Fantôme Saison - Brasserie Fantôme

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The long-running top-ranked beer in my favorite style. Recently supplanted by a HF one-off, but I'll probably never try that. So here we go! Best before end July 2013. Tasted 16 November 2012, reviewed from notes.

Pours a pale golden color. Not quite clear, like looking through frosted glass. A wide column of bubbles rising up. Two fingers of fluffy white head. Okay retention, not much lacing.

Smell is intriguing. Fruity and flowery. Quite flowery, as I continue to smell it. Lightly sweet, with a soft crispness. Funk is in the background, but rises up more with warmth. Just a bit of spice. I like it.

Taste is funkier and spicier, still with plenty of fruit. Balanced and interesting, but I want more from it. Drifts from sweet like a riesling to a dry bitter in the finish - a surprising transition.

Mouthfeel is top-notch. Medium-bodied, with a ballooning feeling that I always have a hard time describing - like it's expanding off my tongue to fill up my mouth. Tingly carbonation to start out, becomes more mellow as it goes.

Very nice beer. Not the best saison I've had, but definitely up there. In the balanced group for the style, with no element really standing out, though it's definitely a shade towards the fruity side.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 20:49:23 | More by zeledonia

tarheels86

California

4.15/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750mL. Pours a cloudy, beautiful neon light orange with a fizzy, two-finger, eggshell white head. Decent to little lacework. Aroma is complex: caramel, dulce de leche ice cream, pineapples, green apples, grains of paradise, white grapes, freshly squeezed kumquats. Taste is almost all tart kumquats, passionfruit, some prevalent fruity tartness. Very refreshing and light-bodied. Buttery, coating mouthfeel. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 21:51:35 | More by tarheels86

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

haazer

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appropriate beer for Halloween.

A- A hard pour produces a large, tightly condensed bone colored head. It sits atop a beautiful golden glow of a beer. Light bubbles are illuminated in the color. The head retains about 3/4 inch the whole time. Big chunks of foam and lacing are left all over the glass. This looks frighteningly good.

S- Notes of apples, pears, orange peel, coriander, and some straw. There is a pale malt underneath, sort of bready. Smells naturally sweet. There is spice in this as well. Very comples nose, I can sniff this all night.

T- Flavor is green apple, some pear, and a bit of peach on the backend. There is a great smokiness in this that is not overbearing, but just enough to add another dimension. There is a dash of herbs thrown in to add a bit of spice, but never drying. Excellent Saison.

M- Light bodied with mid to high carbonation. Thirst quenching, drinks like water with amazing taste. No detection of alcohol at all. Would drink this on tap all night.

O- I think this may be my favorite Saison. Looks amazing, can smell it all night. It tastes great and drinks like a champ. I wonder if the smokiness comes from the bricks? Would love to visit this brewery, and would love to find this on tap somewhere and drink all night.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 01:45:01 | More by haazer

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml, 086/477044 on cork
Purchased in 2012
Lost Abbey tulip

A: Pours a really pretty hazy light yellow orange straw like color. Great pop on cork! Lots of carbonation. Two fingers of fluffy white. Lots of tiny bubbles coming from bottom.

S: Really impressive nose. Initially I get the spiciness. There is almost a slight smoke/campfire smell I am getting. Then it's fruitiness: citrus, mild strawberry, etc. Not getting all the American Saison like notes.

T: Lots of spiciness in the tip if the tongue. Again, I get that smoke that I smelled in flavor. It's interesting for the style. Not getting the barnyard I was expecting. In the mid palate, you get that grassy grainy hit that you'd expect. The close is certainly dry like a Saison. Some lingering smoke?

M: It's a light medium. The carbonation is very high.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 18:03:42 | More by inlimbo77

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Rutager for my first taste of Fantôme.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle and split with my wife.

Appearance: A huge frothy and whipped head with tight tiny bubbles. Lasts a long time atop a hazy light orange-peach body.

Smell: Citrus, hay, some tartness, zesty, refreshing.

Taste: More of the same with a hint of mint and misc. herbs as well as citrus (mostly subdued lemon) with plushy fruit, mild sour peaches?

Mouthfeel: Alive, carbonation is comfortable (medium-low) with a very low lying tartness.

Overall: Very drinkable, high on flavor and a joy to drink. Will try more from this brewery for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 02:15:16 | More by papat444

eric5bellies

Australia

4.38/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Ciney sniffer

A - Pours a nice cloudy straw colour with white head that retains well and laces. This beer says drink me !

S - Aromas of peach, boiled lollies and candy floss

T - up front some nice spicey malt with concentrated peach sugars that are very nice, the finish is spicey and sweet but not overpowering, the booze is well balanced out with the other flavours, it has an almost gauze like flavours on the finish.

M - Medium to full body with medium carbonation, the smoothness is impressive.

O - Really enjoyed this Saison and its the best I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 20:14:44 | More by eric5bellies

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy blond body, thin white head and nice lace.

Trace of smoke in the smell along with some light blueberry and yeast character.

Some light berry notes, and a trace of smoke. Not lots of spice, but great flavor and interest.

Smooth, rich, but pretty bright.

A truly great saison, among the best I have ever tasted.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 19:39:53 | More by zaphodchak

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into DeRanke tulip in Brussels (cant remember the name of the restaurant). Pours a fantastic light orange haze with thick white head. Smells of wild belgian yeast, slight hop, slight grassy and citrusy.
Taste is so great. Such a unique flavor of citrusy grassy yeasty malts. Super dry but refreshing and easy to drink. Wow...Fantome is just superb.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 21:38:45 | More by DrinkSlurm

Kmccabe33

Georgia

4.83/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- A very beautiful orangeish hue, looks like an unfiltered(which I think it is) as it is very hazy and is quite inviting and just asking me to drink it.

S- Smell is well again just fantastic. There are floral notes, earthy notes, just wow. I can't say much more aside from that.

T- Not sure if it is because this bottle has a bit of age on it, the beer has a sourness on the first taste that is well quite amazing. Absolutely love the taste of this beer. Heading straight to the store to buy some more tomorrow.

M- Mouthfeel is smooth with a late drying effect, love this beer. Perfect.

O- Amazing beer, easily one of my favorites without a doubt.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 02:14:48 | More by Kmccabe33

ithacabaron

California

3.5/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a juicy-looking peach with tangerine highlights. The weak pop from the bottle yields a mild, 1/8th inch head that soon settles down into nothing more than a halo. Lazy toads-eye bubble doze around the glass. Not great, not terrible.

Smell starts off with huge gobs of strawberry jam, the fruit leaping from the glass. There are also some notes of starfruit and shortbread. Underneath, there are hints of vinegar and seawater. Interesting.

As we arrive at the taste, the the roles flip from the aroma. At first, a pungently sour line appears at the side of the tongue, with sweet blackberry emerging as a shading note. On the swallow, acetone and a bump of pure CO2 show up as well. For so many different flavors, it still somehow comes off as dull.

Mouthfeel is a bit lower than I'd like; more foam would go a long way here.

Overall, I'm pleased by the creativity displayed here, but it's far from the best, or even the most original saison I've had. Due to the variations in quality from batch to batch (or, for that matter, bottle to bottle), it may be an unreviewable beer. That being said, there are better offerings from this brewery, and much better beers to have at this price point.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 06:26:30 | More by ithacabaron

rodkin

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light golden hay color, slightly hazy, with a fluffy 3-4 finger head. Leaves a decent ring of foam around the glass and a film of bubbles. up top. Some visible carbonation riding up the glass. Looks a little thin and pale.

Smell is some earthiness, a slightly cheesy funk, some spices, and some sweet fruits. A bit of citrus, maybe some peach. Starts out a bit funkier, but the sweetness comes through more as it warms. Really nice, quite complex. The highlight of the beer.

Taste is a little peppery spice, bit of earthiness, some citrus. A hint of bitterness going down. The sweet peach flavor is there but doesn't come through as strong as in the aroma, which is a little disappointing. Still, this is excellent.

Mouthfeel is nice, but a little thinner and less carbonated than would be ideal.

This is an excellent saison. Really tasty, refreshing, and complex. Great sipper, but also very sessionable. Perfect for the weather.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 00:27:33 | More by rodkin

Etan

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml into a Hopleaf tulip. Shared by Agold and Willcarrera at last night's tasting. Thanks!

A: Pours a yeasty gold, big white head.

S: Perfumy vanilla, soapy yeast, nice herbal notes, cotton candy. Strong, really great.

T: Straight ahead pale malt sweetness, smooth yeast, pretty dry on the end, bit of bitterness, lemon rind, pineapple.

M: Soft, nice.

O: Fantastic aroma, taste wasn't amazing but still very good.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 13:43:27 | More by Etan

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.73/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle poured into a Duvel tulip, taking care to leave the yeast behind. Best by notch on the label reads "January 2013."

A: Pours a hazy golden-yellow with a creamy eggshell-white head. The head arises from the lively carbonation, and it has more snap, crackle, and pop than a bowl of Rice Krispies. It eventually settles into a thin quarter inch crown, but never goes away completely. Clumps of lacing slide down the glass lazily.

S: Complex doesn't even begin to describe the nose. It's everything you'd expect from a good saison, but with a zesty, spritzy, and very lively fruitiness. Apricot, tart peach, granny smith apple peel, nectarine, and fleshy mango. Touch of mustiness and funk in the background, along with that trademark saison spiciness coming from the yeast (white pepper specifically). Earthy and grassy impressions as well. This is one of the deepest noses I've ever experienced in a beer. Marvelous.

T: Tart tropical fruits on the attack: apricot, peach, nectarine, and pulpy orange. The tartness is quite pleasing. Lip smacking and slightly puckering, but humble enough not to steal the show. Eventually the tart and fruity tastes begin to drop away, revealing the rustic flavors beneath. Grassy, musty, earthy, hint of barnyard. White pepper and coriander spiciness. The finish is a long but subtle medley of tropical fruit, understated tartness, and ghost-like funkiness.

M: Light in body, but silky, slightly creamy, and incredibly smooth. Carbonation is active, but soft and caressing. Light acidity and astringency actually make it even more refreshing and thirst-quenching.

O: This is as near perfection as I've ever experienced. It's so well balanced, and it has a perfect sort of 'flow' to it. Exquisite in its uniqueness. So much of it is intangible too, but entirely delicious. A beer to contemplate if ever there was one.

Notes: I felt inspired, so I surveyed my options with the cheeses I had on-hand and paired it with Robiola Rocchetta. It was a fabulous marriage. If Charlie Sheen thinks he's winning at life right now, he ain't got shit on me.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 05:10:20 | More by ryan1788a5

afksports

New York

4.6/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Literally the beer that makes the style. Holy cow. This is a blend of spice and citrus that defies explanation or definition.

Opened with my future father-in-law to celebrate graduation, he started by calling it "a little too much like a lager", so we'll have to work on its source. But that said, the appearance is fantastic. Blond, hazy, great big foaming white head. Wheat and citrus and coriander and cumin and grass and alcohol come pouring out of the aroma. It drinks creamy, finishes clean, and ginger and lemongrass add to the taste. I'm not even entirely sure what it tastes like, to be honest, because it's like every good quality of saisons I've had in the past was amplified in this.

Most importantly, it's worth the purchase price, and pairs exceptionally well with a variety of food. In this case it was Thai. Cheers to Fantome for their flagship brew. It's one I wish was more common.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 03:02:55 | More by afksports

bminor7

New York

4.53/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml from Halftime. Best by end b.may.12. So just in time.

One of the worlds best saisons. Lucky to have found it.

No head...slightly turbid blonde color, almost a pinkish hue at times.. Interesting fruit odor that seems unlike citrus; lactic acid. Apricot maybe, reminds me of kombucha.

It is only a little fizzy despite years in the bottle. The taste is so crisp, so professional. The alcohol is hidden so well. It retains a refreshing quality on par with its quality and availability. Almost as if water and taste were combined without any of the heaviness found with a beer of this ABV.

Highly recommended, but if you're reading this, you already know that.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:42:46 | More by bminor7

kevanb

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Chris for bringing this to our tasting! 750ml poured into a Lost Abbey stemmed glass.

Pours a nice golden honey color, bits of orange and amber are present as well. A huge thick fluffy white head appears with only a modest pour, great retention, a nice fluffy bit of head is present during the entire drinking experience. A fair amount of sediment and floaties appear in the glass as well. A decent amount of funk jumps out of the glass right away, lemon zest, coriander some other fruity esters are noticeable as well, reminded me of lighter, green grapes an crisp green apple. The flavors are superb, citrus heavy at the start, tangerine, grapefruit and lemon zest, nice yeasty funk, but not overwhelming, some tarter fruit as well with some nice soft grain flavors at the finish. The alcohol does come through a bit with the sweeter fruit flavors, but doesn't detract from the beer at all. The body is great, medium/high carbonation, nice zestiness.

Verdict: Easily the best saison I've encountered. Went perfectly with the nice sunny warm day, delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 20:40:05 | More by kevanb

DenverLogan

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Light straw gold color, pale yellow...very small bubbles didn't last long. Light aroma of banana, hay. Flavor of lemon, pear, wheat, funk, caramel, green apple. Overall very drinkable and tasty with no rough notes...not very sour or funky and very minimal alcohol notes.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 19:56:56 | More by DenverLogan

aasher

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a light bodied, cloudy and bright sunrise gold in color with a two finger, very bright white head. The nose is light, funky, and slightly fruity. It has some orange peel and lemon zest to it with light spicing. Wowzers the flavors are out of this world! Their are loads of every citrus fruit. There is plenty of orange peel, tangerine, lemon zest, lime zest, and funky, earthy yeast and a light tartness. They are soft and light while still being very flavorful. The most magnificent aspect may be the body of this beer. I've never seen a saison be so smooth before. It's as soft and velvety as any beer of this style could be. That makes this beer incredibly drinkable! Not to mention there isn't a hint of alcohol anywhere near this beer. Before having this I really didn't understand how this beer has been such a staple of the Top 100. Now I know.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 02:15:25 | More by aasher

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A bottle @ The Farmers Cabinet split with oglmcdgl and sourbatchkid. Into a tulip glass.

It's been a while since I've had this. It's always different every time, this time it was on the tart side. The liquid is a nice bright golden color with some trace shades of orange. Looks nice next to the candles. A good amount of off white bubbles with minimal sticking capabilities. The nose on this is straight fruit with some funky tones in there as well. Orange with lemon spritz, light spice and the faintest of baked bread. Not as crazy as some of Dany's other offerings. Being billed as 'super sour' by the bartender, this bottle had a nice tart punch, but not on the verge of sour. Has that berliner twang to it. Tastes include bright orange, some lemon twang, trace apple, light spice, thyme, baked bread and whatever else was thrown in here. All together a great mix and a very fruity slightly sour saison. Feel is spritzy with a nice twang towards the finish. Body is a nice medium. I could do a bottle of this in no time, a truely unique offering, that is different every time.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 02:51:10 | More by onix1agr

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle served in a tulip.

pours a hazy golden tone yielding a large 2" head; some lacing.

fruity/citrus-like; spices, a bit of funk, a bit of yeast... intriguing; some secondary notes reminiscent of a white wine.

not being a particularly big fan of the style (due mostly to my inexperience with it), i was impressed here. big citrus follow-through with lemon and grapefruit leading the way... sweet, but not overly so; crisp and tasty. a touch of tartness. pretty complex.... i can definitely dig this. for my money this is the best saison i've come across. very well done.

M: medium-heavy. medium carbonation.

D: tasty and refreshing. flavorful. simply put, IMO the perfect craft summer brew. a bit cost-prohibitive, unfortunately, but i will certainly revisit this one from time to time.

originally reviewed on: 06-27-2010

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 15:01:54 | More by BostonHops

UCLABrewN84

California

4.3/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best before 1/2013.

Pours a slightly hazy yellow with a 1/2 inch foamy off-white head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sour and tart fruity aromas like apples, lemons, strawberries, honey, and some mineral/yeast aromas. Taste is sour and tart with a strong strawberry flavor up front with some spice, yeast, and mineral flavors on the finish. There is a slight acidic quality in the mouth with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good saison with a surprisingly refreshing set of flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 02:09:15 | More by UCLABrewN84

Bung

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml. Effervescent gold pour, but doesn't billow up out of control like some. Nice white cap sets and maintains well.

Aroma, fills the entire area as soon as I pop the cork. It is pungent, lemon zest, green apple, cider vinegar. Slightly less hay and horse blanket.

Taste, crisp pineapple, candy apple. A tartness that is just barely lemon zest. Not as powerful as the aroma. Very nice, but like the appearance, very under control. Kind of just sweet and tart like a certain candy.

Lively crisp carbonation is spot on. Goes down terribly easy. Almost sessionable, aside from the well hidden abv and availability. Probably the bench mark, but a little too middle of the road for me. Would be curious to try an older bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 02:03:57 | More by Bung

zac16125

South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle poured into a tulip
Lot no D, best before date of July 2013; a store UPC code shows it was bought (or at least stocked, in May 2011)

A big thanks to MarkVegas for sending one of my top wants over in a trade.

A: Pours a translucent light straw color with 1.5 fingers width of snow white head. Carbonation bubbles can be seen racing to the top of the glass. The head dissipates down rather quickly to almost nothing.  Zero lacing is left on the sides of the glass.  

S: Tart. Sour apple and sour white grapes.  Some pear, lemon/lemon zest, Belgium yeast notes with aromas of banana, a touch of funk with a bit of wet hay and some peppery spice.  

T: The initial sip is big, tart, sour apple.  There is initially a good degree of sweetness, but that is taken over by the sour notes throughout most of the drink.  There is a champagne-esque quality to it, like champagne with a huge tart kick.  I get white grape and sour grape, and some citrus in the form of lemon lime.  The barnyard/funk characteristics are negligible on the tongue.  There is some peppery spice on the backend, but for the most part this Fantome offering is straight up sour fruit, tart citrus goodness, and I like it.

M/D: Medium bodied with a heavy carbonation that allows the flavors to reach the full palate.  The combination of the tartness and carbonation give it a biting quality,  but not in a bad way.  The ABV is completely masked, and drinkability is exceptional for the style.  

O: Overall, another wonderful beer from Fantome.  This is my fourth Fantome offering (Hiver, De Noel, Printemps), and they were all great.  If I had to pick a favorite I would probably go with Printemps, as it had more complexity than this one.  But the regular Fantome Saison did not disappoint.  And  as I've said before, the 'worst' fantome offering is still better than any other Saison I have had.  Cheers to Dany Prignon.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 01:45:32 | More by zac16125

shleepy

California

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Going by 2+ week old notes. 2011 or 2012 bottle, poured into wine glasses.

A: Yellow, medium clarity, small-medium head.

S: Pineapple, citrus, bubblegum. Some funk.

T: Lots of sour bubblegum. More funk than in the smell, but otherwise similar to the above.

M: Apparently forgot to write down notes for mouthfeel... but I believe it was light-medium bodied, with light-medium carbonation.

O: I apparently got a good batch this time. The regular Fantome is actually more consistent than the others. Quite pleasant session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 03:58:08 | More by shleepy