Fantome Dark White

Last time Val and I went up to Half Time, I saw this lonely bottle on a shelf and needed to bring it home.

ABV: 4%

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Fantôme (Brasserie Fantôme) is a small brewery in Soy, Wallonia, Belgium. Founded in 1988 by Dany Prignon, it produces Saison, a type of farmhouse ale. The brewery occupies a modest stone farmhouse on the main road through the village of Soy in the Marche-en-Famenne district of Luxembourg province. Founded in 1988, Brasserie Fantôme has gained international attention and a cult following among lovers of craft beers. Owned and run by Dany Prignon, Fantôme is known for its unique variations on the Saison style of farmhouse ale, often involving the use of herbs, spices or fruit juice. Within the craft beer community, Fantome saisons are considered highly desirable and have developed a significant audience in the United States and United Kingdom. Ironically, while their complex, earthy, and herbal flavors have caused them to be sought out by connoisseurs outside Belgium, Fantôme’s products are difficult to find and not well known in the country of their origin. The name of the brewery stems from a legend of the nearby town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, which asserts that the ghost of the long-dead Countess Berthe de La Roche can still be seen walking amidst the ruins of the town’s castle. There is a small bar adjacent to the brewery that is primarily open on weekends and for special occasions. Tours of the facility can be arranged by reservation as well.”

Random: I’ve had this beer on my must-try list for years now.

The beer poured with a huge, five-finger, tan-colored head. It took forever to dissipate and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was dark brown and hazy with lots of floaties visible. There was moderate carbonation as well. The nose started with a lot of fruity yeast with dates and prunes. I picked up some brown sugar and molasses along with some sweet caramel. The taste was filled with Belgian yeast up front. It transitioned into almonds, caramel and dates. Brown sugar came through next. The spice came through at the end, which finished up the sip very well. The body was on the medium side with lots of carbonation. It had a lengthy finish with spice and Belgian yeast. I picked this bomber up for $17.99, which broke down to $.82 per ounce. It was definitely pricey, but worth every penny.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Fantome Pissenlit

The other half had a craving for Thai food last night. We found a spot in Lambertville to hit up that was BYOB. I also remembered that there was a nice beer store a few blocks away. We stopped and I hadn’t been there in years. They still had some nice selections, but what I noticed was they had a lot of beers that had obviously been sitting on the shelf for awhile, such as a popular “beer camp” series from last year. In my beer infancy, I would have grabbed it up because I enjoyed it, but now, there are so many options out there and I’d prefer to buy something I know is fresh that I haven’t tried. I read an article yesterday about NY beer stores and it cited this exact reason for some of them going out of business. But, I digress. Beer time.

ABV: 8%

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “…made with dandelions, literally ‘wet the bed’ in French. Described as ‘highly spicy with touches of pepper and slight grass and floral notes, a touch of lemon-lime citrus.”

Random: My office is about 8,000 degrees today. It’s normally freezing.

This beer poured with a two finger, cream-colored head that was slow to dissipate and left some lacing on the glass and a crown on top of the body. The body was a cloudy, orange-brown color with visible detritus. There was no carbonation to be seen since the beer was too cloudy. The nose was very fragrant with grass, flowers and lemon. Belgian yeast was apparent as well. The taste started with some citrus (lemon) and flowers. White peppercorn was present with some sweetness from the malt. Grass finished the flavors of the sip. It was a thicker beer than I’m used to for the style and very dry. It had a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish was very long with grass and peppercorns. This was $18.99 for the bomber, which was $.86 for per ounce. This was an expensive beer, but in my opinion, worth it, given the complexity of the flavors. I would pick this one up if you want a different type of saison.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0