Fantôme de Noël

Brewed By: Brasserie Fantôme in Soy-Erezée, Belgium   

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 201??? (pre-2013)

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

The best part about Fantôme is definitely the part where they don't date their beer bottles, so you have no idea what vintage you are drinking. I'm not even being sarcastic, it's all part of the mystery and intrigue. 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. 

The Fantôme de Noël is Dany's Christmas Ale, brewed with all sorts of weird spices and who knows what. This one has been sitting in my cellar for a few years now, so it has some age. This was also a beer that I picked up circa 2012, I think. The beer was on clearance at Binny's for a discount price, so this may be a 2011 Vintage or older.

Fantôme de Noël (after cleaning up the spilled beer on the counter)

At any rate, opening this bottle resulted in a gushing explosion that continued for quite some time. Nothing to see here, as the beer settles into a dark red body. There are a few fingers of dense, web-like head, and the head soaks up some of the reddish and amber tones. This beer is unfiltered with obvious yeast sediment floating around. The rising carbonation from the gushing bottle is impressive, as I had to pour quite a bit off to get it to stay in the bottle.

The aroma on this beer is magical barnyard and farmland like nothing I have smelled. This reminds me of some of Jolly Pumpkin's stuff, only much better. There is hay, grass, horse blanket, complex caramel notes, pineapple, sweet lemon, tropical fruit, light tartness, and tons of funk. Honestly, the aroma is divine.

This is impressively light, especially for 10%. It doesn't really conjure up images of Christmas, but it does taste like the Belgian countryside. Actually, this is pretty nuanced, with Orval-like Brett funk, pineapple, lemon funk, and notes of raisins and deeply melded caramel. As this warms up a bit, the funk gets all lemony, with wheat notes, intense Brett funk ala Orval, and some notes that suggest dry hops but at this age and time are probably Brett. The Brett notes in here are surprisingly friendly, with nice tropical-fruit and wheat and dry hop-like funk. This never goes full band-aids or butcher shop or leather. 

At 10.0%, this is dangerous stuff since it drinks like a 4.0% Farmhouse Ale. This is legit stuff...what all Saisons should strive to be. People give Jolly Pumpkin a lot of hate and shit, but their beers really do remind me of Fantôme at times, which is my shout out to the Midwest. At any rate, this is a medium-bodied, highly carbonated, refreshing beer. Palate depth is fantastic, with tons of body from what I assume are wheat malts, and tons of interesting funk from the dry hops and Brett. I can't confirm the dry hopping, but it tastes like a dry hopped Brett beer. Complexity might be the only knock against this beer....it's definitely simple in some respects. But isn't simple good? Sometimes, you just want a really well done Saison, and there is nothing quite like Fantôme on a good day.  

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average. The complexity holds it back from busting out into that true divine beer status, but otherwise I have no complaints with this beer or this vintage at this time. This is one of the best Saisons I have had in a while, and I have to tip my fedora to Fantôme for being relatively available and awesome....even if their bottles gush and they are hit or miss. You could definitely pair this beer with your typical Saison pairings....chicken, squab, turkey, peppered potatoes, and rustic dishes...if you go more modern think of a leafy burger with cheese, or maybe some pickled things. Honestly though, if you are cracking a vintage 'tome, you should probably just kick back and enjoy the ride.

Random Thought: I think I paid like...10 bucks for this beer?