 wunderbier (1264), Tampere, Finland
Jul 25, 2006
75 cL bottle (2005ish), Bordeaux glass. Deep, hazy and brassy-orange body is covered by a thick and creamy off-white head. The aroma is redolent of spicy and yeasty esters common to my experience with Fantôme...dough and cilantro harmonize along with a light note of horse blanket, all carried on a crisp pils malt base. A cloud of grassy, floral hops extend over everything. And of the two special ingredients? Wonderfully integrated...a pure ’red’ chili hotness, slightly nose-tingling in its pungency accents the darkness of soft cocoa powder in a manner reminiscent of a smoky Mexican molé sauce. Forward in the flavor are sweet pils malt along with a gentle chili burn and a light acidity. Mid-palate releases a gentle funk and tame sourness, quickly displaced by the long finish in which a soft grassy bitterness defers to a drying cocoa aftertaste with a warming chili sensation. The chili and cocoa really work well together in this beer (though perhaps more cocoa, less chili would have been okay) but the front-end is really lacking. Everything interesting seems to happen mid-palate or later (especially the aftertaste). The texture is silky smooth and the next sip always seems to relieve the chili burn from the last one. Carbonation is, as expected, vigorous and the significantly chewy for a saison, though not a detriment in this case. Seriously, this would be diabolical with real, earthy Mexican dishes.
gyllenbock (234), Stockholm, Sweden
Oct 10, 2009 Bottle at Delirium Café in Gothenburg in April 09. A little brownish color and a nice medium fluffy head.
Smelled a little like the bottom of the sea, I think that something was a little weird with the bottle. Pepper and coffee some acid but sadly a disappointment.
wetherel (1553), Encinitas, California, USA
Sep 14, 2009 Bottle at PP bottle shop. Skunky, either from Saaz hops or from being light struck, though I’m leaning toward the latter. Light tartness. Chocolate is there, but at a low level. I’m never sure what cultures are used for Fantome: Brett, Lacto, I’m not sure. Decent, but so far I’m not on the Fantome bandwagon.
iwantalambic (1385), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Sep 13, 2009 750 mL bottle, capped & caged...approx 3 years old: generous ivory head...wonderful Fantôme yeast aromatics:peach fuzz, strawberries, and dusty hops-wisps of spice and cacao. Wonderful palate: tight bubbles and a tingly effervescence that delivers the complex flavours throughout the mouth. Funky sourdough meets lemon grass in a peach orchard, with memories of Brett dancing in my head. What a treat. I love swirling Fantôme beers around in my mouth. The finishing pour turns irony and metallic while the fruits are subdued and muted. These beers again prove why drinking beer is so fun: a constantly changing beverage for 2 hours the finish as good as the start, just entirely different! Thank you.
tomthompson89 (1453), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 19, 2009 aged this for a couple years// lotsa yeasty goodness. nose is lemon all lemon, and maybe some spice but sooo lemon. flavor was funky a little barnyard and alot refreshing. really really liked this beer.
BillKismet (1894), Seattle, Washington, USA
Aug 11, 2009 Oh, Fantome, cauldron of dark-winged mysteries and creativity, where did you go wrong with this one? Perplexingly blond for a "choclate" brew and sporting a fine, bubbly head. Jarringly funk-da-fied yeasty aroma with some Heinekin’s bitter skunk-funk toward the end. Viscous, syrupy wheatiness in the body, but neither a soupcon of cocoa, nor a scintilla of chili pepper prick. Funky and interesting, but inchoate and, overall, a disappointment.
Savvy1982 (303), Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Aug 11, 2009 Bottle. Bretty, delicate, nice apricot & nectarine, some malt and lemons in there as well. Vinous and funky, unique, but falls short of genius. Also, I have no idea what this has to do with chocolate.
scrizzz (1246), kirkland, Washington, USA
Aug 11, 2009 Pours a slurry yeasty, off tan. Silly me, I was expecting something dark. Tart rhubarb and vinegar aroma, doughy and lemony, refreshing and tasty.
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