Fantôme Printemps

750ml bottle. No vintage. Aroma is crisp, refreshing, slightly funky and very outdoor-sy. A hint of coconut meat. Dusty leaf pile. Cut flowers. A slight impression of wet wood. Wheat malt and aged hops. Frutiness and dustiness play well with each other. Pours a slightly hazed dark, thick copper. Hoppier and mustier on the tongue than on the nose. Wet grass, pear meat, earthy yeast and a touch of pineapple funk. Celery salt. Dry grape stem. Richer wheat malt leads to a nic bitter grape stem finish. Creamy texture. Rich, but not overbearing carbonation. Finishes with a touch of earthy mustiness. Another winner from Fantome.

Bottle. Pours a lightly hazy golden color with a slight copper hue and a fluffy, thick white head that stuck around for a while. Lightly tart, fruity aroma with some lemon zest, orange, and a hint of pear, along with some light wheat-like malt, some floral, spicy hops, and a bit of funky yeast. Semi-sweet, lightly tart entry with some nice fruitiness, including some lemon, orange, apple, and even a bit of grape, lead into a crisp, lightly funky/spicy yeastiness that transitions into a moderately floral, herbal, dry hoppiness in the finish. Another nice beer from Fantome.

Bottle: Poured a cloudy beige color ale with a huge foamy off-white head with some good retention and some good lacing. Aroma is somewhat vinous with some sour notes with some weird floral-like notes. Taste is a mix between some strong Belgian style malt with some funky and sour notes and a strange herbal/floral ending. Full body with some strong carbonation and no apparent alcohol. The last few Fantome I have had have been somewhat disappointing but this one was different and very tasty.

Clear orange amber with a fleeting head. Mild cheesy funk aroma with dry cooking spices ( please don’t ask ). Full, frothy mouthfeel. Nice grainy bready malt flavors with salt, cloves, and other spices. The mystery that is Fantome continues....

At RBSG, I barely remember this one. Hazy dark golden pour with nose and flavor funky and barnyard influencees.

Thanks to whoever brought this out at the RBSG 08 Grand Tasting. Sample size pour into my Chouffe goblet. Clear gold color with a wet white head that leaves decent lacing. Aroma is predictably odd and mysterious. There’s a note or a spice I can’t put my finger on. It’s a bit fruity and a bit vegetal. The rest of the aroma is standard saison fare, with crisp citrus and grass. Flavor is quite spicy, with freshly cut grass, watermelon seeds, and earthy yeast. Another off the wall beer from Fantome that somehow works.

22oz bottle. A real bitch to get open, cork had dried at the top and was crumbling as I struggled to open it. Poured a hazy orange with a cream colored long lasting, densely packed towering head. Nose is gorgonzola, sour cherry, lemon citrus and some black pepper. Incredible smelling beer. A wierd tasting beer, even for Fantome. I wonder if it may have gotten infected but with Fantome its hard to tell. VERY peppery and spicy up front strong grass flavor, low sour and funk. A bit earthy in the flavor. NIce yeasty finish with a light sour note. The opening for this beer is so wierd though I’d have to say its probably my least favorite Fantome. Its not bad by any means but there is still something a bit unpleasant about the flavor.

750 ml bottle. An unclear dark golden beer with a generous, persistent, almost creamy white head. The aroma is very rich and not weak: yeasty and hoppy with notes of grass, flowers, hay, spices (pepper, maybe origan and other piquant spices), fruits. The flavour is less acidic than many other Fantomes, but obviously there are other trademarks of this brewery: the balance between the ingredients and the piquant spiciness. Medium body, lively carbonation, dry long finish with medium bitterness and no alcohol traces. Maybe less funky than other Fantomes, but well executed. Excellent.