Fantôme La Dalmatienne

This one is really different for a Fantome. Of course, since it’s Fantome, I imagine each bottle of Dalmatienne is going to be different. Dalmatienne tastes like honey, tofee and cake, but it’s not sickly sweet at all. It starts chewey and then gets nice and golden hoppy, then finishes nice and dry with a long lingering cotton candy and honey after taste. Weird, complex, indescribable flavors that are flat out addictive. I could smell citrus notes but not so much taste them. This kinda stetches the notion of Saison, but I don’t know what else it could be described as.

Pours a dark, hazed old copper penny color w/ a tall, semi creamy froth. Superb head retention slowly reducing to a full, downy canopy. Strong aromas of spicey tropical essence and granite. Full nectar w/ very shy residual effers that create a luscious, creamy texture. Nice! A big malty backbone supports a miriad of flavanoids and a paceful peachpit bittering unit. Nuances of tropical fruit w/ an emphasis on buttery banana nut. Mildly medicinal with complexities including vanilla cream, gummy kiwi, a hint of cola, and blackcherry tart. The finish is bittered nicely and midly tart. Lingering fruit adds to the romance. A very tastey brew indeed. This brew is rich and very generous yet balanced. Highly recommended.

Pours a semi-hazy medium-brown with a nice head. The aroma has tons of grass and herbal spice. When you take a sip, the nose has a "full" quality that I find elusive... if the hops and herbs can be described as light, there’s something else there that’s just... fuller. ’Meaty’ comes to mind, but that’s too heavy a term. There’s some of that quality in the flavor, too. Nice and refreshing. Feels great in the mouth... a bit spicy, full yet light. Kind of reminds me of the first bottle of Chocolat I had... has some slighty bitter qualities, though this bears no resemblance to an IPA. Saisons aren’t really one of my favorite styles, but Fantome makes such imaginative variations on the style, I’m forced to declare my allegiance to farmhouse ales.

One of my favorite Fantome beers yet. Pours mahogany, slightly cloudy, with a tall off-white head. Herbal fruity nose, sweet caramel, wood, and spice. This beer just soaks the palate in flavor, long fruit notes draw out behind a earthy woodiness that melds with spices. Paired with cheese this beer really shines, the earthy softness of the cheese pairs off against the light tart fruitiness of the beer.

Hazy amber with a rocky head. Nice grassy, spicy hop aroma with dry pale malts, and a bit of funky yeast, lots to smell . Frothy, expanding mouthfeel. A mainly dry flavor- starts with a faint caramel sweetness, then turns to dusty pale malts with dry hay and dry spicy hops. Subtle, complex flavors here with a very light sourness in the finish. A most awesome Saison !