Fantôme Strange Ghost
3.7
253 reviews
Soy-Erezée, Belgium
Community reviews
750mL bottle. Poured medium, coppery-orange with a spotty, but well-retained beige head. The aroma picked up bright juniper, caraway, blood orange zest, and a kiss of star anise over soft, almost nutty malts.. very interesting. The flavor found sour, somewhat metallic notes and juniper on the tip of the tongue, with lemon zest and a bunch of spices behind and around.. the juniper really led.. tangy, spicy, oaky finish. Medium-bodied and slick on the palate.. a little too focused on the tart/sour elements, but otherwise solid.
750ml bottle @RLRL-lt tan-cloudy amber. A-jalepeno, lt/med malt. T-jalepeno, herbal, lt/med malt.
Shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt.
Sampled alongside twenty other Fantôme beers.
The beer appears a rusty, orange brown color. Mild haze with a small tan head after a careful pour. The aroma offers herbal, floral, funk, fruit, vegetable, and yeast scents. A lot of stimulus for the olfactory senses. The taste brings some apple notes, along with a light spice, though not with the same intensity as La Gillmoir or BBB Dark White. Candied apples and a fruity sweetness are balanced by a light funk. Medium to light bodied. Good feel. I would definitely have this again.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 11-07-2011
Bottle. This is my favorite of the ghost beers. Pours a hazy copper with medium white head. Pretty good lacing. Aromas and taste of cedar wood, white pepper, cutgrass, belgian yeast/spice, orange rinds, mushrooms. Notes were incredibly vegetal and earthed out. Carbonation was restrained on this one as far as Fantome goes. Smooth mouth with a medium dry herb finish. Delicious beer.
What am I drinking?? The name on this is very fitting. Does it really even taste like beer? no not really. When I take a sip of this I picture a dank cobweb filled dusty basement full of huge piles of strawberries and grass. It tastes kinda good but man its strange.
This is odd, tastes like strawberry jam and wet grass. No wait roast beef sandwich and peaches. No wait, till tastes like basement
Bottle shared by wavers1. Thanks Baker! It has a dark reddish copper color with an off white head. The aroma is caramel apples, lots of cinnamon, allspice and touches of dark fruity and toasty malt. The flavor is oddly tart and surprisingly funky with sour apples, horseblanket, cinnamon, toasty malt with hints of brett and a spicy, almost woody finish. Not bad, I after I got past the initial shock. Very interesting at least.
Pours a deep ruddy red color.
Smells of odd spices and red berries. tastes like an odd hodgepodge of flavors. like english tea meats fruit salad. not too pleasant. Really the herbs kill it for me. which is disappointing because i am a huge fan of most that fantome puts out.
Pours a dark brown with simple tan head. Orange and toasted malt on the nose. Medium body. It starts with some sweet bright fruit and finishes with a little cherry sourness. There is some subtle spiciness with ginger and cinnamon flavors.
Thanks to the kind soul at the last Tampa weekend tasting who shared this one. Pours a murky brown with an off-tan head. I believe some particulates issued forth. Nose is cinnamon, green apple, tea, caramel, table sugar, and a slight watermelon hint. Flavor is similar with lingering green apple jolly rancher. Light to medium in body, and yes, a strange brew for sure.
Thanks to my brother for sharing this bottle.
The beer pours a dark brown color with a large, off-white head. The aroma is full of cherries with some spices and toffee mixed in. There is a little bit of pepper and some yeast mixed in.
The flavor has some lightly tart cherry notes in it, as well as some toffee and a little bit of funk like you get in some of the Fantome saisons. There is also some earthiness in the flavor.
Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
750mL thanks to Travlr. Pours a hazy deep ruby red with a decent yellowish head. Nice retention. Small lace. Nose is orange PEZ candy and strawberry candy drops. Hints of mints and then more PEZ candy piling on. Taste...pretty much the same: orange and strawberry flabvored PEZ candy, sweet strawberry, big sugar, but no stickiness. In a way it tastes like a strawberry saison. Refreshing, light bodied, but big red fruit presence. Strange....as with all Fantomes...but good stuff. I’m sure every bottle is quite different.
750ml bottle thanks Goldorak.
Appearance : Hazy amber with a small head.
Aroma : Big eucalyptus notes. Lots of spices. Quite warm. Notes of wet grain. Lots of stuff going on, hard to put words on them.
Taste : Big eucalyptus and other spices, warm Vicks™ finish.
Overall : Wow this is a weird one even by Fantôme standards. Quite interesting but I’m not sure if I could drink the whole bottle by myself. Finish is very persistent and very medicinal (cough syrup like). Never had anything like it.
Wow. I don’t know what happened to my rating ability, but I was really slacking off at this gathering! My only legible notes are: "sweet tarts" and "weird". Needless to say, I’ll need a rerate on this one if I come across it again.
Bottle. Pours a dark copper color with a 1 finger light tan head. Very rich aroma wtih notes of grape, raspberry, and some florals. Nice, I like the start of some sourness followed by dark fruit sweetness. The head leaves lace as I drink this. Ever so slight bitterness in the end. This is a pretty tasty Fantome, probably one of my top.
Bottle shared by chickenfriedbaconcantsail. Pours an ugly brown, murky, low beige head that doesnt last or lace. Aroma is vinegar, funky, lightly fruity, all around pretty intense. Flavor is reminiscent of Cuvee de Tomme in the sense that it has some vinegar, light cherry, and heavy raisin flavor. In addition to that it has flavors of dates and some oxidation. Not bad but not all that good either.
750 ml capped and corked bottle, Lot "d", best before end of July 2013. Served in a tulip glass, the beer pours a hazy reddish/amber color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention is decent, and there’s a good amount of lacing. Aroma is mostly sweet and fruity, the brew smells like strawberries, raspberries, caramel malt, various herbs, and some tart cherries. It tastes like raspberries, tart cherries, strawberries, lemon peel, herbs and a bit of vinegar and funk. The tart flavors are somewhat stronger compared to the sweet ones. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it’s a bit slick and is well carbonated. It’s smooth and very easy to drink. I think this is a good overall brew, I didn’t know what to expect with this one before I tried it but I liked this beer a lot. I’d definitely buy this again.
A: The pour is an opaque, dark amber color with a huge off-white head.
S: A very spicy and herbal nose with a lot of rosemary, sage, and perhaps even a little juniper. There is some fruit to it, too. Mild aromas of tart cherries and definitely a good amount of raisins.
T: The flavor starts off sweet with a light tartness. There are sour cherries and raisins, and even a bit of dates. Some sage and juniper gives is a strong herbal quality and there is a little bit of tart lemon on the back.
M: The body is medium and the carbonation is on the high side of medium.
O: Not surprisingly for a Fantome beer, this was a little bit different. I enjoyed it, but could have done without such a strong herbal presence.
This poured a cloudy yellow color with a white head. Aroma was of light funk, some spices, mainly coriander, yeast, and light fruits too. Flavor was sour malomars, light fruit, and spicey too. Interesting, but not my thing.
Pours a deep amber color with an off white head. Aroma of earthiness and spice (perhaps thyme) and caramel. Sweet and spicy taste. Hints of Apple. Funk. Decent.
Pours a very dark golden orange, almost copper with yelowish orange hues and a 1.5 finger frothy white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind with nice legs.
Nice earthy, funky aroma with barnyard notes, especially straw and wet hay. Subtle vegetal earthiness with a bit of mushroom along with some caramel malt and peppery spice.
Medium bodied with a good balance of dry earthy spice and barnyard funk. Slightly earthy, vegetal character with lots of zesty spice up front, especially pepper and coriander. Nice malt backbone and subtle citrus fruit but the earthy funk flavor dominates.
Pouring at the grand tasting at RBSG in Philly, I think courtesy of Max. Pours a lightly hazed ruby amber. Fruity, light candy, light floral toast notes. Soft musk and malt, light toast. Wheat and toast on the finish.
Bottle generously shared at the RBSG grand tasting. Pours a muddy tan. Aroma has notes of raspberry, brett, and cough medicine; overall a bit too medicinal. Flavor is mild and a bit watery. Some pleasant strawberry and raspberry notes. A touch of tartness with hops. Not bad though I wish the fruit came out more.
Dark red-amber pour, thin white ring. Heavy berry nose, dandelion and grass. Flavor less fresh, light acid and grass, hints of apple, grapefruit. Very nice overall, peppery earth qualities.
5/25/11. 750mL bottle thanks to mlunger12! Cloudy amber pour with a big frothy head. Fruity aroma of kool-aid and sweettarts with some dirty earthiness. Tart, fruity flavor of sweettarts with an underlying earthy mintiness and something savory - almost pizza crust or something.
Bottle. Copper amber with the usual huge fucking fantome head. Calms down and the lacing is fantastic, also as usual. Nose is fruity, slightly jammy, with some candied strawberries and mint/menthol. Flavor has a bit of that strawberry, but also a mess of other stuff including metal, ginger, mint, and maybe some other herbs/botanicals. Interesting beer, as always from this brewer, but not my favorite.
Pretty stoked to see this in NC. Pours a murky reddish orange with a billowing sandstone head. The monstrous head blankets the nose a little and suppresses some of the more delicate character I found in the flavor, spicy with some coriander in the nose and a very ephemeral floral sweetness. Awesome flavor with hints of candy and fruit. A mild showing of bubblegum and a pleasant perceived sweetness. Very lively carbonation with a mild grip from the spice and a dry finish. Bossome.
750ml green corked and capped bottle.
IT pours a murky brown with hints of plum and lots of sediment. The head is foamy and of white and rather large. It recedes pretty slowly but with not much lacing.
The smell is hard to pinpoint. It smells a lot like strawberries. There is perhaps some currant as well. It has a noticeable funk that almost brings up acidic vomit. It also has some lemony acidity to it. There is also a decent amount of spiciness to it.
The flavor is utterly bewildering. It is like mint berry. It has like a mintiness about it as well as some fruitiness, mainly tart currant/cranberry. There is a mild sourness and also some cherry. It has a very medicinal flavor as well. It isn’t too sweet, but has a lingering sweetness amidst the funk and sour. The other component here is the spices, it tastes a lot like maybe some sage, nutmeg, ginger, and definitely mint. It definitely has a holiday tinge to it.
Overall it is a quirky beer that I can’t say I will ever go back to but it was interesting.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 12-09-2010 04:28:01
Bottle thanks to Derek. Pours with a brown body and an off-white head. Aromas of strawberry, mint, dried stone fruit and light caramel and vinous notes. Flavors are minty with strawberry, a rustic grainy note, and agave syrup. Lively, dry, unique and good.
750ml bottle pours a hazy, ruby red with one ring of off white head. Nose is tart, herbal with some tomato. Tastes like pizza sauce, oregano, tomato, light lemon, caramel, blood orange. Medium bodied, pizza finish.