Fantôme La Dalmatienne (Dark)
Brasserie Fantôme

Rerate, 750 ml capped and corked green bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Hazy orange colour, large head, slightly off-white. The aroma has notes of spices and wood, hints of ripe berries. Slightly sweet flavour with distinct notes of spices and wood, followed by a moderate fruity acidity. Interesting. I’m upping it a few points. Original rating: Shared bottle at RBNAG 2011. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Special aroma, notes of farmhouse, wood and ripe berries. The flavour has the same elements as the aroma.

 

 

A 750ml green glass bottle with a BB of Dec 2018. Acquired ages ago from the Brewdog webshop. Sealed with a cap & cork; opens with a significant pop. The label doesn't give much away, except to mention that the ingredients include spices.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A rich marmalade-orange hue with good carbonation and some floating sediment (much hazier on the second pour). Produces a large head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before collapsing and dissipating.

S: Aroma of tart fruitiness with hints of funky saison yeast, sharp fruit, earthiness, hay, subtle herbs, a twinge of spice and a musty, vinous quality that lingers. Perhaps a touch of oxidation. Complex and intriguing but hard to place - this beer defies easy categorisation.

T: Tastes of musty yeast and tart fruit, with notes of earthiness, subtle barnyard funk, hay, mild grainy malt, a vague lactic sourness, faint herbs and a whisper of spice. Very dry, with little bitterness to speak of. Yeasty and vinous upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is tingly and bone-dry, with spritzy carbonation and good body for the style. Quite astringent. Aftertaste of tart fruit notes, earthy yeast, funkiness and faint herbs.

O: Charismatic but difficult to pin down. Perhaps that's the idea. Looks good, while the aroma and flavour are sharp, yeast-laden and funky, with hints of fruit and herbs. Nice body for the style. More acidic and vinous than a typical saison, but with more character. It's difficult to know what the brewer was aiming for, but the result is certainly unique. Worth sampling if you come across it.

 

 

 

 

Stomp when opened, good sign.
Nice amber orange color with a huge beige fluffy head with medium retention.
Aroma with notes of oranges, lots of mint, brown sugar, booze and caramels.
Flavor with vinous notes, lots of berries, pineapple and coconut, mint, herbal hops, caramel and slightly toasted malts, mild spices and oxidized apples.
Medium towards full body with medium carbonation. A bit sticky and its alcohol of 8% abv is definitely there.
Very sweet and fruity Saison like they had fermented just fruits, hoppier than average and with an incredible and diverse complexity. I found it a bit too sweet and boozy, though. Not that easy to drink the full bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Amber body. Huge white head. Great retention. Good lacing.

Smell - Very fruity. Yeasty. Some caramel malt. Nothing terribly complex about it but nice.

Taste - Again it's very fruity. Berry fruit. Grain. Mild caramel. Yeasty finish. Not a ton of other flavors.

Mouthfeel - Over carbonated. Not sweet. Medium light body.

Overall - No complexity, but I enjoy it.

Nice fluffy head, creamy lacing, dark hazy reddish mahogany color.

Nose candy sweet malts, caramel toasty, candi sugar, light grainy malt and maple candy like, little floral spices, bit of fruity esters and phenols.

Taste sweet candy malts, toasty reddish malts, candy sugar, light grainy malt, sweet syrupy, light floral saison spices but no saison, bitter slight earthy hops, fruity esters, light phenols, fairly bitter. Finish is sweet, candy malts, candy sugar, syrupy but dry, little sticky, light esters lingering.

Mouth is med to fuller bod, decent carb, sticky sweet.

Overall ok but nothing special.