Fantôme Saison - Brasserie Fantôme

Rainier

California

1.28/5  rDev -70.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Whaaa!

Oh my gosh, I did not like the taste at all! Wow, this bottle I had must've been a really bad one... I guess I'm getting what people describe it as "band aid" smell and taste. Wow! I can't believe I spent $14 on this bottle and I have another unopened bottle waiting to be drain poured!

All in all, it looked great, but the rest was just bad. I am really disappointed. Saison Rue disappointed me and this saison disappointed me even more!

Hoping to pay this another visit later on.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 06:43:22 | More by Rainier

Ale-ienation

California

1.53/5  rDev -65%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.25

2012 bottle. Have had this on four occasions, and is completely different every time.

A: Poured a transparent pale red; almost pink. No head or lacing to speak of.

S: Very medicinal. Strong aromas of band-aids and plastic blend with unrefined floral scents. Hint of smoke.

T: Baby diapers, band-aids, plastic, robitussin and forest floor rot. Really intense.

M: Medium bodied with light carbonation.

O: This bottle of Fantome Saison was undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:43:12 | More by Ale-ienation

danielplainview

Kentucky

1.75/5  rDev -60%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

So I'm not sure if I got a bad bottle or what but I really didn't find this beer to be anything special.

Looked about like what I expected. Little darker in color than some Saisons I have had. dark yellow but you could see through it.

S: kinda fruity but not in a way I perceived to be correct for the style. Something funky lurching on the nose. Maybe this suffered heat damage?

T: Tasted like a bland hefe. I expected more tartness to this.

M: Seemed very thin to me

I would not try this again. Especially at the price. I expected much more given all the hoopla around this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 23:17:19 | More by danielplainview

goatgoat

California

1.85/5  rDev -57.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Poured from a green corked bottle into a Chimay goblet.

A gentle pour produces a hazy apricot with a little frothy head. The head dies down quick and leaves a brew with a viscous appearance. Bubbles rise lazily from the laser-etched bottom for a little bit but then the brew is deadly calm.

As I open it and pour it a fruity alcohol hits my nose. I leave it for a while, warming up from fridge temp. Light fruits, lemon rind, a light oak and hint of funk. A nice undefinable spice character.

Taste is horrid, watered down lemon juice, bitter and pervading cork. No date or batch number on bottle. This is going down the drain.

Medium body with no carbonation.

At the price, I'll not be trying this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2009 02:56:00 | More by goatgoat

doppelmeup

North Carolina

2.38/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I have to say that I am very disappointed in this beer. Perhaps I had a bad bottle, but I just didn't like this beer at all. I shared it with some friends, and they thought the beer was alright, though not their favorite.

Poured a nice amber yellow with a decent head and nice lacing.

Aroma is all over the place. A skunked, barnyard, fruity hoppy conglomeration. It smells better as it warms.

Skunky, bitter, some fruitiness and some bubblegum. But this overriding sensation is a bitterness that makes me not care at all to drink anymore than a few swallows.

Mouthfeel is alright, but again the bitter aftertaste lingers, but not in a good way.

Overall, I am hoping that I just got a bad bottle, because I was extremely disappointed. Were it not for my friends, I would have poured the rest of the 750ml down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2007 01:10:37 | More by doppelmeup

Darkale

Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Gosh, I really, really wanted to enjoy this beer. Had been looking for Fantome for a long time and my local beer store finally got some. I'm willing to admit that it might have been my own taste buds that were off -- perhaps the bottle was old or I served it too cold -- but I did not enjoy it, and in fact poured it out. To me the beer was not carbonated enough (which is interesting, considering some of the other reviews). Taste was weak, insipid, dull - a pale impression of other saisons that I have had and enjoyed (indeed, Hennepin is one of my favorite beers). I may spring for another bottle one of these days, but I'm not impressed at all.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2006 18:14:39 | More by Darkale

Atch

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Murky orange. Looks like a flat Weiss. No carbonation, and zero head after I forced poured it.

Smell: Mandarine orange,basementy.(Is that a word?)

Taste: I'm thinking I gotta bad beer here. It tastes like lemon juice and water. There is no way for me to find out the age of this bottle.

Mouthfeel: Light, watery and flat.

Drinkability: I would only try this again if I knew it was fresher. At $12.00 a bottle, this one was a waste.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2008 00:48:44 | More by Atch

Arbitrator

California

2.63/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Chilled bottle into a glass. Purchased at Monument Wines & Spirits in Concord.

A: Pours a cloudy orange color with gold tint when held to the light. Has a limp half-inch head that recedes quickly into a collar and light filming on top of the brew. Creates nice sheets of lacing when I'm drinking, but none of it clumps to the glass. Fine champagne-like effervescence at the edges.

S: Barnyard funk / rotting fruit explosion upon uncorking, but after a minute or so it fades into a backbone of wild brett funk and hay. Has a small hint of coriander and wheat, reminiscent of a white ale. The fruits bring up the rear in a mixture of lemon rind, orange peel, pineapple, and even mango.

T: Has the fruits I sensed in the aroma: a sweet and lightly tart mixture of lemon, orange, pineapple, and mango. Some brett sourness comes into play in the mid-taste, but it's very subdued. The finish is slightly dry, with a little tingling of coriander spice. However, the overall effect is of drinking a tropical fruit juice with a slightly tart bent to it. Doesn't have as much strength or flavor as I would expect.

M: Thin-to-medium bodied, with high carbonation. Well-masked ABV. Has a slightly watery feel. Leans toward the dry side on the finish.

D: Meh. Not a huge fan of saisons in general, but I've encountered several that had a stronger flavor than this, and it's not worth the ~$15 to me to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 23:15:17 | More by Arbitrator

Phelps

Arizona

2.73/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'd been waiting a long time to crack this one open, but my patience was far from rewarded. Read on...

Pours a hazy, pale wheat to brilliant dandelion yellow in color. Tiny particulates of white and gray dance about the glass, filling it up. The head is of the purest bleached white, the consistency of frothed egg whites, leaving some sticky stripes of lacing as it goes. So far, so good.

In the nose, sour grain is backed up by an enticing fruitiness, though it's a bit muted. Pears, sourdough and white grapes all make appearances, as do coriander, lemon rind and pepper.

...And here's where it all falls apart. The flavor is so subtle it's hardly noticeable. The slightest burst of the fruity goodness of orange spice and coriander is immediately followed by a pithy dryness. But this tastes almost like a pale wheat ale. If I'm judging by style, this is an abject failure of a beer.

The body is equally disappointing: medium-light body, with a feel just a shade above watery and some wickedly high carbonation. Yikes.

I try not to let a beer's hype affect my perceptions too much, but I was very excited to try this one, and extremely disappointed at the result. Everything I've heard and read about this beer leads me to believe I've received a bad bottle, so I look forward to a second attempt changing my mind.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 06:50:02 | More by Phelps

marksto

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -37.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a corked bottle purchased at Crown Carmel, IN. Although the label has a "best before" indicator it is not notched. I hate that. Importers and distributors often request the brewers leave them unnotched. They should stand up to them and refuse.

Anyway, beer poured into a tuliped chalice. Carbonation appears strikingly and dissapointingly light. Only gets a very thin head despite a vigorous pour. Cloudy yellow colored. Aroma displays a musty element along with lemony fruit, malt sweetness, and some grassy spiciness. Flavor is dominated by a distinct tartness. In fact, more than tart - outright sour. Even a little funky. The lemony fruitiness carries through in flavor, a light touch of peach in there along with some light spiciness, but that funky sour is way too strong for a saison.

I'm pretty certain this a bad bottle, but at $15.99 a pop I won't be purchasing another. Gotta go with what I've got for a rating - very dissapointing.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2009 23:10:12 | More by marksto

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to the BAer who brought this to the Nov. '12 Philly 'burbs bottle share.
I also have a bottle in the fridge with an alternate label. (Actually, I think the one we tasted had the alternate label compared to the one pictured here.)

To sum this beer up with one phrase: Oh, you Belgians and your green bottles. This probably is a good beer, I don't know, thanks to Mr. GreenGlass. Hazy golden-yellow pour with a decent foamy white head that receded leaving a bit of lacing on the glass. Aroma of grass and hay, a good hit of smoke, stale funk, and fruit skins. Tobacco was the dominant flavor in this beer, from the bottle we had anyway, grassy funk, old perfume and light spice, wheaty malts, bland aftertaste. Light-medium body, fairly dry. I sensed a good beer in there somewhere, but I couldn't tell for sure from the condition that it was in. Hopefully my bottle will yield something more palatable.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 08:38:26 | More by Rifugium

TexIndy

Texas

2.8/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 750ml corked with a crown cap green bottle into my NBB glass. It had a notching system on the right side of the front label but no notches - wtf? It was a hazy golden color with a bunch of yeast bits floating around. Excellent carbonation and lacing that slides down the sides after each drink. It had a large off-white fizzy head that quickly settled into a broken foam with a collar.

The aroma was excellent with great spicy overtones. It was very strong when poured but then faded as it warmed up and became very subtle. Was hoping it would stick around more. The taste was off for me. Not sure if a bad bottle since no date and in a green bottle or if it's just the flavor of this one. Fantomes do tend to have funky non-traditional flavors to em so who knows. It starts off good but then the extreme sourness hits you like a smack in the face. Has a strong vinegary, acidic taste which leaves a really nasty after-taste. Other reviews mention a fruitiness which I never got in my bottle which would have been great to offset the sour. The balance was way off. Without it, it's way too sour. I do love sour beers but they are meant to be sour and have the right setup. This one is sour but doesn't have the good base to begin with. For mouthfeel, the carb is great but again really bad after-taste.

Overall, either a bad bottle or a major disappointment. I hope bad bottle and will try again but for now have to go with this review as it could just be the normal flavor. If this is normal, then one and done for me. I love saisons but this one is not good at all.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2009 03:03:11 | More by TexIndy

GooberMcNutly

Florida

2.83/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

750 bottle with cork and cap. Gave a hearty pop when the cork was pulled. Poured with high carbonation but almost no head. No lace. Fruit and spice notes in the taste were subdued in the aroma. Aroma was more of the sour lambic quality, with almost no lambic taste in the beer. Odd. Palette was active, due to high carbonation, and quite complex for such a light colored beer. Slight fruity after taste of strawberries and lemongrass.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2006 18:50:30 | More by GooberMcNutly

ypsifly

Michigan

2.88/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Undated 750 that is capped and corked.

Very loud pop when the cork was yanked. Loud hiss from the bottle, I'm letting it breathe a bit bit before decanting into a tulip.

Hazy, slightly blonde amber with a white head that boils up without going out of control only to fall to a ring in a minute or so. Still very loud.

Smells tangy and funky. Lemon zest thats been in a basement for a while. Overall very dry and tart, with that earthy dank aroma.

The taste is too tart for me. Almost like those big size Sweet Tarts, too much of a bitter jolt. I don't taste the abv, and there's a nice champagne like effect from the carbonation, but the lemon notes are over the top.

I'm going to drop another $10 and give this one more shot as I will admit this isn't a style that I get into, and this could have been a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 04:56:33 | More by ypsifly

Brew33

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

I've been dying to try this beer. Luckily I was able to score a couple of bottle recently.

The appearance is average for the style. A glowing, light gold color. TONS of sediment in the second half of the 750 ml bottle.

The aroma was good. Fruity and fairly funky. Bretty and tart aroma. Really good.

The flavor craps all over the aroma. The funk is gone. I get a ton of spices. Just a melange of random spices that seem out of place and unnecessary. Tons of fruitiness in the flavor. Fairly dry. Tripel like fruitiness. Out of balance. It tastes like something is missing. I'm missing out on the complexity of this one. IDK if it's because of the overwhelming amount of spice or because it's just not there.

The mouthfeel and carbonation were excellent. The best part of the beer by far. Overall, I didn't love it. It's kind of a mess. Not something I'd revisit, especially at the price point.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 12:48:32 | More by Brew33

frazbri

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

Fantome Saison poured cloudy and golden with a slight orange hue in my chalice. The aroma had notes of apples, pears, and cider along with a very distinct barnyard smell. (more to come) Fruity and earthy in flavor with hint of Vernor's ginger ale and a spree candy aftertaste. Body was light and highly carbonated with a dry, woody finish.

That smell. There's something in the nose. It's not overpowering, but it's omnipresent. A familier farm aroma. Hog manure...

That was it for me. I just couldn't get past the smell, but I still was intrigued. I will revisit this some day. Strictly because of the smell, this Fantome was a bit too funky for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2005 02:01:07 | More by frazbri

jujubeast6000

Texas

3/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 8/21/2009 (Bottle BB ??/??, cork 086/477044):

Pours a very cloudy dark yellow, almost orange but not quite, color body. With a big creamy white head, lasting. Muted, musty aroma, fruity and sweet spicy. Maybe some plasticy. Soft taste, very muted, very light tasting. Some light fruitniness. Very light taste, drying. Almost watery. Thirst quenching, would be good on a hot day. Almost a plasticy taste. Just okay, not the greatest, not much flavor to speak of.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 22:42:45 | More by jujubeast6000

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance- Poured a good head into my big tulip with good retention until half the beer was finished. Then retention went out the door and a bland, flat looking beer was all I could see. But their was still some lacing to behold. REDEMPTION!! Color was a light mahagony grain color.

Smell- A dry mix of toasted candies interlaced with amber waves of grain. Very earthy.

Taste- Pretty tart. Not what I expected compared to my tastes of Saison DuPont. But then again Fantome is supposed to be a very out there brewery. Anyway, A tart and dry mix of potting soil, grass, hard bread, and country air.

Mouthfeel- Pretty puckery. Not too say my mouth puckered whilst drinking this beer. But it was tarter than I expected. Almost cloying.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2006 02:49:16 | More by scruffwhor

champ103

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a cloudy yellow/orange color. At first a two finger white head forms, but recedes in a second. Very light lace is left behind.
S: Funky barnyard and bready yeast up front. Lemon zest and some spices.
T: A lemony citrus flavor is most prevalent. Lightly sour and yeast. Dank and musty. There is not much here.
M/D: A light body that is a little under carbonated. Thin and watery. Not hard to drink, but I am really not all that interested in this.

I was looking forward to this, but I am underwhelmed. This is one of my favorite styles, but this did not do it for me. There is nothing much here. Mostly watered down lemon juice. Nothing I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 04:01:33 | More by champ103

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bland, dull, vapid, humdrum…all of these words describe this beer, surprising me. This is not like the Fantome that I know and love. I must assume that this is a bad bottle, however, I will review it because there are no terrible qualities. This one just seems muffled and boring.

Appearance is great. The bottle pops with an explosive orce. The crown is huge, lasting and magnificent. The body the perfect color, cloudy stawlike gold. The sediment is a bit on the high side. Using a decanter is a good idea for this beer.

Smell…Not much. I get a little straw, a little sour twang, some lemon grass, some wheat, peach here, pepper there but all are muddled. This beer smells like it would if I had a cold, but I don’t have one. It’s just not very pungent or exciting.

Taste is just like smell. Floral notes and citric acid. Light fruits. Nice…but weak.

Mouthfeel is alright. Sweet front, slightly sour finish and just a bit of tang. Thin…but thickening towards the end. Bitter in some ways, juicy and sweet in others. Very complex as it should be.

Drinkability: even this seemingly off sample is highly drinkable. I’ll try again and rereview at the next opportunity. I expect positive results.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2006 02:38:02 | More by DaPeculierDane

RidiculedDisplay

California

3.13/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours fizzy and lively, but, strangely, with no head to speak of. Lacing is also not present. Body is a golden yellow color with a lot of floaties and opaqueness. Not a very good looking beer, unfortunately.

Smell: Smells like Cactus Cooler. Some barnyard. Medicinal back end. Not enjoying this aroma.

Taste: Ah. Better. Still some citrusy fruits that lended to the Cactus Cooler assessment. Banana, apple, apricot, pear, some guava. A lot of tropical-ish fruit esters, really. Fairly unique flavors. Not sure what to make of this beer.

Mouthfeel: Astringent. Too much so. Otherwise, fizzy.

Drinkability: This is drinkable, but damnit if I am not disappointed by this one. It *could* be my bottle, and I do have a local place I found that carries it also so maybe one day I will try again, but I got this from a reputable seller (Beverage Warehouse), and so that seems unlikely.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2008 03:38:04 | More by RidiculedDisplay

gatornation

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

poured a honey golden color with zero head ..smell was musty and funky with sour lemon juice and grass that was good..taste was the same it just had very little flavor no carbonation..i love saisons one of my favorite styles ..so many good/ reviews on this esteemed saison..i must of had a bad bottle ...but the side label said good until may of 2012 it was just so flat..will try again and do another update when i have $14 to burn

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 21:55:08 | More by gatornation

Mavajo

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy golden color with a mild white head. Fair amount of lacing.

I'm not sure what I smelled here. To be honest, my first reaction was "This smells skunked as all hell." But I don't know if I'm simply too rookie to distinguish between skunk and barnyard funk. I'll say this though - I've smelled plenty of skunks in the area before, and this smelled just like that. Behind that, there seemed to be a bit of a lemony zest. The skunked/barnyard smell was just overwhelming though - extremely potent. Despite all that, there was an oddly enjoyable quality about it, and this style does tend to be funky to begin with, so I won't deduct too hard.

The taste had a nice tart/sourness to it, but there was an odd robustness that I didn't enjoy. Kind of earthy I guess, with a bit of spiciness or zestiness. Again, not impressed. The first couple sips were interesting, but it got more and more tedious as I went on. There wasn't a lot of depth of character here in the taste - basically, earthy and tart. Unpleasant aftertaste that lingered a bit on that tongue.

Mouthfeel was fine. Medium bodied and good amount of carbonation. No qualms here.

All in all, I did not enjoy this beer - and considering the price tag, I won't be buying it again. Very unimpressed and disappointed. It just seemed like a skunked beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 15:28:28 | More by Mavajo

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at the Davis Beer Shoppe. This is a green bottle with a bottle cap. Under the cap is a cork. When attempting to withdraw the cork, I broke it, which was really annoying. There was lots of yeasty sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

I poured the Fantome into a snifter. There was a lot of foam, but this may have been from shaking the bottle too much when trying to uncork it. The color was yellow, or golden. It was clear and not too cloudy.

This beer smelled fowl, not funky, but fowl. I thought maybe it was spoiled, and looked for mold in the bottle (I once saw a bottle of beer with a brain-like mold/fungus growing in it). Everything checked out so I figured I would drink it. It tasted like sour apples, and reminded me of a Lindemans Apple. It was not redolent of any other siason that I have sampled. Carbonation was light in the mouth. At 8%, I didn’t taste a bit of alcohol.

This was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed it overall, and perhaps if my expectations were different, then I would have been more pleased. I cannot say that I would buy another bottle, but one of my friends told me each bottle taste different. At $14, I am not willing to take the risk.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 14:40:37 | More by XicanoBeerRun

faernt

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours with a yellow, cloudy (maybe not left to its own for a few days), slightly rocky head which subsides to a skim. Little bubbles come up through the beer from the bottom of the glass. The smell is slight to me with a little lemon and no detectable alcohol.The taste is lemony, sweet, with a little malt always present, and very little bitterness except that contributed by a persistent apricot undertaste.The mouthfeel is like softened water with a slight prickle on the tongue. This reminds me of some mead homebrew that I once had. It's not the roller coaster of other Saisons. It's an 8% ABV beer that hides its strength with its fruitiness. I'll give it another walk as a food beer; probably pairing it with lemon chicken. As a session Saison it is somewhat boring. I can't help but compare it to DuPont which (in its Vieille Provision of 6.5%ABV ) is more of a strong session beer for me. Fantome is more refined, stronger, and more consistent from start to finish. This is actually a boring Saison by itself. I will edit this review after I've had another with food.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2004 08:30:15 | More by faernt