Brasserie Fantôme has come to represent unabashed creative freedom of expression, and has earned itself a reputation for being, well, borderline insane. Between the ghost stories, the wild variation from beer to beer, being exceptionally guarded about what spices have been used in the recipes, or experimenting to the point of acute eccentricity, you can maybe understand why some people think there may be a madman involved. Well that madman is brewer Dany Prignon, who uses local ingredients and herbs, spicing his numerous farmhouse ale variants with such skill and panache that people have been taking notice since the brewery was founded in 1988. Dany almost never gives up the complete ingredients list to Fantôme releases, but we do know this month’s selection includes cayenne and strawberry tea. It’s our pleasure to bring this unusual saison to our members this month. Outside of the club, only about 10 cases total will make their way to eight US states – so this will be one very hard to find brew.

Brewed in collaboration with Dany’s longtime friend Nick Sarlo (nicknamed Skrip) along with Doug "Phresh" Phillips of adventurous New Jersey-based brewing company Phresh Phlavors, as well as a couple of other good friends, this is one very unique saison. Skrip described it to us as "a double decocted Saison with Citra hops and cayenne in the whirlpool and a strawberry tea we all picked out together steeped for about 10 minutes after boil. The strawberry tea consisted of white tea, dried strawberries, hibiscus and orange peel." We've never sampled anything quite like it. This gorgeous saison pours a rich copper red and delivers a classic Belgian saison nose, with fruity esters, clove, and coriander notes that mix with an assertive cayenne aroma, all backed by pale malt elements. As it comes up in temperature, subtle strawberry notes present themselves, but never become too sweet or cloying. The first sip brings the cayenne heat, lasting through the sip and into the finish. Beyond that, fruity esters, herbal notes, and subtle strawberry balance perfectly. The cayenne aligns with some bracing dryness at the tail end. In our tasting, we described it as “sour adjacent” – a saison for sure, but there’s definitely a lactic acidity present that makes it a wonderful springtime beer.