Fantôme Saison D'Erezée - Hiver - Brasserie Fantôme

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml with no bottling date, poured into a tulip.

A: Frothy white head, straw to ruby-like appearance with a nice funky haze. Good retention and a ton of lacing. I am getting really pumped just looking at this one.

S: Bright burst of apple and hops. It smells tart and sumptuous. Spices next, clove and cinnamon with a hint of toasty bread.

T: Apples and spices upfront followed by a solid blast of hops. Bread and carmel rear their head with some mineral bitterness. CLean and dry, very nice saison so far.

M: The mouthfeel is light and bubbly. It expands nicely as I swoosh it around in my mouth. Velvet smooth.

D: Exceptionally drinkable. I have never been disappointed by Fantome and this offering stands up well.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 00:29:13 | More by Neffbeer

jtladner

District of Columbia

1.54/5  rDev -61.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 1.5

I was really excited to try this beer, it was my first (and currently only) Fantome. The beer looked great, but unfortunately I seem to have gotten one of the skunked bottles that I have seen many people post about. Both the aroma and the taste were completely dominated by something that I can best describe as burning tires.

At first I though that maybe it was meant to be a kind of smokey saison, but after reading other reviews it is clear that this is not the case. Even if the taste had been intentional (which I am pretty sure it wasn't), it was not pleasant at all and most of it ended up going down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 18:01:00 | More by jtladner

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a murky amber hue. Huge, gigantic, billowing head. Head refuses to die quickly and leaves curtains of lace.

S-Crazy aroma. Almost a bit leathery or peaty. Supremely earthy. Incredibly musty. Stewed spinach. Very unique.

T-The oddest tasting beer I have had in quite a while. Sweetness is more noticeable here than in the nose. Also a bunch of bitterness by a crazily earthy hoppiness. The rest of the beer is just a plethora of wacky flavors. Wet wood, peaty moss, leather, decomposing vegetation, soil and peppery spice. A trip for sure.

M-Tingly bubbles. Medium to full in body. A weird, lasting bitterness.

O/D-My first Fantome. I have stayed away from the brewer due to inconsistency of product, high price and relative shelf rarity. Judging by how unique and odd this one is, I need to pay up and try their other offerings when available.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 21:58:25 | More by VelvetExtract

mscudder

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%

05-12-2013 03:02:56 | More by mscudder

drgonzo2k2

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-11-2013 15:23:40 | More by drgonzo2k2

millelacsmark

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

05-09-2013 21:47:56 | More by millelacsmark

Jordantb313

Colorado

4/5  rDev -0.7%

05-09-2013 17:20:32 | More by Jordantb313

NateMac13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-04-2013 15:53:03 | More by NateMac13

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.7%

04-29-2013 19:20:40 | More by imperialking

drummermattie02

Texas

3/5  rDev -25.6%

04-29-2013 13:56:18 | More by drummermattie02

MoistPope

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

04-28-2013 05:13:20 | More by MoistPope

Immortale25

Florida

3.99/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a Tapered Guinness pint glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a murky dark amber color with a full three fingers worth of off-white head that retains good and long before becoming a .

S- Initially skunky aroma that's common with these green glass imports but then the saison funk shines through and is driven by a lemony citrus from the spices and wheat.

T- Strange medicinal flavor that's puzzling as to where it's coming from. Is it the yeast? Is it the alcohol? Is it the spice? Like nothing I've ever tasted. A bit of a peaty smokiness is definitely there too. Not sweet, but also not necessarily bitter. Leaves me scratching my head.

M- A bit tart and dry with medium-high carbonation and a medium body.

O- A mystery of a beer but it's certainly unique, complex and quite drinkable. Not sure I would buy again at the $13 price tag (and it was on sale) but I'm glad I finally got to try one of Fantome's beers. Not your typical saison.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 02:35:27 | More by Immortale25

mahak213

New York

3.79/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Not sure of the vintage, but I'm going to assume it's not the most recent since it doesn't taste like a smokey tire...

Appearance- Beautiful hazy golden orange with a huge, soapy white head. Tons of lacing, it really looks nice!

Smell- Herbal and fruity up front with a strange sweetness I can't really pin point

Taste- Sweet fruitiness up front, with big orange and grapefruit notes. Finishes herbal and slightly bitter. It's actually reminiscent of an very malty and earthy IPA

Mouthfeel- Medium body and light carbonation, finishes slightly sticky. Would have liked it to be a bit cleaner and crisper, but it's still nice.

Overall- A very unique saison, I don't get any of the typical funk or breadiness, but it's pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:33:39 | More by mahak213

MinorThreat

Colorado

1.54/5  rDev -61.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 1.5

Served from a cork and cap bottle. This is the second bottle I have had from this batch; I wanted to give it a second chance after being very disappointed with the first bottle.

A-Hazy light rusty gold color with an impressive froathy head and great retention/lacing. This was the best part of this beer by a long shot.

S-Odd notes of rubber, grass, burnt hair and herbal hop notes. Very odd and off putting.

T- Atrocious. Burning rubber and solvent nail polish remover/alcohol. Chemical, harsh, and just dreadful. I have really enjoyed this one in the past but this batch is a disaster.

M-It honestly is so hard to get past the taste that the mouthfeel is hard to say. Oily yet effervescent and light.

O-Sadly I dropped 17.99ea on two of the worst bottles in recent memory. Will I give Fantome another chance? Of course. They have made so many great beers that it should be chalked up as an aberration. With that said, I will not be purchasing and Hiver till I am certain that the current batch is long gone.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 20:00:00 | More by MinorThreat

SupremePie

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

04-18-2013 20:21:37 | More by SupremePie

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a lightly hazy, rich yellow-gold with two fingers of thick white head.

Smell. Light grainy malts and lactic sourness, some earthy funk and lemon, and a good amount of medicinal herby hops, aged I would guess ...being the experienced expert in brewing ingredients that I am. *rolls eyes* Hey, I know what tastes good to me and how to describe what I taste in relative terms. I think that's all that's asked for in these reviews, right? Anyways, back to it...

Taste. Whoa! Not what I was expecting. Big medicinal herbs, very earthy and fairly bitter with just a touch of lemon. There's a very slight tang, but not sour like I was getting from the smell. Woody and savoury herbs linger, but I can't quite say what they are. Possibly lemongrass, maybe even thyme. I dunno, but it's very interesting and gets better the more I drink (after the initial shock).

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, lowish and fine carbonation.

Overall. One of the most interesting beers I've tried in recent memory. Lots of earthy, herby big flavour, but nothing offensive. So glad I took a chance on this grab from Belmont Station on a fairly recent trip to Portland.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 01:50:07 | More by Rutager

concealed

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

04-12-2013 01:50:34 | More by concealed

Atomicskis5

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -0.7%

04-11-2013 02:09:37 | More by Atomicskis5

YobroitsJoe

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +17.9%

04-04-2013 05:37:03 | More by YobroitsJoe

RochefortChris

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

03-31-2013 02:38:10 | More by RochefortChris

kmoen

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

03-28-2013 05:06:31 | More by kmoen

bigd84

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -13.2%

03-24-2013 17:48:29 | More by bigd84

BGsWo22

New York

2/5  rDev -50.4%

03-23-2013 18:52:51 | More by BGsWo22

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.38/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

750ml bottle into a tall tulip

A: Pours a hazy golden color with two fingers of dense white head.

S: Lemon peel, musty barnyard funk, clove, and a touch of wheat. This is a quintessential Farmhouse Ale. Lemon acidity builds as the beer warms.

T: Hmm, like tasting a completely different beer. Still musty with lemon and orange peel, but the acidity I got in the aroma is completely gone. I also get some plums and prunes, this almost seems like a lighter Quad. It's still pretty decent, but odd for the style.

M: On the thick side with low carbonation for a Saison.

O: The aroma on this is great, but the flavor is odd for the style and the mouthfeel is too thick.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 22:44:29 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Keith_R

Georgia

4/5  rDev -0.7%

03-20-2013 23:48:06 | More by Keith_R