Fantôme Hiver (Winter)

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

Hiver is a slight bit darker orange than Fantome Saison but has the same moldy, wet grass aroma. Interesting peppery taste. Easy to drink but not quite as funky as other Fantomes. I do wonder what sort of strange ingredients end up in these beers.... Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 12-15-2008 01:35:11

Pours golden amber, spices, bready, citrus, little yeasty, more spices, dry finish.

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured hazy orange color with a large creamy white head that was lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy yeasty, herbs, ginger and cough drop aroma. Medium body with a dry smooth texture and lively carbonation. Medium to heavy sweet&sour spice flavor with a medium to heavy sweet&sour finish of moderate to long duration. Solid complex beer.

Pours a hazy, orangey-copper color with a moderately full, creamy, eggshell-colored head which is mostly lasting and leaves minimal lace. Nose is cereal and honey malts, herbal and grassy hops, with some tart apples, light white pepper, and some other cooking spices (basil, thyme). Flavor is similar with subtle malt presence of cereal and honey, light yeast notes are musty and earthy, the hops are more herbal and a bit citrusy, and other notes include sour apples, basil, and white pepper. Palate is soft to lively, silky, and medium bodied; not as carbonated as most saisons, but also not as dry. Finishes with the moderately low bitterness making more of a presence and drying just a touch with herbal hops, white pepper, and a light tartness. A very drinkable saison and at 8% nonetheless. Lacks some bitterness, dryness, and carbonation of typical saisons but this is Fantome, far from typical. Interesting take on the style and not what I was expecting from a winter beer.

20 Bottle at NachtBar. Yeasty Spicy cereal on aroma and flavor. Not over-carbonated like most American saisons. Good and traditional saison, but not altogether outstanding; BUT, very drinkable and smooth at 8%.

pours a clouidy amber gold with off white fizzy head. definitly spiciness hidden in the back of this, very full pallate with a spritz apeal.

<b>1/07/2009</b>: Fantome Hiver has a golden/peachy color with a an off-white head with lots of sediment in suspension. Like all other Fantome beers I have had the privilege of enjoying, this one is extremely complex, interesting, and terribly difficult to describe. The aroma is has lots of herb (basil?) characteristcs as well as a menthol/eucalytpis quality. The flavor starts substantially malty and "normal" but then then Fantome mystery flavors definitely start to shine through. What are the flavors? I don’t really know how to describe them really. Again, there is a presence of dried herbs (basil, parsley, and/or oregano ???) and other stuff, but... Anyways, this beer has a medium to medium-full in body, with a lively, yet dry palate. This beer was an enjoyable experience.

<i>0,75 l capped and cork bottle (8% vol alc) shared by Tmoney99. Thanks Tom! Rating #349 for this beer.</i>

Bottle, 8%. Citric aroma, slightly rough, might be infected. Muddy brown colour. Tan head, slightly fizzy. The flavour is citric, funky and bretty. Quite malty. With Fantome, I always wonder if it is infected. At least it is drinkable.