Fantôme Printemps

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

Serve in Tulip

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some lemony flavors that go with the spring feel of this beer. it’s like fantome always knows what exactly to match up the seasons with the flavors. theres some lemongrass, some alfalfa, and some white pepper, anise, and honey. some floral notes and apple with hints of raisin and sour cherries. not as much funk in this one as others which is oddly disappointing.

Bottle. Sweet crystal and light lemon rind aroma. Nicely acidic flavor - toasty malt under lemon juice and weed stem. Refreshing stuff.

Blind tasting at Sombeast’s house

This was one of the middling saisons of the six that I tried blind. While it was not flawed I did not find it to be outstanding. I have no idea what vintage we sampled but it lacked something. While I do not expect saisons to be extremely complex I would like a little bit of character.

Aroma / Appearance - Creamy vanilla, flowers, peach and honey form a sweet but relatively neutral nose. Nothing about it sucked me in; in fact I was rather indifferent about trying it after the bouquet. The caramel body had a temporary foam head which was quick to pass.

Flavor / Palate - Mineral water, lemons and wheat bread form a midafternoon snack. After that comes a light dessert with bitter semisweet chocolate decorating cherries. It has a solid but not compelling finish. I might drink this if offered it but it did not wow me into wanting a bottle for myself.

Bottled. Poured a translucent coppery orange with a short white head… got much hazier with later pours. Aroma picked up lots of funky, dusty, crazy spices.. some caramel and dusty toffee… sweet, gummy-like candies emerge toward the back. Flavor found sweet candy, heavy coriander and peppery spices.. toffee and more spices… some lemon sourness at the finish… also some ugly spices. Somewhat thin on the palate with oddly-placed heavy caramel and toffee thickness. Not one of my favorites that night.

Saison #10 consumed ’blind’ at the Pewaukee tasting. Clear, light brown color. Aroma and flavor dominated by a collection of old mixed flowers being collected for seeds from my grandmother’s garden. A little sweetness, sourness, some definite astringency in the flavor. Strange spices. Moderate-light mouthfeel. Healthy carbonation.

Dull brown, white foamy hat. Aroma of herbs, dry cheese, cider fails to deliver. Weak but spicy carrot-tomato-fruit soup flavor. Thin, watery mouthfeel. I wish I knew what other people see in this one.

Bottle: Poured a hazy brown with a white head. The aroma was earthy outdoor fruit. The taste was spice and roasted like with a tangy dry finish.

Bottle. Fruity (apple,pineapple) aroma, light metallic yeast. Cloudy orange yellow, nice golden creamy head. Medium body, fruity base (tropical, clementine, apple), light bready notes, a hint salt. Pleasant.

Pours a hazy gold color with an inch or more of thick white foam. Very nice spidery lace. I smelled a strong, pungeant, tart cider aroma as I poured the beer into my glass. First sip - sour. I taste some unripe apple and lemon. A little grapefruit too. Beyond the tartness, there is a peppery-clove spiciness. Something suggests to me that the spiciness comes from spices, and the hops, and the yeast strain. Medium bodied, with lots of fizzy carbonation. Lots more of that spice when the yeast from the bottom of the bottle is stirred up. The most sour Fantome I’ve tried yet, but that’s what I’m looking for. Very good beer.

Good solid cork "pop". Cloudy dark orange. Thick foamy head. Light zesty aroma with apples and flowers. Apple front in the taste, light baking soda essence. Light body is a little watery. Don’t notice the alcohol at all. Enjoyable refresher. Salty finish.