Straight West Ghostin' (Polymath Era Collaborate Soy Chino)
Brasserie Fantôme

 

Poured from a capped-and-corked 750mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Slightly hazy Naples yellow liquid with two fingers of champagne soft peaks. Fine, creamy lacing; excellent retention.

Dead skunk upon pulling the cork, gives way to fruit/floral/peppery notes once the ale has had time to breath. Faintly vegetal, with an herbaceous funk. More inviting than it sounds!

Wonderfully complex palate entry with oranges, marijuana, thyme, pineapple vinegar, vanilla, and lime intermingling. Moderate, earthy/grassy bitterness persists. Tart with a bittersweet note, hints of candied ginger, pear, and a long medium-dry finish. Hoppy and funky in equal measure with some added interest from the malted wheat.

Medium-bodied, well carbonated, creamy yet crisp, with moderate warmth. Refreshing yet contemplative.

Superior, unique example of the style.

Just sitting on a shelf in Baltimore.

Pour is... well, first, the aroma is pungent. Very nicely so. The sort of skunkiness that is now only associated with weed wafts up the second the cork is pulled.

Pour is a somewhat dull but very hazy yellow with decent fizz.

The aroma, upon closer inspection, is out of sight. Pleasant yeast funk along with some bacterial liveliness and the aforementioned skunk nodes.

Flavor is nearly as good, but not quite. Intense saison yeast, like the Fantomes I remember from my youth, mixed with lemon lime sprite and some cereal malt on the back end. Interesting all throughout, and not the slightest whiff of unpleasantness.

one of four new to me fantome bottles i scored recently, a collaboration with polymath, who i dont know much about, looks like batch two, neat art on this, and very little information about the liquid like always. this is incredible stuff, the favorite of the four i procured and its everything i love about fantome, all in one beer. this has to be more than just saison with citra hops, its so insanely complex and wildly fruity in the center of it, if thats all hops and yeast, than color me flabbergasted! very light on the pour, a softly unfiltered looking backlit blonde in the glass under a couple of inches of airy head rising high, bottle conditioning appears to be on point with this one! this is frothy and sexy. the nose is a great peak at the fantome yeast, but it might not be acting alone. a little less green glass stink to this than many (most?) of theirs, more funk, lots of maturity, slightly bretty to me, but like a medicinal brux thing, not a farmy musty animal thing, real unique, and i get a ton of citrus to it too, specifically lime and lime leaf, zesty and herbal and sexy, floral, springy, almost a mint note too in here, i swear it hits like a mojito. wheat and pils malt based probably, its dry cereals and organic earthy character on the grain side to me, white pepper, clove, preserved lemon, and green tea are also present, just wonderful. its wild to me that the flavor can be even more expressive than this crazy nose, the lime factor is through the roof, like this has to be more than just citra hops, in fact this doesnt even really present as hoppy to me, with more of a fruity than an herbal or botanical profile. and without any greenness or bitterness in the least. the grain is light and raw and earthy, the center is where all this lime character hits, maybe slightly hop oily, but not classically citra to me, then things like white grape and kiwi fruit on the swallow, still with the fantome funk and spiciness, more green glass character as it warms. impressive specimen, epically effervescent and so well put together. i hope to get to drink this one again, really unique and special! need to check out polymath too, their contribution makes this different from other fantome beers...

Bright golden orange, ample foam and lace, sharp clarity.

Aroma of earthy saison yeast, dry hay, faint lemon lime from the dry hopping.

Taste has mild lemon lime acidity, earthy yeast, ginger, faint lingering bitterness in the dry finish. Medium bodied and spritzy. Classic Fantome. Not sure how old this bottle is, as the dry hopping seems a little bit faded, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

 

Bottle pour into tulip glass.
Bold yellow orange color with big head retention and lacing. Nose is orange, pepper, clove, yeast. Taste follows the nose with the addition of bitter hops, pine, and lemon. Mouthfeel is full, crisp, and creamy.

Bottle. White head. Lots of head. Lace. Clear golden color.

Lots of bitterness here. Earthy, grassy, floral. Citrus fruit. Herbal. Bready malts. Tons of bitterness in the finish. Smooth feel before that. They didn’t skimp on the hops here.

Pours a cloudy, golden amber coloration with a huge, fluffy, lasting head and visible carbonation. Smells of biscuity, crackery malt, fruity yeast esters of green apple, pear and gooseberry and as zesty lemon/orange rind accents. Taste follows the nose, with a good balance of biscuity, crackery malt, fruity esters and bitter, zesty citrus hops, with notes of green apple, pear, gooseberry and lemon/orange rind, as well as some spicy accents of white pepper and clove. Finishes bone-dry, with a strong bitterness and some green apple, gooseberry, lemon/orange rind and white pepper lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This is quite a hoppy, dry, zesty and bitter Saison that still manages to maintain Fatôme's characteristic yeast profile with some rather fruity and somewhat spicy yeast esters. While I'm not usually a huge fan of hoppy Saison, I think that Fantôme and Polymath did a terrific job of creating a fusion of American and Belgian Saison here that works out quite well with its bitter, bone-dry character and combination of rather fruity/spicy estery yeast notes and quite zesty citrus accents.

 

Getting to try the collaboration for the first time! Golden haze with a small but lasting head, the nose is filled with citrus, kaffir lime, and candied orange peel. The malt texture is silky and doughy. There is a bittersweet marmalade flavor that complements the bready malts. It finishes with a pithy bitterness that sits on the back of the tongue but I always enjoy the bitterness.