Fantôme Chocolat

Yeasty nose is slighly mustywith touches of malt, flowers and dust. Firm mouthfeel is slighly bitter and sweet with honey, olives, herbs, and the faintest trace of chocolate. Finishes slighly musty and heavey with malt.

This beer was very odd in concept but really came together very nicely. Pours cloudy and muddy. The cocoa powder taste added a nice sweetness up front that was dried out further by the beer, then kicked off by a faint spiciness in the finish from the chili. The taste was a bit unusual at first, kinda reminded me of some hippie herbal store smell, but after a few sips it really grew on me and by the end of the bottle I was wishing I had another bottle.

Pours a relatively cloudy brownish, amber color. Bubbly brown head. I really did not detect any chocolate in the aroma. It consisted mostly of malt and a little bit of hops. Slightly on the musty side. Kind of reminded me of a hand-pumped English ale aroma. Again, I could not really detect any of the chocolate in the taste. I did experience the chili pepper though. It hits the back of the tongue and seems to sit in the throat. Not something I really enjoyed. This would have worked for me without the chili pepper.

This cloudy brown ale poured with a thin off-white head. This is another strange Fantome brew. The cocoa is quite dominant and the chili pepper leaves a slight bite on the tongue. It seems to be heavily hopped and the hop bitterness is noticeable over the cocoa flavor. Not the best Fantome ale I have tasted, but one of the more interesting ones.

750ml bottle. Pours a muddy muddy brown color with a clear bubbly head. Large bubbles that are very airy. The head receedes to a very small ring. Nose is lightly yeasty with soem light dry chocolate powder notes. Palate is thin and crisp with some lightly spicy notes. Flavors of cocoa powder, some chili powder with a nice bite to it, bits of yeast note here and there. Finish is kinda spicy hot with a nice filmy layer on the teeth.

Courtesy of Boboski <!-- P --> Mild chocolate aroma. Very malty and mildly spicy with a bit of mustiness. Light orange in color with a pinky thin tan head. Full hearty malt backbone with mild chocolate/coca notes and slightly spicy elelments. The overall feel is like a cocoa muffin with a touch of spice thrown in. Very satisfying, but subtle brew that I think is a bit under appreciated.

My last experience with a chocolate-enhanced beer is a horrible memory (Floris Chocolat - and I blame my wife for that one). I was skeptical about this one. But, heck, it’s brewed by Fantôme so I know it’s at least worth a try. Faint chocolate aroma rising above a bevy of other integrated smells like spice, grass, must. On the first sip, there is a definite chili burn. It’s slow in developing and understated. A classic touch to accentuate the chocolate flavor. A beer most certainly enjoyed, appreciated, understood (if possible) a sip at a time.

Pours a light amber with a small white head that gives great lacing. The aromas are musty and spiced, can just pick up the cocoa. Some hoppy grass in there too. The body is refreshingly thin as a saison should be. The flavors are slightly sour but overall the spices come through excellently with a nice underlying hop mix. The finish is dry, very dry.