Fantôme Brise-BonBons!

Probably one of the most traditional-tasting saison’s I’ve had from this brewery - slightly orange gold in color - kind of a damp, earthy aroma, with grass, hay, a touch of herbs and even a hint of lavender - not nearly as bitter as the description on the bottle suggests (but maybe my palate has been ruined by american imperial ipas) - nice floral flavor - some orange and lemon - hops meld well with the grassy, hay-like qualities of the beer - a decent saison, but not one of Fantome’s best.

Wow! As soon as the cork was popped, I was hit with a strong aroma of rotten fruit, sourdough starter yeast, herbal tincture (echinacea?), roots, hay. Poured a hazy orange with a moderate white head and nice lacing. The taste started floral and grassy like a more typical saison, but ended with a strange but likeable bitter, herbal, root quality. Reminded me of chewing on fresh ginseng root!

bottle sample at Hampton tasting - Pours cloudy gold. It has a light aroma with a touch of citrus. The flavor had sour citrus notes that were a little too sour for me, but still alright. There was also a bit of spice. It was the lightly bitter finish that I thought pushed the sourness further than I wanted. Interesting.

Bottle: Courtesy of 1FastSTi at the Hampton Inn Tasting (Friday). Aroma is floral, grassy, hay, hint of sourness, and corn. Pours a cloudy golden-orange with lots of sediment and a small white head. Flavor is very flowery with light yeastiness and a hint of lemon. Flowery bitter finish. Had no clue this was 8%. Like the beer overall, but gets a ding in aroma from me.

Some hops in the aroma, but not as strong as I had expected. Traces of citrus also in aroma. Thick, bubbly head. Moderate amount of hops in the aroma, but not to a great degree. Good and drinkable, but nothing special.

750 ml bottle, shared by Vac and Zug4abby - thanks you two! Pours orangey amber with a large creamy white head. Aroma is dry, yeasty, dusty, with floral notes, funk, light sweat and wet wool. Flavor is dry, a bit funky, champagne sweet, and dusty with herbs, and a puckering astringency. Medium body and creamy carbonation. Very good and quite the treat!

Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar. Pours a very cloudy gold color with a large/thick head and lots of sticky lacing. Aroma is slightly apple like with hints of sweetness to it. Flavor is a grassy with a kind of dry dirt/grass taste to it. Hints of apples and yeast round out the flavor with a smooth but dry feel on the palate.

Pours wtih a slightly cloudy orange body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and slightly bitter wtih a grassy note, some yeastiness and a slight touch of toffee. Light to medium and dry.