Dark Spiritus Winter Project
Brasserie Fantôme

 

Fairly foggy copper to acorn brown, and darker as you get to the bottom of the bottle, all under a lumpy tan head.

It's always confounding trying to figure out a Fantome, but this one smells like a dubbel and tastes a lot more bitter, with some allspice notes in the finish, but also an unpleasantly hot booze.

How is that possible when it's only 6%?

 

A nice poof when the cork comes out of the 750 ml bottle. Plenty of foam on the clear dark ochre-brown brew in the St. Bernardus globe. Grainy aroma with roasted malt and green herbs. Tangy and spritzy on the tongue. Rather nicely spiced with a pleasant but distinctly bitterish aftertaste. Moderately yeasty with plenty of Belgian character. This tastes more like a Winter Warmer, but with a splash of champagne. Dark roasted malt with a brighter winey taste. Purchased at Bine & Vine in San Diego, which is a good place for Belgian brews.

 

 

 

another gorgeous fantome saison of mystery and intrigue, this one much richer on the malt side than many, deep mahogany to even brown in the right light, big frothy belgian looking bottle conditioned head as always from these guys, burlap colored and lasting, with some sediment in the bottom inch or so of the bottle but otherwise clearer. the nose has some grain richness right away, almost english to me, bready, raisins, figs, long boild almost like a barleywine or something, earthy and fermented pretty dry it seems, but nutty and deep and distinctive, playing up a different side of this year, spicy to me, black and white pepper, hints of coriander, dr pepper soda, and bitter citrus, really dynamic and pretty fresh even with the green glass, less impactful than in many of their others. the flavor is all of this, and it comes through is fresh too, light licorice and clove up front, orange peel, black tea, and toffee in the middle, black and white peppercorn, caraway, and pumpernickel on the finish. the malt is never heavy but it has a lot to it in both flavor and texture, makes me wonder if there is some dark rye malt in the mix or something, its complex for sure, even a little spicy on its own before the yeast, and there is subtle astringency and tang and protein from it as it warms. light funk, familiar as fantome but distinctive too, definitely a cool saison for the winter months, this seems right on for the season. cool dark fruit and spice layers, i cant get enough from fantome, this was a delight, and the bottle conditioning is brilliant as always. worth seeking out.

Bottled 5/11/2021 (best before end 2026) - enjoyed on 1/21/2023 - poured from a 750mL capped-and-corked bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Rosewood body shines a cardinal tinged madder when held to the light. Dark, clear, with a fist of beige resolving to a lasting dense creamy finger. Rich tendrils of fine lacing; faint legs.

Tart funky aromatics, faint red wine vinegar, goat milk, and some vague winter spices and fallen leaves.

Quite malty, reminiscent of an English brown ale almost - toasted grain, oak/cedar, peppercorn, and spices. Low but persistent grassy bitterness. Moderate, phenol-laden yeast character. Fairly dry finish with a tart not-quite-floral edge. Hints of Assam tea.

Medium-bodied, soft, well carbonated with some lingering tannins.

Rustic, style-defying (as usual) dark, lightly (mysteriously) spiced winter saison.

Poured from 750mL corked & capped bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. Best before end of 2026.

Appearance: medium amber-brown hue with a bit of haze and two fingers of frothy tan foam.

Smell: toasty, chocolatey malt with caramel notes and a hint of funk. There are some vegetal hops in there too; it's not bad, but it seems kinda messy to me.

Taste: toasty, biscuity, caramelly, with a spicy funk and a lightly phenolic finish. It's certainly within the bounds of a funky Belgian saison, but it's unfocused and the disparate flavors don't work super well for me.

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

Overall: something about the phenolic character, perhaps, is a bit off-putting to me with this beer. I'm sure it has its fans, but it doesn't quite work for me.

Bottle pour into a taster glass.
L: dark brown to black with a big frothy beige head.
S: raisin, fig, spice, yeast
T: follows the nose, plus molasses, wild flower
F: full body, crisp, lively carbonation
O: lovely

Got a bottle of this beer at my favorite beer shop in Dallas.

Poured into a tulip glass. Somewhat murky dark brown color with nice beige head and excellent curtain lacing. Smell andtaste of sweet toffee and warm spices. Pleasant earthy funkiness. Warming finish. Excellent with spaghetti!

This beer really opens up as it warms, be careful not to drink too cold. The smell becomes more swee and funky. The taste shows some chocolate and dark fruit, and the feel becomes richer. Cool, or cold. I should know better!

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark, slightly muddy orange brown with a fine, two finger light khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Color is much like a Belgian dark ale. Aroma of lightly caramel, grainy malt, saison yeast, brown bread, clove and unknown spices. Flavor is grainy malt with some dry caramel, fairly funky saison yeast, clove, bitter herbs including some astringent wormwood; dark bready dry finish with some residual faint caramel. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. Rather glad I know what to expect from Fantome, since this one really looked like a nice Belgian strong dark in after the pour. Flavor, however, is solidly in saison territory with funky yeast bordering on bretty, but with some light caramel that the color led me to expect. Quite dry and spicy as usual with a variety of almost medicinal herbs. The bitter absinthe notes in the finish make this stand out for me. More malt flavor than usual for this brewery, but slightly mellower spicing. Another very interesting saison, worth the visit.

750 ml capped and corked bottle, Lot 05 11 21, best before fin 2026 on label. Served in a Teku, the beer pours a dark brown color with about an inch or so tan head that stuck around a while. Good amount of lacing, too. I like the aroma, the brew smells like peppery spice, dark fruit, clove, dark bread and some chocolate. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some earthy, funky and caramel flavors noticeable too. I think the yeasty clove/peppery flavors stand out but without overpowering the other flavors, and there's a slight bitter earthiness in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and a bit coating with a good amount of soft carbonation. I thought this was a good overall brew, certainly worth tying if you get the chance! $14.99 a bottle.

Just sitting on a shelf at a liquor store. I don't know if this is particularly rare or if beer people just absolutely do not care about once-desirable Belgians anymore. Whatever.

Green bottle, cap plus cork. Pour is really fantastic. Dark brown, tremendously hazy, with a thick and retentive chocolate-colored head.

Aroma is a bit subdued, with rich amber grain and mild and pleasant yeasty funk.

Flavor comes together quite nicely. Never aggressive, but wonderfully brewed and near-perfectly balanced. Mild chocolate barley up front, floral nodes in the middle, fruit and yeast spice in the back, and microbial yeast chewiness on the finish.

It was expensive, but so is everything these days. If you got a spare 15 bucks and feel like really savoring a good Belgian, this is well-worth picking up.