Everything Fantôme

Fantome Boo - every single bottle I've had was terrible, and the overall inconsistency has prevented me from returning to them. It is hopeful sounding that recent stuff has been better.

 

I got a half dozen bottles of the regular saison and printemps about six years ago that I still remember, and which to this day consider the best beers I've ever had. I've had bottles of each since that have ranged from pretty good to just OK. I've also had other Fantome beers that were debatable, and one bottle of Boo! that got dumped after two sips. I'm still pretty sure that Dany Prignon brews whatever suits his fancy, and when he's ready to bottle, he just slaps on whatever labels he happens to have the most of.

 

I was lucky enough to find an extremely old bottle of this in a store in NJ. WE havent gotten fantome from shelton bros importers for a WHILE (5+yrs). I found 3 bottles on the shelf... nervously bought one for 17 bucks.

Gave it a shot and it was extremely good still. Bright, flavorful, complex.

Went back and bought the other two. Labels even had slight mold on them , but the liquid was still delicious.
Best gamble ever. lol

 

I agree with Hiver. I've had one bottle with a touch of band aid and burnt rubber, but it realy didn't bother me all that much. Off flavor- yes, but it didn't necessarily take away from the drink as a whole. That's what's great about Fantome imo, every bottle seems like a different experience. I've had many gushers that turned out to be great beers. Shit, I've had bottles of HF that were off, but it didn't bother me. When you're working with wild yeast, shit happens. It's what makes these beers works of art.

I can honestly say that the only bottles of Saison I've wanted to drain poor were Crooked Stave Table Beer and Smuttynose Daily Brett. They tasted like cardboard, bile, and urinal cake, yet I never hear a single person complaining

 

The standard Saison is great...not a pretend saison with brett.

 

.. strange !!! i don't have had some comments before about the Boo ...really!

 

Thanks for popping in dany.

 

I would retry it but the 3 bottles i've tried gushed out and were nearly undrinkable. I thought it was a fluke thus why multiple bottles were purchased.

 

Anything by Fantome is worth your time. I have yet to have a bottle that was made poorly. Yes, there will be skunked bottles, this is the result of poor distribution issues (distributor NOT maker) coming across the pond and then sitting in hot containers in the summer sun or sitting in hot trucks when they should be kept cool. This will happen to any beer poorly handled. Fantom beers are well crafted but also stylistic endeavors meant to be enjoyed for what they are. Keep an open mind and enjoy them for their uniqueness.

 

Which is not a meaningful distinction in practice.

I want to like Fantome, but I've only had mediocre or bad experiences with them. And regardless of whether it's a brewer issue or a distributer issue, it doesn't take many $17 drain pours to put me off a brewery for good.

 

Obviously a lot of talk here about quality issues. But plenty of Belgian beer gets shipped to the US and arrives in good condition, so I don't think it's fair to put all of the blame on the distributors. I'm aware of the rustic nature of Fantôme beers, but how much of the inconsistencies do people think are the result of the ingredients and brewing process vs. poor handling and the use of green bottles? Has anyone had different experiences drinking Fantôme in Belgium as opposed to in the US?

@bhudlow23 I have yet to have anything from Fantôme, so unfortunately I can't provide any recommendations. However, I do have a bottle of Pissenlit at home so I will report back when I crack it open.

 

I had Pissenlit last night. It had a bit of rubber going on and some wintergreen. Pretty tight.

 

Had a Dalmatienne last night that was really good, but completey different form some descriptions I've seen. Luckily in Belgium is pretty cheap, so it's not really an enormous loss if there's a bad bottle here or there. But for $17 I would be a bit wary too...

 

temperature fluctuation has nothing to do with skunking. it's the green glass bottles and exposure to light.

 

It seems that anyone who's had a bad Fantôme has then ranged far and wide to scour shelves until they've had at least 15 drain pours. I'd stop at 3-4 but then I've had mainly good experiences. Maybe 1-2 light gushers but no self-emptying bottles. I'm getting them in Belgium so maybe less exposed and handled with more care, I don't know. Anyway, the flagship is the place to start and you're not wrong if you stay right there. The Erezées if you find 'em. The Chocolat has a nice roasty note. The Magic Ghost wasn't my cup of tea and I swear to god I didn't mean that as a pun.

 

I've been reading Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales lately and that book certainly helps to put into perspective some of Dany P's beer. Especially with it's ties to Brasserie Vapeur.

 

I didn’t like most of his beers, I have had 34 different ones. Mainly because I liked giving them to people at tastings & seeing their reactions. I have had some good ones early on. Most were bad or mediocre. Given the lack of consistency, recommendations are basically impossible. I have had a few that were good or okay fresh & really evolved for the worst when I them with some age on them. I have enjoyed the Saison & Magic Ghost on multiple occasions so maybe try those. Fantôme DMD which came out recently tasted like an okay porter. I do still buy new ones that I find but that is mainly because I am too deep into the game quit now.

 

i also love fantome. hiver was delicious and smokey. just drank a pissenlit and it was fantastic. still have a choclat, dalmateinne dark(SP?), coffee ruby and del rey collab w jester king. always looking for more

 

Other remarkable later offerings are de Tous les D'iapes & Blanche, the 2014 Ete ranged from being mediocre to quite good for me, but old ones are amazing.

 

Finally opened the bottle of Pissenlit I've had sitting around for a few months and wow, what a beauty. Such an earthy and funky brew. Totally unique! My first Fantome was a success.