Fantôme Dark White

Brewed By: Brasserie Fantôme in Soy-Erezée, Belgium   

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale, 4.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

So I've got some Fantôme in my fridge/cellar. Ergo, tonight's review. I wish I had more inspiration for a fancy introduction, but isn't rare Belgian beer enough? About Fantôme: 

Fantôme is a brewery based out of Soy, Wallonia, Belgium, that was founded in 1988 by the mad man and mastermind, Dany Prignon. The brewery is located in a crumbling farmhouse in the Marche-en-Famenne district of Luxembourg province, and Fantôme's beer just might be more popular in the United States than it is in Belgium. Dany brews one type of beer: Saisons/Farmhouse Ales. Each of his Saisons have a unique twist, and he often brews his beers using herbs, spices, juices, and other off-beat ingredients. Their website is so hardcore it only comes in French, but check it out anyway. 

Tonight's beer, the "Dark White," is a mystery like everything Fantôme. Missing from my bottle is the distinct "BBB" marking from other bottles. This low-ABV beer is apparently brewed with black pepper, and the bottle states: "Belgian Ale brewed with spices." I kind of like the ambiguity, plus it means less work for me. Who cares what makes this dingle tingle? If it tastes good...

Fantôme Dark White

After removing the cap and freeing the cork, I quickly ushered this beer to a glass as the carbonation started creeping up the green ol' chimney. This one pours a hazy (gasp!), brown/caramel/cardboard color, and kicks up two fingers of tan head. The head is holding up nicely. In bright light, the beer is a swampy orange/brown color, and the head is soaking up those orange tones. Carbonation is active and evident in this. About a finger of head is sustaining...and there is lacing...it looks like a Belgian Ale. 

In a lot of ways, it's just not fair. Fantôme/Dany Prignon is raising the bar for these funky, rustic, wild farmhouse ales. The nose on this pops with peat, smoke, and black pepper. There's also underlying apple slaw/salad, lemon, and some grass. The whole thing is tied together with earthy funk, leather, must, and cigarette smoke that has soaked into the interior of a house/car. 

The taste follows through elegantly...this is legit. You get a splash of tart and cigarette smoke up front and lots of leather, which transitions into huge lemon/tart, hay, must. Then the black pepper pops up, and you get peaty smoke, and more cigarette smoke/bowling alley. Light apples/lemon pop up, along with some peach and tropical fruit, but the big thing here is the black pepper/leater which is layered and incredibly complex. Especially so for a 4.0% beer.

This is complex...especially at 4.0%. This is light-bodied, and oh so drinkable. And yet the mouthfeel is expansive and the complexity is incredibly high. The carbonation is nicely done as well, and the whole thing pops. If I had to pin down what makes this beer tick...I think it's the leather from the Brett combined with the black pepper...plus all the apple/peach/tropical fruits from Belgian yeast and hops. You get a blast of tart fruit up front, followed immediately by big leather/cigarette smoke; that rolls into more tropical fruits/peach/grass/hay, some funk, and big smoke and black pepper; that fades into more leather/bowling alley/cigarette smoke/hint of meat, and the finish is dry leather. FUNKY.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this! So a Light Divine Brew it is. I really wasn't expecting to like this beer as much as I do...but I love the smokey/cigarette thing, and the complex black pepper, and the leather...it layers this beer and plays off of the big lemon/apple/tropical fruits. It's a weird fucking beer, but it's complex and bold...and the 4.0% is impressive. I mean, I could session this. Look...this beer isn't going to be for everyone, but I have to commend it for pushing the envelope and embracing these huge, bold flavors. This would pair great with a cigar, smokey meats, barbecued food, a burger with smoked bacon, or just as a standalone beer. Full disclaimer: I'm a weirdo and I like smoked beers. 

Random Thought: In my opinion, this is considerably more bold/adventurous than the Fantôme Chocolat. I have a bottle of the Fantôme Hiver that I need to bust out...soon...we'll see how a proper smoked beer from Dany stacks up.