Fantôme Ghost Turtle
Brasserie Fantôme

 

Pours a deep golden color small white head fed by many bubbles rising to the surface, soon dissipates to a ring.

Aroma is light and fruit with hints of pine like gin more then the pine most beer lovers know. White grapes, apricots, green apples, pear hints and spruce needles which brings out the Tanqueray hints along with a dose of light spice. Nose is soft and subtle and still holding up well.

Taste follows along the nose nice light honey malts light and fruity almost like a nice golden ale. Then the spruce notes show up and throw a nice little twist into the flavor. Finish is lingering gin hints mingled with the light fruitiness and just a touch of spice. Nice light and crisp wouldn't peg this at 8%

Mouthfeel is light and crisp with fairly peppy carbonation, suites the style well.

Overall was a touch worried considering the age, but was presently surprised by how good this beer actually is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look: Opaque turbid apple juice color with a medium white head. Medium activity. Looks like fresh squeezed apple cider you’d buy in the fall.

Smell: Herbal and funky. Notes of sweet vermouth, wine poached pears, banana, clove, sandal wood, fresh cut flowers, and green apple candies.

Taste: Much like the nose. The attack is sweet vermouth with its rich botanical notes and wine poached pears. The jumps nimbly to a very woody elderflower notes then back to a fruity body of dried apricot, dandelion greens, green bitter banana, rosemary, pine, juniper berries, and raw honey. The finish has this strange yet pleasant note that reminds me of fresh cut pine boards. The finish also holds notes of fruit leather, French bread, dried peach, and green apples.

Feel: Medium body that is quenching. Soft carbonation. There is a prickly note in the middle that dances on the tongue. No alcohol detectable. Finish is semi-dry.

Overall: Another Funky, strange, enticing, and beautiful beer from Fantôme. This brew has two distinct sides to it. Its herbal woody botanical side and its dried fruit raw honey side. The two never really come together as the Beer runs its course. Yet, it leaps so elegantly between the two it appears seamless. As far as being a saison it could be a bit more thrist quenching and drier on the finish. But seriously this beer is fascinating. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

An earlier review that mentioned cedar planks is spot on - cedar planks meets farmhouse funk with a smattering of bitter dandelion. Somehow it works for me, but the flavors are polarizing. It is another interesting experiment from Fantome.

This tastes like regular fantôme with a shot of gin. Which was apparently the intent, according to the colabarator's website. Didn't work for me at all. Actually it was jenever, the Dutch moonshine that predated gin. And not something I want in my beer, even if inspirationally....

Pours hazy amber. Dense ring and lacing.

A pungent skunky funky flavor from afar. Leaning in more malty, bread, banana, spice - almost like a wit only a bit more to it.

Every time I drink a new Fantome I get hit with something I just don't expect. This one is wacky, I just don't know. Spices, bread, unripe banana, a sort of off (mildew or wet socks) flavor I don't know how to describe well enough.

Mouthfeel is right where it needs to be - creamy, nonintrusive. There is an underlying alcohol astringency to where you know it has a bit more kick.

Love the experimenting. This one; I could take it or leave it. It's interesting and certainly not bad but I just don't think I'd ever crave a beer like this.

 

750ml bottle poured into a Fantome tulip appears a hazy copper color with a white head that fades leaving stringy lace.

The aroma is spicy with herbs and perfume with faint fruit but also mild smokiness.

The taste is like cedar planks meets incense yet its bretty and herbal and rindy with pith and pulp but limited bitterness.

This is medium in body with modest carbonation. I cant wrap my head around this, very strange blend of character ive never experienced before.