Fantôme Chocolat
Brasserie Fantôme

Pours an almost clear, deep, dark amber coloration with a large, quite fluffy head and visible carbonation. Smells of doughy, biscuity malt, estery fruit and spice notes of green apple and clove, as well as just a hint of chocolate. Taste is an excellent balance of light, doughy, biscuity malt, fruity and slightly spicy estery yeast notes of tart green apple, pear and clove, some quite light, earthy funk and just a hint of chocolate and chili, with the chili being especially subtle. Finishes with a light tartness and bitterness, as well as some estery fruit, spice and chocolate lingering in the aftertaste. Fluffy, effervescent moiuthfeel with a medium body and strong carbonation.

The chocolate and chili are quite subtle here, but they are supposed to be, this is a Saison after all, not an Imperial Stout, although the chocolate is quite a bit more distinct than the chili, which is only faintly noticeable in the aftertaste, sort of combining with the estery clove to lend a very mildly hot kick to this. The main body of this is made up from the typical flavor profile that you would expect from a Saison: doughy malt, estery fruit/spice and some light tartness and funk, with a very nice overall balance, the subtle chocolate and chili lending an interesting, exotic side to this without overlaying or taking away from the main Saison character. I actually feel like the chocolate and chili are both coming out a bit more this warms and a little chili heat starts to build up on the tongue.

 

snifter at Independent on a very cold night. Does not look very brownc. I couldn’t taste much chocolate, but very pleasant saison funk is there! Liked it

750ml Bottle
Capped/Corked

Poured into a chalice glass a very nice murky dark orangey color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy/foamy one-finger white head, which also leaves some pretty nice creamy sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, malty, hoppy, yeasty, with some banana/coriander/clove, chocolate, cocoa, chili pepper, grassy, licorice, some funk. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, yeasty, with some banana, coriander/clove, chocolate, cocoa, chili pepper, grassy, with some licorice, some nice funkyness. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, with a nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very tasty beer.

 

One of the most experimental brewers on the planet, when you have a Fantome beer you know it will at the very least be an interesting experience. "Chocolat" is no exception. A legit yeasty, winey, funky farmhouse ale featuring flavors of sour apples, citrus and earth, supplemented by subtle underpinnings of chocolate and chili peppers. And it works. Take this challenge--get one of these 750ml bottles, take a sip and then breathe out through your nose for a funky garden sensory experience. An adventure in a bottle!

 

 

Classic saison look and fluffy head. Complex flavors going on mostly from the yeast. Sour apples. the chocolate flavor is mostly showing up as bitterness and the chili is super subtle. Mostly puts to shame any other brand of Saison.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a lightly hazy, light to medium golden amber with a quarter finger white head that dissipates to a thick film with solid lacing. Aroma of lightly grainy bready malt, light bread crust, saison yeast, lightly tart funk and a hint of cocoa. Flavor is grainy biscuit malt, lemon, hints of stone fruit, green apple, saison yeast funk, mild cocoa and some green pepper. The chili pepper doesn’t show up until the finish, which gets tarter and more bitter, seeming a little herbal until the light chili kicks in. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Hoping for a little more chocolate character, but appreciated that the chili was used with a light hand. Starts quite promising with a solid saison malt base and suggestions of the mystery herbs Fantome uses, but everything is somewhat subdued. Unfortunately for my taste, the chili seemed to exacerbate the light tartness which was little too acidic for me. I lean to the grainy style of saison and this one approached the sour boundary without crossing it, but leaving this one of my less favorite Fantomes. The cocoa is a really nice and welcome flavor note though and redeemed this somewhat for me.

Poured at just warmer than fridge temp. Pours a yellow/orange with a solid 1-2 inches of white fluffy head. The nose definitely contains a bit of cocoa and chili pepper, mixed with some skunk, lime, and sour patch kids.

The taste is sourdough bread, slight chili pepper, lemon, apple, funk, mild sourness, and some oak. Lovely!

Amber/copper gold color with a soapy white head, and modest lacing. Definite cocoa and spicy chili notes, with a nice Belgian biscuit background. Definately unique and not for everyone, but so good and so Fantome!

Pours crystal clear, dark golden with a white tan head. Aroma is much maltier than expected and sweeter too. Caramel is the most prominent character early, chocolat is there too but not particularly strong. Some floral notes on the back end, a bit of hay although I wouldn’t call the aroma funky. Ok maybe a bit funky, with the earthy saison yeast notes. Taste is, unique. Not a lot of flavor up front, mainly just light, almost lager like malt notes. Most of the flavors come out on the back end. It’s quite earthy, floral, and has some moderate pungent funk on the finish. I wouldn’t have known their was cocoa in it had the bottle not told me, but I guess I catch the subtlest of cocoa notes (perhaps placebo). The chili’s flavors are very subtle but actually give a pretty nice, non-descript heat to add a nice balancing component. ABV is pretty high for the style, but is not noticeable. Carbonation is on the lower end. Overall, this was interesting. I’m not a huge fan of the style, but Fantome tends to make my favorite ones (especially regular Fantome Saison and Printemps), this is far from those but I did all in all enjoy it and appreciate the uniqueness. I will say it’s the least chocolatey of any chocolate adjunct beer I’ve ever had, but I guess subtlety should be the name of the game in an adjunct laden saison.

Happy Halloween!

4.5/4/3.75/3.75/3.75

Clear, amber gold body; lively carbonation; relatively thin yet lasting head. Citrus emanates from the nose with a bit of white wine. A mild presence of cocoa noted in the taste; pear; earthy; a bit phenolic. Medium body; semi-sweet; a twinge of alcohol dryness.

Well, this beer didn't come across with any noticeable chili pepper heat or flavor. There is no bottling date information, so there is that, too. I don't know. The beer sounds like an interesting idea but some of the key parts are missing. I was expecting more, was delivered less.