Fantôme Printemps

Bottled. Very strong and nice aroma with grass, flowers and very herbal. Pale golden color, white head, good lace. Light sweet, bitter, grass, herbal. The flavors much less strong than the aroma. Little dry. Exceptional tasting beer. No non-Fantome beer matches this one in any way.

Bottle. First pour is 75% head, but this rapidly recedes to a large two-finger head, clumpy, foamy and lace sticking everywhere. Opaque and heavily sedimented, the colors vary from a pale orange to a rusty gold. Wonderful head retention. You can’t ask for any better head retention, as I think there was still head after I finished my glass. Aroma of freshly mowed grass clippings, where the grass is full of dandelions. Light wheat notes, a touch of honey and vanilla and perhaps coriander (or is that just dandelions?). Upon first sip, even before I notice the flavor, what jumps out is the relaxed, creamy mouthfeel. I’ve never had a Fantome with this easygoing carbonation. Despite the mountains of foam and vigorous small bubles rising, the mouthfeel remains lightly creamy, with no pepperiness from the carbonation, as I would expect. Is this just an older bottle, which has lost some of its aggressive carbonation? Must be. Flavor is a mix of honey, light dandelion and soft citrus acids. A bit of lemon-lime notes and a surprisingly clean, pils malt finish. Yeast does not run rampant in this, though there is a bit of chewiness and funk as I get closer to the bottom of the bottle. This hit the spot nicely. My last Fantome being the sweet, tangy, forceful d’été, this was a pleasant surprise. Medium body, extremely drinkable. Perhaps too simple in flavor, and where is all the funky yeast? A session saison for sure!

Poured a hazy golden color with a medium sized, white, fluffy head, that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of barnyard, spicy citrus, light clove, and yeast. Taste of lemon, grapes, and other citrus fruits, very light sweetness, and a long dry finish.

750 ml bottle. Vivid bright orange, dark yeast clouds lurk at the center, slowly swirling...thick white slowly diminishing head...sour, briney herbs sting the nostrils, fresh earthy tones and vanilla follow...very sour at first, somewhat bitter with notes of rusty iron and sour wine...interesting but somewhat difficult to drink..luscious, full body at first with low-to-moderate carbonation becomes rather watery and dry/hard at the finish. Definitely much more drinkable near room temp, and a fascinating effort, but not my fave...I suspect this bottle could be a little off.

Cloudy pale orangey amber hue, excellent carbonation and thick head formation. Sweet nectarine aroma with dry, grassy, lemony hops. Sweet nectarine palate with biting bitter hoppiness. Pretty tastey stuff but could have had a little more depth for its style.

(750ml bottle) Pours a lightly cloudy orange body with a large rocky white head. Aroma is tart at first and then is musty like that of old books. Palate is soft, somewhat acidic, and bitter. Flavor is tart with spicy yeast, white grapes, cirtus, and other spices.

Pretty inspried by Bucknaked’s rating of this saison. The aroma is a of a floral English garden with hints of tulip, rose, and orchid. The flavor is definitely alot like green garden hose and rusty shovel. But seriously this beer is definitely a spring saison with undertones of grapes, herbs, spices, and champagne. Finished alittle chalky but i think it might be the glass or on my tongue. Sour overtones of tart apples, peaches, and more green garden hose. Decent beer overall.

750ml Bottle: Beautiful marigold/straw yellow body, mostly hazy and definitely not clear, with a mountainous white head. The aroma is somewhat mild overall, with notes of apple, grass, wood, pepper, licorice, garden hose, faint lemon, and a gueuze-like sour yeast. Wow, the flavor came out of nowhere. Unlike the aroma, it’s not reserved. Initially there’s quite a bit of spice, pepper, light sweet apple, and a huge dose of sourness. Once the tongue recovers from the initial onslaught, there’s some more delicate notes of flowers, grass, honey, grapefruit, herbs, wood, and yeast. Finishes very dry and tart, with lingering flavors of wood, rose petals, and a bit of honey towards the very end. Interesting beer that really shows its true characteristics if you’re patient enough to let it breathe.