Fantôme Black Ghost - Brasserie Fantôme

LaPeste

California

3.33/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750ml capped bottle from Vendome in North Hollywood $15.99.

A: Poured into a tulip glass. Dark Brown with hints of red, hardly any head. Looks inviting.

S: Smell is mild, chocolate, ripe fruit, yeast

T: Yeast, chemical, very slight sour, some ripe fruit

M: Slight carbonation, light bodied, not very well balanced

D: Alcohol is well concealed, easy to drink but it doesn't really make you want to

This is the second Fantome variety in two days that has disappointed. I think it's time for me to move on from trying them all.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 08:35:59 | More by LaPeste

Caudalie

Quebec (Canada)

1/5  rDev -74.2%

05-08-2013 14:18:46 | More by Caudalie

Mattias

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

02-27-2013 20:21:24 | More by Mattias

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.29/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle does not appear to be dated, despite the label having the ability to accommodate dating.

Beer is very murky and brownish. Not the "black ghost" advertised. Opaque. Large off-white head. Excellent retention.

Smell is yeasty, with some accompanying smoke. Malty, wood notes. Not what I expected!

Taste contains yeast quite strongly. Plenty of malt character, bready with a slight fruit flavour. Noticeable sweetness. Wood. Spices are quite evident but hard for me to single out- perhaps clove and nutmeg? Smoke is present in the flavour but not as strongly as the nose- strongest in the finish. Unusual flavour but not in a good way.

Rather heavy, with moderate carbonation. Oddly bulky, and quite astringent.

Overall, quite disappointing. The regular Fantome is certainly one of my favourite beers, but this one is not very good. The fruit elements are nice, but the woody character of the beer does not fit and does not work.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 20:27:41 | More by jrenihan

SpeedwayJim

New York

1.28/5  rDev -66.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Thanks to capra12 for this one. 75ml corked and capped bottle into a Cantillon tulip.

Pours a 2 finger frothy, cream colored head with good retention. Beer is a clear dark grape juice color. Lacing is stringy and patchy with good cling. Thin but oily legs. Very pretty.

This one smells something awful. Notes of peppercorn, coriander, tart dark fruit, dust, and must... all of which would be ok if it wasn't for the overwhelmingly tart vomit odor emanating from this brew. Yikes.

Opens roasted malt, rust, pepper flakes, poppy seed, and dirt. Tastes like someone dug up a grave and put the soil in this beer. Aftertaste of bitter ash, dirty water, and rust. It doesn't get much worse than this.

Light bodied with moderate carbonation. But really, how do you get a feel for the body of a beer that you can barely keep down? Goes down (unfortunately) thin and with a bit of booziness. Finishes messy with a harsh, linginerg, punishing aftertaste.

I can say with confidence that this is the worst beer that I've ever had the displeasure of reviewing. Like someone took dirt, ash, rust, and all things vile, mixed it into a saison, and bottled it. A miss if there ever was one.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 02:40:07 | More by SpeedwayJim

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -38%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to Moll for this one. Served in a Fantome tulip. Nose has a bit of light caramel with some bread crust. Slight nuttiness and dry yeast. Flavor is a bit tannic and oxidized. Odd. Another one I wasn't really a fan of (same night as Sante-16!), but I'm glad to have finally tried it and knocked it off my Fantome wish list.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 19:52:03 | More by Thorpe429

ehammond1

California

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle

Acquired via online purchase

A murky, cloudy dark brown with a huge dark khaki colored head that stays and stays and stays, eventually cascading down into thick chunks of sticky lace.

A somewhat strange aroma of grass, hay, barnyard, some peat, and mild smoke character. Different than any other Fantome offering I've had. The smoke and peat character emerge more and more as the beer warms.

The flavor is too not like anything I've had before, though that's not surprising given Fantome's reputation. Smoke, peat, some feet, barnyard, grass, and a mild earthy hop character interplay with one another. It's interesting, but not one of the more pleasant Fantome offerings I've had.

Medium bodied with high, slightly creamy, carbonation.

I'm glad I tried it, but I don't need to have another. I wouldn't turn it down though, either.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 17:55:02 | More by ehammond1

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 10.25.12.

A - Pours a murky brown with a very large, tan head that fades slowly.

S - Funk, oak, and a mix of spices.

T - Funky, leather, pipe smoke, earthy.

D - Good carbonation with a heavier body.

O - Dark, deep and dirty. Not sure about this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 05:11:40 | More by HuskyinPDX

drabmuh

Maryland

3.13/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks Michael, filling in my Fantome gaps slowly. This beer was sort of a disaster but before I give it a horrible review I want to go on record that will try this again in the future, a bottle of recent vintage and give it one more chance, but as this bottle stands it was like drinking the floor of a forest, dirt and twigs.

Beer is dark brown and really hazy, very hazy. no head, no lacing, no retention.

Aroma is dirt and mild smokiness...odd.

Beer is medium in body and tastes like dirt and wood. Weird. I did not like it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 17:04:34 | More by drabmuh

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours lightly cloudy reddish copper color with a nice 2 finger fluffy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Good spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of coriander, cherry, clove, raisin, roasted grain, pear, earth, hay, cocoa, peppercorn, must, light funk, and yeast spices. Very nice and interesting aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of cherry, pear, raisin, roasted grain, cocoa, coriander, clove, earth, hay, pepper, grass, toast, herbal, must, and yeast spiciness. Fair amount of peppery spice on the finish; with lingering notes of cherry, dried fruits, roasted grain, cocoa, clove, pepper, toast, earth, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Nice balance between roasted flavors and spiciness; great amount of flavor complexity. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy and fairly crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is extremely well hidden for 8%, with pretty much zero warming noticed at all after the finish. Overall this is an excellent dark saison! A lot of nice complexity and balance of flavors; and very smooth to sip on. Very unique and interesting; but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 05:26:33 | More by superspak

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +3.4%

09-01-2012 01:31:33 | More by t0rin0

beerpadawan

California

4/5  rDev +3.4%

08-27-2012 16:17:47 | More by beerpadawan

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml poured into a matching Fantome tulip. This is the "noire de noire" version which I am uncertain if that makes it any different from the normal Black Ghost. In my glass, it appears a very clouded light brown color. When held to the light, it appears more of a deep copper to amber with some yellowish hints around the edges. A rich 2 finger cap of fluffy yellowish/tan head sits atop and maintains throughout the entire duration with a finger's strength supported by a constant stream of bubbles rushing to the surface. As the cap fades, it leaves strings and spots of lace sticking to the glass.

The aroma starts with a bit of dark fruit quality faintly reminiscent of apples and quickly turns to a spice like pepper. As it opens up, there is some leather quality to this that mixes with earth and something that is almost soapy. More earthiness comes out of this brew as it warms up, but it takes on more of a hop earthiness with a very muted note of citrus.

The taste is significantly more bitter than I was expecting. It has hop flavoring that is herbal, earthy, floral and rindy. When small sips are taken, there is a bit of fruit and citrus character but it is dominated by a wet leathery flavor. Mid palate a taste of dark graininess somewhat like chocolate is present but it dissolves fairly fast into the bitterness. The aftertaste is quite herbal and drying with a faint soapy flavor just like the aroma led on.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation that visually looks effervescent but in the feel it is spot on for the style. This brew really has me scratching my head. It was not what I was expecting and there seems like an exaggerated bitterness here that doesn't quite fully come from hops. I can only imagine that the mystery ingredient or "spices" here might be bringing there own level of bitterness into this brew. Of all the Fantome offerings I have had, this one is quite reminiscent of a cross between the second batch of Clos Preal and BBB Dark White. Unfortuantely, those 2 brews I just mentioned are among my least favorite of Dany's offerings.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 01:10:18 | More by stakem

m0ntels

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.4%

04-22-2012 01:48:33 | More by m0ntels

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is full of spices, with some additional dark fruit notes and some strong Belgian yeast. The flavor is very complex. I get some light tartness and funk from the Belgian yeast, but I also get some spices, caramel malt, orange and apple notes. A slightly funky, spicy and fruit saison that works very well together. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:27:57 | More by Mora2000

Beertracker

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

01-27-2012 16:32:14 | More by Beertracker

Stoutsman

Kansas

4/5  rDev +3.4%

01-14-2012 22:00:37 | More by Stoutsman

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

01-05-2012 07:18:00 | More by ygtbsm94

CelticAleMan

California

3/5  rDev -22.5%

12-23-2011 00:25:15 | More by CelticAleMan

amphion1065

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from 2009, enjoyed at Lord Hobo from a tulip. Reviewed from notes.

I'll grant that I drank this in a dark bar, but the beer appeared almost black at first. Virtually no head on this one.

The aroma is absolutely wonderful. Absolutely huge brett notes, pungent and funky with a very clear tartness. I could smell the funk as soon as my glass was poured, and this truly does remind me of a dark sour. Apart from that very strong, earthy sourness, there is a slight hint of cocoa.

Gotta love Fantôme - there's virtually no sourness at all in the taste. Instead, there's a rich array of flavors that are at once evocative of an totally different from many BSDAs. Chocolate and a curious mix of baking spices. Belgian yeast. Lightly smoked malts, with a little touch of bacon. It's absurd, but it really does work.

Mouthfeel is on the thin side, but it's not terrible. For such a complex beer, this was really quite easy to drink.

I ordered this bottle expecting whimsy, and I wasn't disappointed. Totally bizarre and idiosyncratic - I expected nothing less.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 20:25:20 | More by amphion1065

clegolfski

Ohio

4/5  rDev +3.4%

11-26-2011 04:36:37 | More by clegolfski

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +3.4%

11-25-2011 15:10:36 | More by Rochefort10nh

brandoman63

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.4%

11-21-2011 16:36:55 | More by brandoman63

corby112

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +29.2%

11-21-2011 09:46:54 | More by corby112

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +3.4%

11-20-2011 05:24:05 | More by JAHMUR