Fantôme Blondinette de Printemps
Brasserie Fantôme

Served in a wine stem. Pours a lovely honey-colored hue with a dense, half-inch, bright white head embedded with pinpricks and ringlets. Clarity is hazy. Nose reveals herbal notes, hints of citrus rind and perhaps a trace of coriander. Taste is herbal/herbaceous/medicinal. Medicinal quality lingers between quaggas. Mouthfeel is light in body with an assertive carbonation with a mild astringency at the back. Overall, not my favorite from Dany, but not the worst either. Would pair well with cheese.

 

Saturated egg yolk orange, foggy clarity, a dollop of meringue whip on top. Lasting lace all around the glass, like the interior crater after a bubble pops in a car wash. Boom, suds everywhere.

Aroma is floral with a little phenolic pepper, yeast driven and a load of fresh cut botanicals on the back end.

Dried nectarine, hints of creamy banana-like pawpaw fruit, resiny green hops that linger into the bitter aftertaste. Floral and phenolic yeast, peppery.

Medium bodied with a smooth texture, effervescent carb. So easy drinking. Glad I picked this one up, and will continue seeking out new Fantôme til the end of my days. #DANYP4LIFE

Appearance: Pours a somewhat cloudy golden color with a one finger head; decent retentiona with squiggles of lace

Smell: Tart wheat, herbaceous and grassy tones with hints of bitter orange

Taste: Herbaceous and bitter, at the outset, with toasted wheat bread and citrus peel emerging; the finish is herbal, though it is hard to place the star anise and cinnamon as the source of those flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: A lot going on here (and that is no surprise coming from Fantome); the herbaceousness is not something I am digging

Very glad to find Blondinette at The Beer Temple... where I also bought a stange-like cylinder that Fantome approved with their ghost logo for a promotion at TBT two years ago.

In that stange, Blondinette Looks right at home and the foam clings beautifully. Smells are earthy, herbal, grassy with a balanced bit of farmhouse funk. Tastes are balanced, sort of; because the prominent hops will not pair with the wide range of foods that I like to test saisons with. While the hops almost steal the show, they contribute to some very good palate-cleansing for sautéed foods, I'll bet. Tonight's meal was pedestrian leftovers. Blondinette made the meal.

Todd just sent out his newsletter indicating that Fantome is For Sale. I'd almost like to get in on that, but why have the headaches of worrying about a brewery when drinking the fruits of their labor is more fun. While Fantome may be one-of-its-kind and a dying-breed, others are taking its place in North America. A more likely resolution of the owner of 35 years wanting to retire is a brand manager buys Fantome and builds its fan-base beyond us. All good, but probably less quirk.

Bottle. Typical Fantome big head. Earthy, herbal, maybe mint, touch of medicinal/Brett, saison funk/spice, very floral. Grassy.

Dry feel, but smooth. Nice offering from Fantome. Love the hops.