Fantôme Printemps

Brewed by Brasserie Fantôme
Style: Saison
Soy-Erezée, Belgium

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
-------- /> I would like to rerate this beer.
The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

750 from my Secret Santa - thanks!!! This one’s a very interesting combination of flavors. What else would I expect from Fantome? A moderate pour, compared to some of the explosiveness of some Fantome brews, but one that’s still rich and very aromatic. Fine looking orange hue with moderate lacing and decent retention. What immediately strikes you is - despite the name - an almost autumnal funk, with lots of sour apples and a bit of spice (that I can’t help but associate with clove and cinnamon, though it’s honestly more peppery I suppose). It’s all balanced by that dry and grassy intensity that I love in a saison - here it’s just a tad rough, and maybe this bottle’s beyond its peak. Still quite fine.

Cloudy orange coloured, almost no head. Yeast, fruit and spices in aroma. Fruity flavour (apple), dry finish. Low carbonation.

Cloady, orange colour, small white head. Aroma of pine, fruits and herbs. Flavour: fruity, sour, lemonade. Ok aftertaste. Rerate: aroma has some medicine as well.

Hazy orange color, no head. Aroma of hop, fruity, peach, slight spicy. Slight sour taste, dry, spicy of nutmeg, hint of cinnamon. All those Fantome beers are overrated.

Pours amber and orange hues with big 1 inch tan head. High carbonation is expressed through effervescent bubbles that rocket upward. Loose lacing for a Fantome. The aroma was incredibly subtle at first. After my 4th sniff, I received hints of dried apricots and some citrus notes. More apricot on the tongue, as well as cherry, cork, and an aftertaste of the farmhouse hay that I enjoy from these beers. Dry, clean finish with a rounded mouth-feel. Refreshingly tart, balanced, and satisfying. This is why I love saisons.

Cloudy amber color with a nice-size white head. Aroma is peppery, earthy, and well hopped with some citrus sweetness poking through. Sweet earthy, fresh-fieldish flavors meld very well with a nice earthy-floral hop flavor. Light citrus and grass in there as well - very good with the butterfish I had at a local BYOB - one of the best Fantomes (and saisons) I’ve had to date.

From my fall 2006 notebook. Hazy yellow color with a spicy nose and hints of what I now recognize as yeast. Earthy spice body with a clean finish.