Fantôme Printemps

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

Dark, dirty dishwater appearance. Musty, spicy aroma. Tangy, fruity taste with slight bitterness and sweetness. Light bodied. Very refreshing.

Bottle, capped and corked. From South Bay Drug. Hazy orange-gold color with a frothy off-white head. Strong aromas of spice and funk. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is earthy, woody, funky, spicey. Finishes more funky and spicey than anything. Astringent. A slight pepper note. Really very good.

Ruddy gold with a nice healthy head. Delicate spicy aroma, with hints of cinnamon, tarragon?, and a bit of hops. Thick on the tongue, and surprisingly sweet in the finish still for 3 + years in the bottle. Fairly tart acidity, but all seems quite well rounded and balanced. Shows many of the caharacteristics of the fanotmes, but not too much of any particular one. Undeniably good.

Pours a hazy gold, good size white head. Aroma of hay and sour apples. Quite peppery flavor, apples in there as well, along with that slight sour funk that I’ve come to really enjoy.

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!

bottle. hazy orange body with a fluffy white head. plush aroma of a potpourri with a myriad of spices. very funky.. a flavourful saison that I could easily drink on any scorcher like today. soft malts. liberal spicing throughout the body. another interesting beer from Fantôme...I’m really digging this brewery.

Hazy golden body with a thin but persistant white head. Lacing.
Big yeast nose. Spice and wheat sharpness. Maybe some candi sugar too.
Wheat, lemons, oranges, yeast, spicey and maybe some coriander. Sweet and sour throughout.
Full-bodied with a very acidic finish.

Nice, even, deep gold, lightly hazy beer with a lasting white, wispy head. Oddly enough, this beer has a bit of a floral character. Woody, bready, and pleasantly fruity and floral. A little sour, malty, and very well balanced. Finishes a little wood and dry. More bready malt in the mid palate with some fruitiness. Some alcohol evident in the flavor as it warms, but it's not a typical saison in my mind. There is a light sourness which adds to complexity of flavor. Lighter bodied and moderate carbonation, as well as a dry mouthfeel. Again, not the typical Saison in my mind, but very good. I'm glad I have another one in the cellar.