Fantôme Printemps

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

Serve in Tulip

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Pale, hazy gold. Slight white head. Strangely behaving yeast (floats!). Herbal nose, and aroma of (Belgian) vegetable deepfrying oil. Yeasty, malt, grain. Overly bitter taste – dandelion-flavour, definitely, “bitter salad”, not hoppy. Malty underbuild. Medium bodied. Good carbonation. Fiery bitter from main taste is medium longlasting, no new aftertaste. Dany P. has used dandelion (pissenlit) often in his beers. I’m not a fan of this addition, and I’m afraid it shows in the rating. A “Saison” of 8% ABV, indeed!

Pours a nice amber color with a big, lingering white head. The aroma is herbal and earthy, with a touch of grass and hops. Medium body with lots of carbonation, the flavor is wonderfully complex, with hints of ingredients that I cannot identify. Sweet flavors, cheese, herbs, hops, and grass all exist within this wondorous beer. What a treat!

Fresh herbal aroma.Dark blond appearance.Clean dry herbal root flavor and finish.Kind of like a super Kolsch.

Nice rich, dark amber topperd by a stiff foamy head. The aroma is grass, green tree leaves broken in late summer, plums, tangerines and cheese. The flavor is light biscuity malt and subtle fruitiness, pear.

This beer is almost like a gueuze. It has a wonderful aroma, there is a lot going on there. Much tart green apple freshness on the tongue for flavor, along with other things that I am not good at describing. This would be a good beer to give to someone who was thinking of moving up to lambics, but if you don"t want to scare them away with the full blown deal. I like how Fantome calls all of their beers Saisons, when they all taste like something else! This is a very interesting brewery.

UPDATED: JAN 2, 2005 cloudy brown and frothy on top..aroma of leather, apple, and yeast..flavors started subtly with overripe browning green apples and apple skins, fresh bread yeastiness and a nice creamy mouthfeel..

A bit sour and sharp.

Dark, dirty dishwater appearance. Musty, spicy aroma. Tangy, fruity taste with slight bitterness and sweetness. Light bodied. Very refreshing.

UPDATED: OCT 23, 2005 Head is initially large, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), moderately hoppy (herbs, flowers), lightly yeasty (barnyard), with notes of white pepper, honey, clove, dried pineapple, a country meadow bursting with flowers and small furry creatures. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Light to medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Quite an aromatically hoppy little Fantome, this one...smells like a blend of Saaz and Hallertauer. Wonderful balance, extremely quaffable yet deliciously sippable, with a bright, fresh, and varied aroma of both noble hops and country air’s splendor. Awesome, just jaw-droppingly awesome. No way it’s 8%, though...tastes like 5-6%.

Strong clove smell, and typical strong but supple Belgian aroma. Not much head--slightly cloudy. Taste of clove, too, and light body with a strong yeasty flavor. Reminds me of a Belgian white. Interesting but not excellent.