Fantôme La Dalmatienne

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

750ml bottle at a BeerAdvocate gathering. Hazy orangish-amber with an off-white head and noticeable sediment. Aroma of yeast, citrus, funk, and spices. Flavor is sweet malt, citrus and light fruits, yeast, earth, and spices. Slightly astringent. Medium body and a dry finish. Enjoyable, and mixed fairly well with a Sam Adams LongShot Double IPA.

C&C 750 at The Flying Saucer, Raleigh, NC. Murky amber with a beige head. Spicy nose of clove and cardamom, citrusy and dusty. Sweet malt flavors, spicy and lightly lemony citrus. Finished dry and dusty with an orange citrus zing. Excellent as usual from Fantome.

In short: A simple, very juicy citrusy and only slightly wild Saison. Very good beer but nothing special.
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed when about 1 year after its release think. Source unknown (sorry if I’m supposed to thank someone here)
The look: A medium beige head over an almost clear dark orange body with many big chunks of yeast.
In long: The weak nose is disappointingly only a little wild with citrus being the main aroma element. Taste is very juicy. Citrus fruits, a light horse blanket presence (not even funk), corky (and the bottle had no cork!), a light vegetables presence, some green grass. A little astringency. I like my Saisons dryer, this was rather juicy. This is a surprisingly very simple brew. Fantômes are usually hits or misses but rarely ordinary. This one is a very good ordinary beer. But I don’t want a very good ordinary beer from Fantôme. I want a very good ordinary beer when I have a pale ale. If I want very good ordinary I can have sex with the girl friend. Fantôme is a session with dominatrix mistress Guelda, I want to be surprised, I want to be tested, delighted, insulted, knocked over, grossed out, charmed, disgusted, delighted.

750 ml bottle shared by beastiefan2k. Pour is hazy orange brownish golden with a smallish off white head. Aroma of dusty pepper mineral vegetable. Funky, a little bright vegetable sourness. Taste is cherry sour funk, dandelion, vegetable and a great dose of earthiness. Honey sweetness also jumps into the mix mid palate. Palate is medium, grassy in the finish. Fantome never fails to entertain me. Thanks for opening this one Eugene.

750ml, with thanks to Beastiefan2k for sharing! Pours a cloudy golden with an off-white head. Aroma is candied fruits, some spice, fresh citrus, and light funk. Flavor is more of the same. I’m finding that Saison’s in general are usually solid and interesting, but never really take it beyond that for me. Enjoyable, thanks again for sharing Eugene!

I have held onto this for about a year now thinking I usually prefer Fantôme with just a little bit of time on it. Pours a hazy orange color with a small head but some agitation of the glass the head grows a while. Aroma is straight up Fantôme with some funk, with a light yeast sweetness, and that corkiness that always comes from Fantôme (but I am surprised that it is so strong already). The interplay is fun and definitely Fantôme. A bit grassy as well. Taste has that light pancake sweetness which is awesome with a corky and earthy aspect. At the back end there is a little of this sweet bark-y thang, Easy drinking, cool as usual for Fantôme. I would not age this any longer. The end pour, as usual dirties the beer and gives it a nice long lasting head. The sweet pancake aspect grows with a light floral aspect coming out as well.
750mL capped bottle, generic tulip glass.

Pros: Great appearance, long lasting foam, dark orange color. Caressing mouth feel. Nice balance, not harshly spiced or bitter. Nice aroma of herbs, lemon rind, pepper, chocolate nibs. Well balanced considering the brewer.

Cons: Very oxidized. Still don’t like the brewery, but this is one of the better versions I’ve had.

Bottle @ The Trappist, Oakland, CA. Pours a clear amber color with a small off-white head. Has a malty spicy aroma with some fruity hints. Sweetish malty spicy yeasty and fruity flavor with hints of citrus. Has a sweetish malty spicy yeasty finish.