Fantôme Chocolat

Amber copper, not much head, just a tiny bit of ring, and some fish food sediment.
Not much cocoa here, but plenty of pink pepper, piment d’espelette, stale coffee, and wet socks!
A little dissapointing, the body was lighter than most other fantômes I’ve sampled, I’d even say it was a bit watery and bland. Another one saved by the smell!

Interesting beer. Deep and richly orange and very cloudy. Medium body; nice texture with a fitting level of carbonation. Spicy-orange nose with fresh yeast. Sweet malts, with a burst of chocolate and cookie dough up front (overall, cocoa flavors/aromas are subtle and in the background). Sweetness fades away quickly into a snappy bitterness, which then transforms into zippy pepper notes that follow through into the finish and aftertaste. Drying and a little hot. Lesser notes of citrus (orange, lemon) and spices (grassy and clove-like). Odd combo of ingredients on paper but, surprisingly enough, they somehow seem to get along.

(750ml bottle) Fantome on Halloween just seemed fitting. It poured a cloudy orange/light brown body with a moderate creamy beige head. Aroma of mustiness, florals, citrus, and caramel. Flavor of spicy yeast, malt, orange, and a hint of cocoa in the finish.

Huge white head. Hazy orangish yellow color. Very strong yeast smell. I do smell fresh hay too. Sweet initial taste that goes bitter and then has sprinklings of chocolate sweetness mixed in small doses through the hoppy bitterness.

Pours a very hazy orange with a huge white head that slowly fades. Aroma is of hay, creamy wheat, slight vanilla, mild belgian yeasty funk. Flavor starts as creamy wheat and hay, then some ian yeastiness, then comes some spice (possibly the chili, then a dry bitter cocoa. Aftertaste is an odd prickelly numbness on the tongue that I think is from the chili and the dry bitter cocoa. Odd beer but I think it works. The chili is mild but gets to be a little much after a few glasses. Medium body with a somewhat silky palate.

Pours way lighter than expected. I assumed that the beer would have a portion of chocolate malt in it but it is a murky peach color with a wisp of a head. Funky, spicy, saison aroma with a hint of cocoa. The cocoa comes through up front in the flavor. The finish has just the slightest burn and a fair amount of bitterness. In between is pure saison. Subtle and interesting.

Bottle. Rich amber colored with a nice cream colored head. Malt (sweet and chocolate) and spice aroma with a little dustiness. Spicey, malty flavor with the spice lingering. There’s a bit of pepper and corriander. Body is slightly lighter than expected. Very good.

This was one of the most interesting beers I’ve ever experienced. Reminded me of Mexican candy. Distinct taste of jalapeno, coupled with chocolate and just enough funk in there to let you know it was fantome. A pleasure and privilege.