Fantôme Chocolat

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

Serve in Tulip

Bottle traded with Joeinuncle, at Zythos 08 Many thanks Joe, Cheers mate This beer quite literally exploded out of the bottle but more like a massize larval ooze. There was me running around the kitchen like a thing possessed trying desperately to get another glass to pour this precious liquid into whilst it just pumped and pumped out of the top, the floor was sodden I was wet and worst of all at least half a bottle had decorated the worktop, floor and myself so not a great start. The chocolate, cocoa powder in particular was very much in evidence on the nose and the colour of this pour was a rather murky amber. I thought on first taste the chocolate blended into this beer really rather well it was nicely integrated. Once again with Fantome I get a real tingle on my tongue and wondered whether they use root ginger in the brewing process somewhere, I’ve now just noted that there is chilli also in this beer so that might be part of the reason for the tongue tingle but I still get ginger. Nice spicy tasting beer, I like these Fantome beers but I am beginning to wonder whether they just put just a tad too much in, less is more as they say.

750mL bottle. Poured brilliant, slightly hazy medium orange with a short cap of white head. The aroma was sour overall, with tangy light fruit skins, vinegar, and funky peppery yeast.. more white pepper and funk emerged with warmth.. masked the chocolate and chili a bit too much. The flavor also lost a lot of character to the sourness and funkiness.. high vinegary acidity with light fruit skins again.. darker spices and cocoa beneath with just a hint of white peppery spicage.. too sour to get the real goods out of it. Sour on the palate and a bit too far skewed in that direction.. nice spices were under there, but they were well masked. I think I may need to try another to get the whole picture.

A recommend by Brett and a couple of other RBer’s at Redlight, Redlight. 75cl bottle poured into a tulip glass. The smell is just insane. Chocolate (very faint) spicy peppers, vinegar and cheese. Pours pretty cloudy with a smallish head. The Taste is kinda ridiculous to start and I wasn’t wild about it at first but by the second glass I was noticing alot more complexity coming out as it warmed. The second glass I could taste the chocolate malt, still faint but its definitely there. The pepper I dunno about but I could taste some spicyness. And of course the woody, cheeselike finish thats super dry. Carbonation is perfect and the ABV seems non existant. Crazy but very fun brew.

UPDATED: MAR 16, 2008 750 pours a slightly hazed ruby brown with a decent head and some really poetic and artsy lace. The aroma is yeasty, maltier than your average Fantôme, slightly wild, and somewhat chocolaty. As it warms and gets to the bottom, the nose starts to show some chocolate bunny sporting leather in the rain. The flavor is sour, slightly wild, there is chocolate in there (sort of Coco-Wheats like), chili pepper only in the burps (only going out, but not going in), and pretty complex. As it warms, the wilds notes get wilder, the chocolate gets richer, and there is a sweetness that makes itself known against the sour. Yes, more delicious every sip. The palate is fairly carbonated and rich. As I pour out the yeast shot into the last glass, I’m convinced this is a pretty good beer (aroma, appearance, flavor, and palate). This is under-rated. Let it warm before you rush into it.

Rich brown with a solid somewhat fizzy tan head. Earthy, sour fruit aroma with a chocolate malt component. The complex flavor contains the usual earthy components with the addition of subtle spiciness and chocolate. Fine tuned. No overkill.

Pours with a dark orange, hazy body and a large, creamy, off-white head. Good lacing. Nose of spice, hops and yeast. The flavour is light sweet with lemon, pepper and other kinds of spice. Heavy carbonation in the first glass. Slightly bitter finish with some sourness too. Light to medium bodied. As other raiters I can’t taste any chocolate. An interesting brew.

Poured on tap at Max’s Belgian Fest 08, a cloudy orange color, with a spicy citrus aroma. Sour citrus flavor, with a slight hint of hops/ grass. Personally couldn’t taste chocolate.

750 from trade. Shared with my gf Cyn and two friends Geoff and Chris. Pours orangey with bright white ring/island. Nose is citrussy, farmmy grassy, and a bit of sour. Taste is sweet and sour and citrussy, maybe with ever so slight note of chocolate.