloudy brown. Some sourness as well. An odd beer in many ways. One of a kind, but enigmatic. I liked it I hated it, I liked it. Final feeling, decent beer.

Bottle, probably from 2003 or 2004. Murky brown color, with a thin off-white head. Aroma has some caramel maltiness. macintosh apples, coconut flakes scattered on waffles. Subdued acidity for a saison, darker malts. Lots of apple flavor, finishing dry and bitter, similar to a cider without as much of tthe sweetness. Another tasty brew from Fantome.

This bottled brew was capped and corked with a cork marking of 056/477044. It poured a very large sized head of foamy finely sized brown colored mostly lasting bubbles that left behind a transparent caramel brown colored body and a good lacing. The aroma was that of brown malts and spices that made me sneeze. The mouth feel was tingly mildly vinous and left a tingly sensation on my tongue. It had a mild brown malt flavor that was very carbonated and fizzy with mild spicy notes. The bottle finished with a hazy yeast pour once the top was poured off. Respect this brew! Its carbonation makes its vinousness move into your bloodstream quickly!

Cuivrée, aux reflets de couleur rouille, mousse beige pale et plutôt diminuante. Étranges arômes (quelle surprise!), semblant très organique, fortement signée par les levures et rappelant, le composte, des racines de plantes sauvages, le caramel et autres curiosités en provenance de la terre. Présence modérément acide en bouche, telle l’acidité d’un café de céréales, sur des notes de pruneaux, de vieilles feuilles de tabac et de bois. Pratiquement aucune trace d’alcool d’identifiables. Corps d’épaisseur semi mince, semblant légèrement aqueux, douce carbonatation, finale sèche. Bouteille, Spirit Haus, MA, Juin 2005.

Another strange brew from Fantome - I kept changing my mind on this one - I liked it, no, I didn’t like it, well, it’s weird, but I kinda liked it....etc. I have to say, this was one ugly pour - looked like hazy brown murky water collected from a puddle, with a thick offwhite head. Plenty to smell here - backyard, flower garden, sweat, hay, citrus. Taste was sour then sweet, tart and spicy, Actually, I’m still not sure if I liked this beer or not, but I’d try it again without a doubt.

Holy friggin’ head!!! None stop flow. I had to take this into the bathroom and pour some off into a glass. After a few minutes, I looked back at the bottle and it was overflowing with suds again. The beer itself pours a serious dark red/broen color with a merangue of a head that hasn’t moved in a while. Aroma is spicy clementines with a little clove action. Has that signature lemony tartness but there’s a lot of other tastes that kind of drown it out. A bit sweet at first, like a citrus candy. Later starts to become a little dirty, some barnyard, pepper, cigar, and sweaty leather. A very good balance. Not too much of any flavor. All working together very nicely. My favorite Fantome to date.

Bottle. Large fizzy ivory head that was mostly lasting, fine-small sized bubbles, sparse lacing, transparent, fizzy carbonation, and a reddish hue. Sweet, spicy and some alcohol in the aroma. Sweet, sour, tart, some spicyness, vinuous flavor. Medium body.