Blanche
Brasserie Fantôme

BlancheBlanche
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From:
Brasserie Fantôme
 
Belgium
Style:
Witbier
Ranked #10
ABV:
4%
Score:
91
Ranked #7,049
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 10%
Reviews:
46
Ratings:
80
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 13, 2023
Added:
Dec 23, 2005
Wants:
  49
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle into a tulip. Best before 2025.

Great looking drink. Faintly hazy yellow, careful pour. Bright soapy white head with fat streaks of lacing. Interesting aroma, slightly cheesy funk, some green apple. Taste is very drying, yeasty, fruity, as is the finish. As others have said, this is a way outside the box witbier, but for all that, it's a very interesting and tasty drink.
Nov 13, 2023
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
Since the brewmaster and owner of 35 years is putting Fantome up for sale, it is worth thinking about what gives Fantome its quirkiness that produces pockets of followers in unusual places, like Chicago. Partly driven by The Beer Temple who carries several Fantome brews at once (before and after Shelton Bros demise) and from whom I've bought probably every one of the dozen or so magnums. I poured Blanche into a Fantome stange, also bought at TBT.

I'm perplexed by Fantome's popularity or at least its cult. (A mere 265 have Liked Fantome on UnTappd, of which I am one.) Yet the owner's quirks (some say genius) shows in most every brew (and some say bottle.) But I very rarely repeat Fantome's offerings for two reasons. First, I'm a cheapskate and Fantome's pricing and its expensive distribution chain is at the high end for me. Second, I also don't repeat because I'm not sure what I'm going to get in the next release. Creativity is good, but consistent quality is better in my book. In the 18 years that Blanche has been on BA, I'm sure the early copies were considerably less tart and possibly less funky than the copy I'm drinking now. Native yeasts react differently each season and probably more so over time.

But while Blanche is balanced, something tells me it is not predictable enough to have at the table. I started this copy with a lunch salad and that is about all Blanche could be counted on to improve.
Aug 28, 2023
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.31/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle at just warmer than fridge temp. Pours a murky orange with plenty of fluffy white head. The nose is fresh lemon, skunk, sour apple, slight pepper, mint, and a hint of wet leather. Absolutely stunning aroma. The taste generally follows the nose. Dank, slightly tart, mild sourness, lemon, clove, yeast, funky, coriander, grapefruit peel. The mouthfeel is somewhat dry, with a bitter (citrus peel) aftertaste. A huge winner for me!
Jul 24, 2023
Photo of mmilyko
Rated by mmilyko from Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
More like a light sour than a complex wit...not my fave Phantome.
Jul 23, 2023
Photo of fehrminator
Reviewed by fehrminator from North Carolina

4.24/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Lemon peel, hay, and green apple on the nose. Head thinned out quickly. First sip is lemon verbena and a light touch of horse blanket. Finishes dry, lightly hoppy and just short of tart. This is like a nice rustic saison and a St. Bernardus wit had a baby. A beautiful Belgian baby. Sophisticated and drinkable. Very very nice.
Feb 18, 2023
Photo of Sheppard
Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts

3.66/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a hazy golden, less of that lighter straw haze you get from a regular Witbier, but this is a Fantome. No head retention at all whatsoever. Nose is quite interesting - I get basil, plum, rosemary, and peach. Like a summer fruit pie that is accentuated with herbs. I get a lemon and lemon verbena from this. Maybe some very overripe banana as well. Limited amount of carb if any. You really don't know what you're going to get a with a 'tome and that Ghost is just chock full o mystery. This, to me, just is weird to the point that I had to put it down after a few sips. The lack of carb makes this so strange and unwelcoming. The flavors are strange enough without that but that just tilts it further in the wrong direction. Not for me.
Dec 30, 2022
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
everything fantome is so stupid good, doesnt matter what anyone says, fresh or old, common or rare, they all hit for me, this is the kind of beer i just live for, bottle conditioned, weird and rustic but not cultured saison yeast of generic persuasion and not sour either, although this might ring in a little more tart than other fantome beers. 2020 vintage, i had to have it. one of the lower alcohol fantome brews i can recall, usually they all say 8% abv spiced saison, so this was a little more clear, witbier inspired apparently, but equal parts saison to be sure, green glass stink all through it, although more right when we blast out the cork than after it sits for a minute, like that skunk walks off slowly, saunters if you will. the beer is immaculately clear through much of the bottle, more clear than any wit in the game, sparkling like french bubbles, looks so sexy and refined, to a crazy degree for these guys, high head and everything, but more pulpy and hazy towards the bottom, i like the more intense yeast profile the dregs bring to life, no complaints with my extra portion. this is so special, nose and taste of lemongrass, lime leaf, jasmine, clover, tangerine peel, bretty as they come, mature now, even a wood note although i dont know it saw any, light vanilla, white pepper, anise seed, coriander, tajin, and some unidentifiable uniqueness in the ferment, like how can this be so dynamic?! black pepper too, birch bark, white tea, elderflower, burdock, its insane, herbal, citrusy, funky and old, oxidized in the best way, wet paper, dusty bricks, old wheat, this rules. this is not for everyone, not even for most true witbier lovers probably, but its for me. so esoteric and strange, this is everything i stand for and nothing i dont. the glory of fantome writ large!
Nov 17, 2022
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.99/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
25.4oz bottle. Poured out a slightly cloudy, straw-yellow color with a large, white head of bubbly foam. It left sticky rings of lace. It smelled of barnyard funk, straw, hay and wheat. Nice cracked wheat taste with a funky bite of spices.
Oct 23, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.31/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Mostly cloudy golden body with a large white head, and thick splotches of lacing. Getting herbal hops with light dankness, bready belgian yeast, slight ester, wheat and lemon in the nose. Familiar nose for those who have had others by fantome. Taste is surpassingly cleaner: wheat and bready yeast rise to meet the pop of lemon, apple, and pithy grapefruit, with almost a lingering grape to it with the herbal and weedy hops, though not as strong as they are in the nose. Sneaky complex, easily delicious. Feel is yeasty foremost, more bright and has a shot of juice to it, lifts on the palate as you sip.
Sep 23, 2022
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

3.87/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottled on:

A - Light to medium gold with slight haze and lot of vibrant carbonation and dense vibrant white creamy head resting on top.

S - Funk and citrus with a slight bit of rotten egg skunkiness (but in a good way if you can even imagine that).

T - Citrus, funk, and coriander. No more, no less.

M - Medium body with lots of carbonation that gives way to a soft, gentle finish.

O - A really nice beer with a hefty price tag. Glad to finally try this one but not again.
Sep 04, 2022
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

4.32/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
So happy to see this finally now that Lime is importing the brand.

Best before September 2025 - consumed on 6/20/2022 - poured from a capped and corked 750mL bottle into my Hoegaarden tumbler. This batch is up a bit to 4.5% ABV.

Pale, hazy, naples yellow body with a faint eggshell surface slick fed by a highly active stream of bubbles. Fluffy, slight lacing; average retention.

Quite floral nose with hints of vanilla, orange blossom, honey, and herbal/spice notes. Sweet/tart with some hints of wood sorrel and dandelion.

Grain-forward with wonderful interplay between wheat (einkorn? spelt?) and spices (coriander, green peppercorn?). Medium bitter and sour, but these elements fade in the long, dry, woodsy, grainy finish. Unique, phenol-forward yeast character adds further complexity to the flavor profile.

Medium bodied, crisp, well carbonated, and refreshing. Grows richer and milkier with the bottle sediment mixed in more thoroughly.

A lively and complex beer, but reasonably balanced and refreshing despite defying some style conventions.
Jun 20, 2022
 
Rated: 4.12 by Budlum from Maryland

Jun 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.03 by shelby415 from Oregon

May 24, 2022
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.79/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 750mL bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. Bottle is labeled 4.5% ABV.

Appearance: light golden hue with a moderate haze and a thick finger of frothy eggshell foam atop. Pretty!

Smell: malty and wheaty, as you might expect. There's a bit of bright fruitiness in there that might be coriander, as well as an orangey note. There's also a bit of skunkiness to this; could be an issue with the green bottle, it's hard to say. Overall good, but the slight skunkitude is not great.

Taste: flavor is quite malty with a nice lightness and a finish that's a bit bitter. There's a pithy character to the bitterness, which is reasonable for the style, but perhaps a bit forward for my taste. It's interesting, though not totally to my taste.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and creaminess. Nice!

Overall: this is an interesting, and perhaps challenging, example of the style. I think of my favorite witbiers as being subtle and smooth, and this is anything but. Don't know if we have simply a green bottle situation here, or if Fantôme just does a rougher, more bitter witbier by design. I might try it again if I ever make it to Belgium, otherwise, I'll give it a pass in the future.
Apr 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Apr 01, 2022
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2021 vintage, Julian date “1401” faintly etched at the top of the neck, the 140th day of 2021, March ‘21. A year old and now imported by Lime Ventures, Concord, CA. High today of 68° in Chicago, warmest day of the year thus far... a cause for celebration.

Pale gold, hazy on the second pour, huge rocky head that billows up above the rim like a tall cumulonimbus cloud. Racing streamers of carbonation are ever present. Pillowy surface texture.

Aroma is earthy, noble hops and a green bottle funk that’s not unpleasant in a mixed-ferm witbier, creamy wheat and mineral-laden well water round out the simple, rustic aroma.

Gentle acidity, yeast has a touch of peppery saison phenolics, earthy noble hop, smooth and creamy wheaty malt base. Mild citrus peel and ghostly coriander, used sparingly. Rustic with some nuance to keep it interesting. Medium bodied, really smooth and supple, ample carb.

Overall this is excellent, and a great pairing with food. Not so much a traditional witbier as a low abv mixed-ferm wheat Grisette or some hybrid of those. Definitely very interesting and a repeat buy for me.
Mar 05, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Mar 02, 2022
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a lightly hazy, medium golden amber with a fine, one finger white head that dissipates slowly to a thick cap with nice lacing. Aroma of saison yeast and grainy malt, coriander, apple, light lemon, light summer herbs and pepper. Flavor is dry saison malt, saison yeast, citrus rind, coriander, faint bitter herbs, bretty funk; dry, bitter finish with lingering grapefruit rind. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. Well, not a traditional wit, but it does taste like what I'd expect a wit from Fantome to taste like: light grainy malt, coriander and clove to justify being a wit, then dry saison character with bitter herbs and light citrus. Drier and more bitter than expected and the citrus notes were not traditional, but appreciated. I've tried only a few Biere de Champagnes, but that is the style this reminded me of the most: light malt, very dry and bubbly. Admittedly more spicing and bitterness than a champagne, but otherwise reminiscent. I'm not sure the lower ABV and gentler malt body support the expected Fantome spicing and bitterness as well as some of their more intense offerings, but there is a lot of flavor and character here for a 4.5% beer. Unique, interesting and enjoyable.
Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.99 by GRG1313 from California

Sep 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by CSO from Illinois

Jul 09, 2018
Blanche from Brasserie Fantôme
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 80 ratings