Fantôme Chocolat

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

I gotta say, that this is underrated. Without meaning to overdo the style, this is my fourth in a row, and by far the best. The peppery bite is evident from the start. It is easily the lightest chocolat beer in color, but the flavor still comes through, just not as heavy and at the end. Very unique and quite tasty.

Cloudy dark amber color with a taller stable heavy cream colored head. Light pale toasted malt, with a mild wild flower and lemon zest kick in the aromas, a backdrop of yeast, eucalyptus and lime leaves. Funky, yet enjoyable. Ever so soft on the palate. Dry grain flavors start the quaff, with a wild yeast and wild weeds and flowers swimming about. A day in the country during thrashing time. Ever so slight chili bite near the finish. It takes time, but I do find a chocolate extract flavor about 3/4 of the way through the swallow. Almost a green cocoa flavor. The best part for me is the long and ever changing linger. It start off where the finish leaves off with a mild chili burn, followed by a light lime citrus touch, it skips a beat with a dry wood flavor, but pick the pace back up with a mild toasted malt and malted milk ball nip that just teases the senses. For some reason this seems like it would be the perfect brew to serve with a mole’ dish. The complexity of the flavors in this one floors me. I could easily see someone having a swig of this and spitting it out as much as caressing it on the tongue and letting it give a hug back. The longer I suckle this one the more I get dry cocoa stuck to the back of my throat. The warmer this get the thicker, deeper and more mysterious it gets. This is one of only a few brews that really moves my senses and feelings as I imbibe. I’m smitten. If not for the few rough edges on the way this would likely be a perfect. Yet, I have to wonder, how do these things happen. Truly goddisgood. FYI, Thanks BBB63 for bringing up the refresh topic. I saved the words before submitting and saved the text, otherwise the above would have been lost and a mediocre review been put in it place (ok, a more mediocre review).

Bottle almost a year old. Pours an unclear orange golden with a few bubbles and silky and frothy thin white head. Tangy aroma, tart, red berries, light chili and cocoa, very intriguing. Whoa is that different, tart tangy crisp acidic and at the same time creamy, chalky and dry. This is a puzzle of a beer very similar to DFH Theobrama but way more tart. Tart and sweet citric flavors, yeasty, dusty and quite a bit sour with underlying notes of cocoa powder and lesser chilis. Long juicy tart tangerine finish with just enough acid. The finish is really awesome... maybe blood orange, slightly bitter. I cant believe how similar this is to theobrama, but so much better. Medium light bodied, with super crisp sizzling carbonation that fits the flavor perfectly, ever so lightly gritty and chalky. This stuff is so tasty and drinkable, absolutely delicious, one of my new favorites and way underrated.

Pours a hazy red-tinged brown with a soft head. The aroma has lots of grass and yeast. This one is very similar to Cantillon’s geuze, strangely enough. Very dry, not as sour as geuze, but I could have this with brunch and it would be perfect. The chocolate has a phantom presence; it’s really only hinted at, with no overt flavors coming through. I didn’t really notice the chili, either. But who cares? If the beer tastes this good, I don’t care what the label says it should taste like! Update 12/6/07: Had a bottle at Spuyten Duyvil... insanely chocolatey bottle! No phanton presence in this one... one of the best beers I’ve ever had. More sour than before, and I think I detected the chili this time. The current ratings reflect this recent bottle.

] Pours a hazy rust amber with about a quarter inch of off white foam. Not much head retention, but good lacing. Tart lemony funk aroma. Tart fruity flavor, with cider, lemon, grass, strong tea, and a touch of ever so slight dry baker’s chocolate. Becomes quite acidic and a little bitter in the finish (which I really like). A slight burn in the aftertaste (from chili pepper?) that makes it feel a bit on the alcoholic side. Medium body, soft but spritzy carbonation.

finish flavour acidic medium, body medium, well balanced, finish fell astringed

Golden orange. Frothy foam puff produces webby lacework. Remarkably bright musty & peppery yeast fragrance with sage and cork notes. Elegant herbal hop and peach whispers. Tight, downy-soft carbonation blankets the palate. Hugely herbal Brewer’s Gold flavor caresses a subtle blend of perfume and camphorous sage. Periodic flashes of cottony dryness, not unlike licking the skin of a peach. Virtually weightless, throughout, with a drop of rosewater softness coinciding with a floral hop base and a delicate tingle of peach acidity. Interestingly, there’s only a glimpse of richness, which solely is a result of the nutty yeast and ever so slight cacao, which peak during the latter half. Appetizingly dry finish with musty yeast and an equilibrium of spicy & fruity esters combined with an artfully understated duo of leather and cacao, which quell the remainder of the soft acidity. Yeast pour imparts iron acidity while seemingly amplifying the cacao and hops. It’s truly miraculous what kind of esters and flavors Dany manages to pull out of his yeast, time after time. He’s achieved an inconceivable level of complexity in a beer where the malt presence is next to nil, which is what makes this all the more impressive. Calling this “adventurous” almost feels like I’m insulting it. It’s that good.

Hazy amber with a big and bubbly off white head. Strong spicy aroma with pepper and chili. Dry and tart with a hint of chocolate and a little pepper hotness in the finish. Awesome combination of spice and tartness!