Fantôme Printemps

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.

Bottle.

Less than a minute after removing the cap, the cork has worked its way half of the way out. A moment later, it explodes powerful against the ceiling. The bottle doesn’t overflow immediately --- but after pouring Pours a rich hazy amber; extremely fruity nose, like long-turned apple cider. In fact, this beer, both in aroma and taste, is all about rotten autumn produce; take the spoiled browning apples and pears, add the refuse from the vegetable garden a coupe of weeks after the first early frost, and blend in the grapefruit husks from last week’s breakfast --- this is what you get, though not in entirely a bad way. Very fruity, peach and pear and over-fermented apple on the front, acid; quite bitter yeast/spice flavors along with some vomit in the close. Strong, apparent alcohol adds some burn and keeps this from achieving the lightness that may have been intended. Altogether a very curious and not entirely pleasant beer. Definitely not one of my favorites from the usually-do-no-wrong Fantome.

750 mL bottle purchased at Liquor Max in Loveland, CO. Pours hazy orange with a small, fizzy, white head, mostly lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (hay, straw, cereal), average hops (flowers, grass), heavy yeast (horse blanket, barnyard, earth) with notes of grapes, pear, and wood. Medium bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, light sweetness and acidity, moderate bitterness.

SoLan!!! Pours a murky light amber color. Aroma is funky and earthy, floral and has a black pepper spice note. Flavor is not as pronounced as the aroma indicated, but is solid none the less. I love Fantome.

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.