Let me start this with just a bit of background: I've become just a bit bored recently with beer. Its been a long time since I've discovered a beer that truly tantalized my senses and so wading through the oceans of pale ales and such that are all beginning to be variations on the same thing had gotten me down a bit and it was even reflected in my nearly rote reviews...formulaic run throughs on the appearance, aroma and flavor components. And then POW, along comes a beer like this! It has reminded me exactly why I love this hobby of seeking out and sampling new beers, and it recalled earlier days when I only knew about a handful of different beers. It's not the most attractive of beers, pouring a 2-tone cloudy yellow-gold, with only a thin fizzy head that nearly immediately faded. Soon the appearance mattered none. Aroma was initially skunky, I was dismayed at first, thinking a bad bottle (but was the skunk from the green glass or an appropriate barnyard ester?). Soon I habituated to the mercaptan and began to find all kinds of stuff in the nose: the 3 P's of light fruits: peach, persimmon, pear, then alot of bubble gum, coriander seed, cardamom, and rich flower honey. Flavor was equally complex, with a light fruity palate that fully rounds out the mouth with peach and honey, soft malts, some indistinct spiciness, finishing with a well integrated bitterness. Alcohol warmth in the chest. Lightly tart in an appealing way, complex aftertaste, lingering spiciness. Perhaps a tinge of doughy yeastiness arises as the ale warms. So appealing and drinkable I nearly did myself in devouring the entire bottle. Palate is light in body but with a full flavor, nothing is missing.

has an impressive presentation with its tan colour, mountainous head and swirling carbonation. The aroma is very yeasty, with peppery notes. The carbonation, though impressively swift, is soft on the tongue; and the palate is sweeter than the nose would let on. The sweet malt flavours incorporate lightly fruity herbal notes, drying out with increasing yeastiness in the finish. Despite weighing in at a lofty (for the style) 8%, this drinks like a session beer, and is well suited to a blustery late autumn evening.

I've had access to this for a while, but after having a horrible experience with their Noel, I was afraid to try it. I'm glad I decided to give Fantome another chance. gold/copper in color with a decent, frothy head - aroma is slightly tart, with apples and grapes - tastes like gingerbread, biscuits, chocolate - slight dry roastiness - very smooth finish - spicy, slightly pepery - probably the best Saison I've yet had.

Dull amber (yeast in suspension, despite careful pouring), with orange-red shine. Nose is - GOD WHAT? - cypress? myrrh? incense? - no - it's the smell of bog myrtle in an Irish moor. Taste: WOOW! This is the taste of kaffir-limes ("wild limes"), if you've ever had the opportunity to taste those, together with bog myrtle, cypress. Yet there is a subterranean sweetness. It's like being in a late autumn garden, next to the cypress plant, wild mushrooms coming up, and in the field next, the winter leeks are being covered, marvellous! Mouthfeel: oily, slick, but in NO way repulsive. Aftertaste: what I described as myrrh or cypress, now turns to a resiny flavour: cedar, copalite, Retsina. THAT'S it: this is the Retsina under the beers. Strange (ghost) indeed. I LOVE it. I don't like Retsina. Go figure.

Golden color; giant head, nice perlage. Pleasant aroma of malt and wood; getting fruiter when warmer. Rich body, immediately aggressive with a strong bitterness, turning to be a bit fruiter at the end (apricots; Morello cherries). A lot of old hops in the final.