Fantôme Printemps

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

Bottle. Nose is lovely tart fruit. Cranberry, peach, and a distinct note of Mountain Dew (I have found one other mention of this character in the reviews for this beer, after noting it myself and spending ten minutes trying to place it). Beautiful lacing from a steady head on a clear golden body. Drinks with a rustic tartness and grainy character. Alcohol is there but in good balance. Great body with a dry finish and lingering tartness.

Easter dinner beer, 2008. Pours a hazy, glowing orange-yellow color. A large, foamy, snow white head shows excellent retention, leaving a thick film on the glass. Light candy sugar malts set a sweet foundation for the nose, with lemon rind, coriander, and chamomile providing bright, citrusy notes. The signature Fantôme funk and dusty, earthy hops complete the beautiful aroma. The flavor is again bright with citrus, with an excellent balance between dry, earthy hops and a candy sugar, honey, and cream background. The body is substantial, with a creamy mouthfeel. Finishes clean and crisp. Perfect with Easter dinner. Another great Saison from Fantôme.

Pours cloudy amber with off white head. Sour, spicy aroma. Mildly sour and peppery with some earthiness and fruitiness. Medium body with less carbonation than a typical saison. Short dry finish. Different but good.

750ml bottle shared with BeerGestapo. Pours hazy gold with a large but quickly diminishing head. Smells of oranges, floral, hay, and a slight amount of skunkiness. The flavor was bread, lemon, and orange with a slight sour edge to it. Has a bit of sweetness to the finish with some lingering orange tones. Very nice and super refreshing despite the 8% abv.

Cloudy and medium golden; fluffy white head. Soft and smooth; light and creamy carbonation. Malty (cookies, bread dough) and yeasty throughout. Very balancing bitterness. Spicy aroma. Finish is kind of drying and lingers with quite a few flavors (sweet orange, zesty lemon, big pepper, gentle clove, and some other spices I can’t seem to define). Pleasant beer. Fairly easy to drink, but it still kept my interest through the whole bottle.

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.

Tosa Tasting ala Silphium. 2001 bottle. Hazy amber color with a moderate off white head. Pale malt, licorice, rose and goldenrod aromas. Caramel and mild citrus flavors. Mild spice comes later. LIght and full all in one. Perhaps this one is getting dated, I’ll be looking for a fresh bottle to compare.

Bottle. Somewhat hazy amber beer with an off-white head. Light hay, honey, and malt aroma. Tart, light sour, lemon, and green apple flavor with hay and light malt. Medium bodied. Sourness lingers with a light acetic note, lemon, and hay. Great balance. Very refreshing.