Fantôme Printemps

750ml bottle. I am rating based on memory - I lost my notes. I had this instead of a bottle of wine with a great dinner at a place in Atlanta called Floataway Cafe. The beer was cloudy and deep red/amber with hints of brown. The head was was formed of large bubbles and not particularly long lasting. The aroma was fruity with some malts and yeast and a signature Belgian funkiness (brett?). The flavor of the beer was an interesting combination of sweet toffee-like malts, some grassiness and some funkiness, and some fruit. There was a touch of acidity/sourness that provided an interesting counterpoint to the funk. The finish was dry with hints of malts, yeast, and acid. Overall, interesting, but not as good as their standard Saison. Though, judging from the great variety and inconsistency in the ratings for this beer, perhaps it doesn’t travel well and would have been even better if I had found it in better shape.

75cl bottle. Another overrated Fantome. I really wonder why everybody rate this stuff so enormously high. Just taste it and don’t let the high ratings impress you. Just be honest... And to be honest, I think this one is not that worse, I had worse of this brewery. I think they just have fun adding a lot of ingredients forget it all when they start with the next batch. Well at least it works for the major part of Ratebeer. :-P That might be an art as well. Some bonuspoints for that.
Aroma has yeast, citrus and some malts. Orange milky coloured with loads of yeast flunks. Almost no lace. Taste is sweet with some sourness and a hint of lactics. Yeast and some fruitiness. Most likely loads of calories.

750mL bottle, shared with artusory. Pours a murky, medium grapefruit color; white head with a solid rim of medium bubbles; good lacing. Light lemons and doughiness in the aroma; mild levels of characteristic Fantôme funk. Medium mouthfeel: spritzy carbonation; fluffy lemon and dense, pleasant doughy and estery core; mild viscosity, but remains very soft and drinkable. Lengthy, doughy finish. Relaxed funk from the Fantômes I’ve had.

Bottle (75 cl) at Delirium Café, Göteborg, Sweden, shared with two other dudes. Hazy amber with almost no head, just some bubbles. Fruity and cidery malt aroma with wood, horsestable and earthy, citric hops. Light to medium bodied. Dry finish, alcohol very well masked.

Hazy light amber in color. Medium sized head. Aroma of funky horseblanket, lemon, tart apples, spices. Taste is moderately funky with tart apple, sour citrus, spices....as with other fantome beers, pretty damn unique, and strange...in a good way.

[Sampled in Rudme in the TDK-forum (Topas Drinking Klub) with the Asian Swamp-group.]
Muddy orange look with no head and an aroma of nice sour citruselements. Flavor is similar added with amounts of hops over average, peaches, fruits particular, grapefruit, summerbeernotes and indeed a brew for further investigation. Very cozy and swanky beer. Of an only art!

Pours hazy amber with a sudsy off-white head. The aroma is odd. There is citrus, spice, dandelions, lemons and a strange sharpness. Medium / light body with a crisp feel and welcome light stinging carbonation. The flavor starts with dandelions, grass, dried fruits, odd sourness, some funky yeast, sharp citric acid and stinging carbonation ~ a lot is going on here. The finish is sour, bitter and quite refreshing and it has a beautiful saaz-like hop quality. This is 8%??? Where??? Thumbs up for this great example of a world class saison.

Date: 04/14/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy yellow, good white head, musty horse blanket aroma, explosion of complex malt flavors with lots of subtle spices, needs much more research

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Score: **4
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I would like to rerate this beer.
The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.