Fantôme Magic Ghost - Brasserie Fantôme

aasher

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this numerous times and it is one of my all time favorites. This pours a medium bodied, Nickolodeon sludge dark cloudy green. Every time it is one of the coolest things I've seen from a beer. The nose is light and funky with citrusy fruit notes. I get lime, wheat germ, grass, green tea,cucumber, and Belgian yeast. Who does that? The flavors are both slightly tart and really yeasty. The flavors feature green tea, lemongrass, peas, lime, and so much Belgian yeast. Wowzers this is both unique and complex. It's has near perfect body. You won't find a saison this smooth unless you drink their regular saison. This beer is fantastic. It is strange, looks crazy In a glass, and has crazy characteristics comparatively. This is weird, and a must try.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 03:29:21 | More by aasher

BrewerB

California

4.48/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to the Rare Beer Club for including this in a prior selection. Lot number "d" with a best by date of Jan 2013.

Pours a clear kiwi green with 1-2 finger cap of white foam that collapsed down thin but retains atop the beer. On the nose there's a refreshingly fruity mix of peaches, raspberries, and lime. Also picking up a bit of herbal spice, perhaps dill. Slight earthy funk. Flavor profile includes an upfront orange and peach coupled with sweetened green tea and kiwi. Dry finish leaves traces of lemon-line and saison yeastiness. Medium-light in body with a bristling carbonation. This is the first time I've sampled a Fantome beer though I can see why some craft beer fans are so crazy about the brewery. Really interesting mix of flavors makes for a very refreshing, complex session.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 05:21:10 | More by BrewerB

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from tasting notes.

Pours out a very bright Mountain Dew green color with carbonation and sparkly carbonation to match. The bottom half of the bottle has some darker green sediment, so the second pour creates a darker swampy green color. Truly a striking color to behold in the glass. It has a brief moment of tall head but it dissolves away in less than a minute, without lacing.

Smells like a blend of lemon and lime, a kind of generic "green gelatin dessert" fruity aroma, strong amounts of honeydew melon (rind included), and a lesser amount of green herbals and light straw.

Tastes similar to how the nose plays, but with an additional strong granny smith apple juice sort of astringent tartness and a soft-pedaled yeastiness in the background. ABV is very well hidden.

Medium body and soft texture.

Well worth experiencing.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 03:21:12 | More by WastingFreetime

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.73/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle into a 25cl Duvel tulip. Gladly I got the last (and therefore greenest!) pour at the tasting. Huge thanks to whoever brought this one, a long-time want.

A: Deep, intense, vibrant lime-colored body beneath an inch of tight pale green foam. Verdant, vibrant, vivacious.

S: Rich, soft, fruity, perfumed, herbal, grassy. Incredibly floral, complex, and integrated. Fantastic in every way.

T: Fruity, vegetal, herbal, spicy. Really high in minerality, really dry, really complex. Amazing Saison.

M: Medium-bodied, creamy, rich. Perhaps a bit heavy for the style, but luxurious.

O: What a beer. While I would usually see a neon-green beer as a worthless gimmick, the Fantôme origin promised better - and delivered. Unique, and uniquely amazing.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 22:22:38 | More by woosterbill

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle 8,0% ABV
Served chilled in an over sized wine glass.

Appearance: Hmmm, when I imagined a green beer, I thought it would be a natural greeny-yellow. I could not have been more wrong! Magic Ghost pours a bright, toxic waste green that almost seems to glow! The body is very murky and is topped by a massive, green tinted head. The head retention is average and it leaves a little lace as it recedes.

Smell: After the appearance, I was expecting something crazy from the nose, but it is actually pretty standard for a Fantome offering. Notes include: Green apple peel, lemon grass, a tart lactic note, a floral note, fresh cut grass, an earthy character and a touch of green tea leaves.

Taste: The flavour follows on from the nose quite well with notes of green apple peel, lemon, a herbal note, fresh cut grass and a distinctive green tea character in the finish.
The beer is very lightly tart and quite dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a high level of fairly smooth carbonation. The yeast adds a slightly chalky character to the mouthfeel.

Overall: Magic Ghost is a solid saison, clean and refreshing. It would go down very well on a hot day. I did however find it a little disappointing as after the crazy appearance I expected a little more from the flavour.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 08:48:54 | More by Thehuntmaster

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Clean yellowish green. This was the first pour from the bottle. Subsequent glasses were very bright green. Small white head.

Smell - Lime gatorade. Green tea? Tart. Kinda like a lime berliner.

Taste - Bright lime flavor that fades to yeast. Grainy malts. Not as much green tea as the nose.

Mouthfeel - Light. Deliciously drinkable. Good lingering flavor of lime without the tartness.

Overall - Really good. Maybe not as complex as other Fantome offerings, but a nice dichotomy of saison and sour.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:37:46 | More by Alieniloquium

kmo1030

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours ecto-cooler grean with a thick, very pale head. i would be far less amused if this wasn't a great beer.
the aroma is a funky lime kiwi. the yeasty funk prevents it from smelling "juice-y." touch of tea.
the taste is somwhat less fruity than the aroma suggests. there's a healthy yeast derived tang, with the same fruit undercurent, but with lemon added. there also seems to be some herbal qualities that are difficult to put my finger on, followed by some tea. theres clearly some bittering hops drying things out a bit (along with the tea flavors), but I'm not getting any hop flavor. there are also faint notes of hefe yeast. aftertaste of melon rind. overall sort of difficult to desrcibe beyond the fruit. and the 8% abv is incredibly well masked.
the mouthfeel has an overall soft effect with a slightly oily body and fine carbonation.
overall, as i said, a real handful to try and describe beyond the fruit. very unique and a great beer for a stormy night after a warm day.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 01:40:40 | More by kmo1030

StJamesGate

New York

3.58/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ridiculous luminous Ghostbusters green with webs of green foam. Very fresh herbal and lemon nose.
Sugar wafer, marshmallows, light lemon, some funk and slight herbal ting, with lingering basil.
Light, soft, crisp.

Pretty mucky funky woodruff beer. There some wild yeast tang, and the beer is green, of course, but nothing really special underneath it all.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 22:58:18 | More by StJamesGate

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured into my Cantillon tulip a neon green ecto cooler color. Massive white head with neon highlights, a huge head that left sticky lacing all over the glass.

S: Yeasty biscuit with saison yeast aromas, bready and stale horse barn aroma.

T: Light crisp refreshing , perfect for a memorial day cap off of lawn mowing, pool prepping, woodchip spreading and a long bike ride. Feels and looks like summer in the 90's here today in CT. Light granny smith taste with a very subdued malt bill, all pilsner malts? I cannot believe that this has 8% abv but I would get more of these if they were available anywhere around here. Green tea mixing with some sour and light brett flavors popping though. This really is amazingly refreshing, I will have to seek out more of these or brew a few batches of saisons this summer and hope for the best. Mild bittering is present, and mixing perfectly with this delicious saison.

M: Light crisp refreshing, good high level of carbonation, huge head.

O: I can really enjoy the complexity of this saison. I would never say the color is a gimmick as no mention is made of it on the outside of the bottle, and the glass is green so you could never tell otherwise until it was poured. Funny that for a brewery this old, most other breweries would probably be taunted for brewing a beer this color.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 00:01:00 | More by alpinebryant

kscaldef

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Neon green-yellow, lots of bubbles but no head.

S: Funky Fantome nose. Green tea shows up as an earthy note. Funky mushroom, horse blanket.

T: Lightly tart and acidic. Not as strange to taste as to look at or smell.

M: Good carbonation, light bitterness and astringency

O: Less than the sum of it's parts and a bit hard to finish, even sharing the bottle.

(Aside: the dregs of this one were the scariest thing I've ever seen someone drink. The sort of thing you'd expect to give someone mutant powers.)

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 20:56:02 | More by kscaldef

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at FosterJM's birthday celebration courtesy of JealousChalice.

Best before 1/2013.

Pours a murky bright green with an off-white head that fades to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of grain, light fruits, spices, and a slightly chalky aroma. Taste is much the same with a slightly sour and tart quality in the flavor. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with one of the most interesting appearances I have ever seen in a beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 21:47:14 | More by UCLABrewN84

merc7186

New York

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into a tulip glasss.

A: Light Green Hue, Passes No Light, White Head, Mild Lacing

S: Sour Green Apples, Sour Mash, Pear, Mild Yeast

T: Green Apple, Pear, Grassy, Mild Yeast

M: Decent Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter,

Overall, the bark is worse than the bite (not literally). The nose smells very sour where the taste is much lighter and refreshing (for a saison). A great saison with a wide range from nose and taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 20:58:12 | More by merc7186

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours like some ectoplasm from ghost busters and is crowned by a thin white head. No lacing and a bit of dark green sediment. There is a slightly metallic, bitter nose with a touch of yeast.
The beer tastes slightly sour with a semi-dry finish. It doesn't scream green tea, but it's marginly herbal and adds just the right touch of bitterness to the Saison. Great beer, a little weird and expensive, but I haven't tried anything else like it.

I gave it a 4.5 overall because of the sheer creativity factor...love the use of green tea in a classic Belgian saison.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 20:41:08 | More by ThePorterSorter

sliverX

New York

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 6oz. sample glass at the Blue Monk in Buffalo, NY...

A: Cloudy bright green like just cut grass.
S:Hard to pick up in a bar , but saison yeast, slight green apple sour.
T: Definite green tea finish, slight green apple tartness. Very green leafy vegetable taste. Nice saison holding it all there

M: Light refreshing easy to drink even with the odd look.

O: I liked it I'm not sure I could drink the whole 750 but I'll never see one anyway, very glad to have tried.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 01:49:05 | More by sliverX

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a 6oz. sample glass at the Blue Monk in Buffalo, NY...

A: Yup, it's green. Like wheat grass shake green. Like Fenway Park Green. There is a good amount of head that settles nicely over time.

S: The nose is lemon peel, funk, and I suppose some green tea. I get more subdued spice than green tea. Honestly, I'm missing the earthiness that I expected.

T: It's has a nice lemony citrus bite right away. The spices shine through next, with a nice mix of earth and herb. The taste had more dirt/grass taste that I would have expected from the nose. The finish has a mild funk that I'm really enjoying.

M: Light bodied beer. It starts out with a mix of bitters and sweetness, but finishes funky and dry.

O: This is a pretty decent beer. I still can't get over how green it is. I'd love to try this beer again (to have more than 6oz.), but I doubt I'll ever actually see a bottle of this on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 00:57:05 | More by trxxpaxxs

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle, best before date of January, 2013, lot no. d, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a cloudy lime green color, topped with a finger of bubbly white head, good retention, leaves minimal lacing.

S- Funky, citric, lemon rind, some green tea, lots of spice.

T- Surprisingly bitter, has a powerful citrus rind bitterness that sits on your tongue for a while, lemony/apple fruitiness, funk and lots of spice. Green tea leaves are there and become more noticeable as the beer warms.

M- Medium-bodied, well carbonated, has a long, dry finish.

O- An interesting beer to say the least, my first green beer, taste is interesting and strange, anyway it's a tasty beer that is absolutely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 22:06:19 | More by WillCarrera

Agold

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy completely green beer with a big nice head that leaves no lacing but has some ok retention. Aroma is very fruty, midly funky, I actually do notice some green tea in the nose. Also get a pretty mild funkiness. As it warms I get a bit more tea, fruitiness, citrus rind. Flavor is pretty bitter, heavy lemon rind, lots of green tea and midly sweet. The sweetness does not impact the mouthfeel which remains dry and effervescent.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 02:44:10 | More by Agold

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.65/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle. Oversized glass. Enjoyed on agt´11. Pours amazing kiwi light green in color. Haze. Off-white close & dense froth , crown shows pretty nice lacing & good retention. Subtle malty with yeast hues to the nose are covered by a peppermint storm with notes of tea. Sour/sweet slightly tartar at first sip. Citric flavors – lima & lemon- , quince hues, complete tasting profile. Dry bitter in the middle. Medium body, correct carbonation. Slightly buttery & spicy mouthfeel. Rough finish – granny Smith apples & kiwi notes. ABV well hidden by crispy fruit flavor. Green apple zest provides a remarkable acidic aftertaste, tea flavor arises a little later. Drinkability is ok.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 08:52:07 | More by GONZALOYANNA

rtepiak

Poland

3.95/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

yes. this beer pours a bright green. it does make me think of easter strangely. i don't think that the green tea is the sole coloring agent in this beer. this is one of the sweetest fantomes i've had and i think whatever green may be it also makes the beer sweeter. nose is tangy white grape and earthy notes. a tad minty. lychee and lime jello. sweetness. i have heard that the wort may contain a lot a spinach... hard to say. or maybe hyssop... an easter spice used for dying absinthe. had to say though seeing as i don't think i have ever even tasted hyssop individually, I'm at a loss... twit like bitter edging. not my favorite fantome. the feel is a tad gritty sweet. and a tricky beer to really get a hold on a motive outside of trickery and mystery. i can say faithfully that this curveball won't deter many.

if you're going to have ti with food... perfect for fish tacos. you know the kind. with the cabbage, cilantro, and lime.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 09:04:22 | More by rtepiak

davey101

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lot D, Best before January 2013. I believe this was brewed in January 2011? 750 ml C+ C bottle into a tulip glass. Huge thanks to muskabeatz for sending this my way!

A - Not as green as I was anticipating. Kind of a strange yellow opaque body with a light green tint to it. Kind of a filtered toxic swamp water look. The last glass contained a bunch of yeast and sediment. Swirling and pouring that produces a cloudy neon green body. Slowly rising bubbles. A 2 finger high white head forms and settles down to a thin cap and edging. Some solid lacing and retention.

S - Funky and floral. There is an interesting sweetness to the nose. The tea is noticeable as is some bready malts and herbs.

T - Beyond strange. Starts off with some green apple and lemon, some funky wild notes, and then this smoothness on the finish. The end is peppery with some tea and earthiness. Every now and then I get some cigarette ash. Dry and spicy. Mouth feel is medium, almost syrupy and well carbonated.

O - One of the most interesting beers I have ever tried. Spicy and sweet with a boogery tinted appearance. I can dig what Fantome is doing here.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 21:57:31 | More by davey101

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.83/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Yeah, I'm gonna give this a 5 rating because of how cool/toxic the color of this beer is. It is, without a doubt, the most unique looking beer I have ever seen. Radiator cooler antifreeze green. I probably wouldn't drink this if I didn't see it poured directly from the bottle uncapped in front of me. Nice whiteish head on the top, close to 1" in height.

Aroma mostly lemon, green apple and a bunch of other fruit and unidentified spice and pepper additions that amount to a weird aroma, but not offputting.

Taste, there is something weird in here that IS offputting. Very unique, I really can't describe it other than to say its bitter with a weird spice accoutrement. The appearance constantly has me wondering if this is containing something weird, like carpet, canned vegetables and tea additions. Keep picking up clove and coriander in the mouthfeel. Plenty carbonated.

Glad I got to try it at triple rock's sourfestival, because spending 15-20$ on something like this and having to drink a 750 of it would not suit me well.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 18:01:17 | More by Beerandraiderfan

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to stormking47 for sharing this one with us.

A - Pours ecto-cooler green with a small half finger tall white head leaving light lace down most of the glass. A good beer that is supposed to be green.

S - Smells of green tea, herbs and spices, bready malt and some light funk. The funk gets a little stronger as it sits in the glass but the herbal quality continues to dominate.

T - Starts off with a small zesty fruit kick quickly giving way to hints of green tea, light sweetness, chewy whole wheat bread and some of the typical Fantome saison funk. The finish is dry, lingering on the pallet for a short period of time.

M - Medium body and slightly herbal flavor with moderate carbonation. This one is pretty dry toward the end of each sip.

O - I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, I have not had very many Fantomes, but the ones I have had have been pretty good, this one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 18:04:57 | More by orangesol

SalMineo

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great beer from Fantome they really did a great job on this.

I had this beer at Amesbury Alehouse after reading a lot about it online. Being a Fantome fan I had to try this out and see if the beer really looked as Green as they said it would when it poured. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed. It was a murky green with yeast swirling around the glass like a tornado.

The smell definitely had a fruity/funky aroma with apple like smell to it. Pretty complex aroma to it much like most Fantomes have to it.

The taste had was intense than the aroma of the beer. It had the fruit sweetness like apples and honeydew mixed with the tartness and tang. The more I drank the more I enjoyed it.

I have to say however the after effects I was feeling the next morning for a hangover were awful. I didn't feel right for two days after drinking this ale in combination with a few other beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 14:40:08 | More by SalMineo

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Etre Gourmet
No bottled on date, but assuming 2011
Poured into a New Belgium globe glass

The Magic Ghost is another good Fantome brew, definitely in the upper-middle tier of their efforts, but not, by my palate, the fourth best Fantome I have tried as other BAs have rated it so. Granted, my expectations for the beer were high as I enjoy green tea very much and was hoping to find aspects of it in the beer. Still, the aroma was truly delightful and delicious, and the taste only slightly less so for me. If this was the Fantome my beer store had available, I would definitely pick it up again.

When pouring, the head is about 1cm tall at maximum, even with a hard pour. Its color is white with a slight green tint. Body is a murky deep green if yeast swirled in, much lighter green if yeast is withheld. When pouring, the intensity of the green color of the beer is directly proportional to the amount of yeast you swirl into it. The addition of yeast makes some flavors more apparent (slightly tart apple tinge) while others become more distant.

Aroma is sweet with slight tang/tartness, minute "funk," and complex fruity esters and phenols. Fruits: consider green apples, Meyer lemon, and unripe mango. Spices would be coriander. Perhaps some wheat malt and potential adjunct sweetness giving this complexity. A fairly complex, interesting, and pleasant aroma. No green tea components noticed, though.

Taste is rather different from the scents, less expressive, though it is based around a similar sweetness with mild tartness, fruitiness (green apple, honeydew), yeast, and herbs (thinking more chamomile or lemongrass, not getting the mint that some have suggested). No green tea components noticed. Initially I was disappointed with the taste, at least compared to expectations based upon the aroma, but over the course of sipping this one, I grew to enjoy it. Aftertaste is of slight tang, sweetness, and faint fruit esters.

The beer is medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation creating a fairly crisp, though still smooth, mouthfeel. Finish is semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 07:22:27 | More by falloutsnow

claspada

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice bright green color with a thin green-tinged bubbly head which leaves a bit of lacing on the way down.

Aromas begin with nice light notes of green tea plus a bit of citrus. Mild earthiness and a bit of wet hay also emerge. As it warms you get more green vegetable (not off or vegetal) notes and some Fantome yeast characteristics.

The tastes are not quite as integrated as the nose. It begins with the green tea coming through, then apple, pear, melon, cucumber, then a bit of Saison spicy yeast in the background. Really nice dryness in the finish plus an increasing amount of grassiness, herbal notes and light earthiness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. The finish has a lingering herbal and grassy aftertaste.

Overall I surprisingly really enjoyed this. It's looks, smells and tastes weird, but somehow it works. This would be stellar with a nice spring or summer salad. Not something I could drink excess of by itself but a taste was great, or like I mentioned, a stellar food beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 17:39:22 | More by claspada