Macaquincoing
Brasserie Fantôme

funky clever blonde saison type, we never seem to know what is in fantome beer, but i still find myself obsessed with it, and it was just incredible to semi randomly bump into four bottles i had never seen before at the same shop, gosh very few breweries excite me like these guys do, even when the ingredients remain a mystery. this is pretty hazy right away, nutty straw colored with some more dense sediment in the bottom and an airy tall white bottle conditioned looking head with nice retention and lace, vibrant and alive looking even with the density. the nose on this is familiar fantome saison type yeast, white peppery, pear esters, white grape, bitter orange peel, hay and grass, green banana, clove, raw wheat, green glass funky oxidation, all the usual suspects and some subtle lemongrass, lime leaf, pink peppercorn aromatic uniqueness, herbal and citrusy and zesty, but also more grainy than many, toasted slightly but still dry. the flavor is all of this, the ferment drives it, which is pretty much what i always want from fantome, spicy and with maybe the slightest brett thing happening too, lots of green glass weirdness, neat with the fuller and very earthy grain base. some sweetness in the center, and it lifts up key lime and meyer lemon notes, white tea too, and then juicy ripe pear to finish, white wine fruitiness to, and faint acidity on the swallow. real complex, seems well mature now too, and the mouthfeel is super lively, tiny bubbles, and almost creamy factor with the grain weight. i wish, as always, that i knew what extra ingredients this contained, but its wonderfully complex, recognizable as fantome right away and in the best ways, and it felt like a real special experience to this with a long lost friend. cant get enough of fantome, this was a treat!

Bottle pour into a tulip glass.
Amber brown color with off white head. Nose is funk, stone fruit, and yeast. Taste follows the nose, with the addition of lemon and hops. Mouthfeel is moderate and balanced.

The Rick, silky smooth full feel of this beer leaves a great first impression. This is an excellent beer, maybe just a bit too sweet, but the taste is wonderful and I will buy this again.

I bought a bottle of this beer at my favorite beer shop in Dallas. Poured into a tulip glass. Absolutely beautiful creamy head atop a slightly brownish golden yellow with great curtain lacing. Smell andtaste of candied oranges and lemon. Taste of apricot and honey, very tasty. Oh so smooth! Excellent beer.

Lot 3b21, best before end 2024 - enjoyed on September 4th, 2022. Poured from a capped-and-corked 750mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Hazy coral liquid with two fingers of beige soft peaks up top. Thin yet dense/sticky lacing; very good retention.

Sweet, phenolic nose, soft but yeast-forward with hints of fruit and hay. Slightly floral.

Quince juice on the palate entry along with a floral/spicy element. Mild but persistent bitterness, somewhat herbal. Long, weird finish as the quinine appears, leading into mineral-rich, somewhat medicinal finish. Faintly spicy, never-quite-tart yeast component and a pleasant dry malt backbone along with some complexity from the candi sugar. Well balanced, though quite singular.

Creamy, medium-full bodied, well carbonated, slightly sweet yet refreshing. ABV is well concealed.

Creative in the best way - the botanicals involved show the influence of a gin-and-tonic, but the result is both transcendent with nods to tradition.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Purs a medium to dark coppery amber with a two finger white head with great retention and thick lacing. Aroma of spicy, grainy malt, summer herbs, orange, sage and pepper; lightly floral. Flavor is grainy malt, light brett, lime, earthy summer spices and mystery fruit (probably the quince). A clear quinine note develops in the finish, which has wild yeast and citrus character. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess, sharp carbonation. It's always an adventure trying a Fantôme ale, although I like parsing flavors in beer, it's almost impossible with these. As to form, lots of interesting, complex herbal notes, leaning to summer herbs, mystery fruit including citrus, but also pear and others. I expect a few medicinal notes in these ales, but this one is actually brewed with quinine and it is subtle at first, but shows up in the finish. As usual, it seems too odd and complicate to work, but ends up inviting continual tastes to find flavors. Unique and flavorful. Looks great and doesn't foam over(!). I'm so glad these are available in our area with the demise of Shelton. I used to have to go to California to find bottles from this brewery.

 

Cloudy brown body with a large billowing tan head with thick lacing left behind. Want to start with the taste here because of the uniqueness: basil, vegetables, herbal hops, and black pepper mesh and push the more robust belgian yeast, pear, earth and hay, so odd but I love it, botanicals everywhere. The smell is a perfumey version of the taste with added flowers and lemon peel. Feel is botanical and yeast driven, hops cut in mildly but bitterly, soft and frothy overall. Reminds me of some of the crazy things scratch brewing does without the sour

Lot 03 b 21

Lots of foam, but not a gusher. White head with lace. Dark burnt autumn gold. Cloudy.

Bitter. Earthy and floral. Orange citrus. Saison spices. Cloves, bananas, herbs. Bitter and spiced are the two best words for this one.