Fantôme Printemps

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

Serve in Tulip

Abso-fucking-lutely, beautiful beer. Tons of lemon, funk, fusty brett. That’s about it. Taste is slightly sweet, tart lemon, brett, spices, and barnyard and a touch of piny-bitter hops. Finish is slightly sweet, a bit of a hop bite on the finish that melds with the sweetness of the malt and the crisp lemon of the beer. Tastes a bit like a ginger-lemon beer without the ginger and a bit of hops and larger, more complex malt backbone. In other words, a completely different beer than the one I mentioned. Palate is a bit cloying, but at 8 percent what can you expect? Also very well carbonated, fizzy and slightly dry. Yum

A Fantome that I haven’t had? Sweet. You truly never know what you are going to get. Cloudy darker golden color with a minimal head. Huge earthy spiciness in the nose. This immediately reminds me of the nose of Pissenlit (the dandelion beer), despite it being years since I’ve had that beer. Grassy, earthy, flowery, wow. I swear, this smells exactly like dandelions. Loving it. Touches of sweetness in the nose as well. The taste itself is a very mellow, balanced, smooth beer. Low carbonation - tastes like a fair bit of wheat was used to soften the body. Slightly watery mid-palate. Could probably use a touch more carbonation. Still, nice. This beer is great, if only for the nose. The taste and body are good, but it is the nose that keeps drawing me back. Recommended. Oh, Fantome, how unique you are.

Bottle pours cloudy amber color with white head. Aroma is yeast spice, wood, and peppery notes. Voluptuous mouthfeel with a lot of tiny bubbles for carbonation. Flavor is bready, yeasty, floral hop notes, some light fruit, and finishes dry. I don’t really like saison style beers. This is one of those rare exceptions. Its fantastic. Just what the doctor ordered on a hot summer day. Very light and refreshing.

bottle, golden orange color with strong foam that finishes as a soapy film, sweet citrus, funky aroma, barnyard, flavor is a mix of lemon, honey, pencil lead, white pepper and spice, lasting earthy finish

(75 cl bottle) Pours a nice hazy gold with creamy head that laces nicely. Aroma is fantastic - citrus and bread, with hints of honey and grass. Complex flavor has lots of citrus (lemon and grapefruit) and herbal spiciness. FInish is dry with a nice bitter bite. I really enjoyed this one, but have a weakness for saison style beers.

The beer pours a hazy golden color with a white head. The aroma is very complex with notes of apricots, lemons, yeast and some light funk. The flavor is lemons with some tartness. I also get citrus - apricots and oranges - as well as some yeast. The beer is very juicy tasting. The beer is extremely drinkable. Medium mouthfeel and medium to high carbonation. An excellent saison.

Pours an opaque, hazed yellow from the 750ml. bottle bought at Toronado’s (San Francisco, CA): Nose of sweet yeast balanced by dry farmhouse, sour brett, champagne, lightly smoked oak, cracked peppercorn, and crushed red pepper. And a whiff of white grapefruit. Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied. Creamy pale malts take the palate with a good addition of tang. Crisp and dry, but also very soft. Drinkability: Dry, tart, best executed saison, in my opinion. Pairing: Chili-garlic seasoned smoked whitefish with a side of calamari and shrimp salad tossed in a robust italian dressing and smoked provolone cheese. Rebuy: Yes. Yesss. #383 on 07042010, DG.

A: Light orange body with a massive white head. Quickly receded, left behind very little lacing. S: Lots of yeasty funk. Lemon, grass, pepper. T: A funky, tart quality dominates. Slight green apple flavoring that was lacking in the nose. Grassy under tones with a clean, refreshing lemon accent. Lightly spiced, and slightly bitter finish. M: Very dry. Refeshing. A tad thinner than would prefer. D: This is a delightful saison. Not as good as the flagship Fantome, but a clean, easy drinking refreshing beer.