Fantôme Chocolat - Brasserie Fantôme

Lexx

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy, muddy orange color with white head and some lacing. The scent is a sweet cocoa powder orange with hints of spices. The taste is a bit underwhelming at first, (I was expecting a lot) earthy and with the flavor of orange rind. The finish is relatively lovely, cocoa with a bit of pepper seed bitterness on the sides of your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2007 00:37:58 | More by Lexx

DeanMoriarty

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

06-16-2013 15:14:13 | More by DeanMoriarty

lilnicky068

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -20.4%

06-15-2013 19:48:30 | More by lilnicky068

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -20.4%

06-15-2013 16:46:05 | More by djrn2

acurtis

New Jersey

2.75/5  rDev -27.1%

06-15-2013 16:41:27 | More by acurtis

TheRuss9585

Vermont

2.25/5  rDev -40.3%

06-10-2013 17:32:09 | More by TheRuss9585

nzerbe

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-31-2013 10:22:25 | More by nzerbe

cnbrown313

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-28-2013 16:40:25 | More by cnbrown313

zrab11

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-27-2013 13:10:42 | More by zrab11

ADTaber

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-13-2013 23:42:51 | More by ADTaber

cgentzkow

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-10-2013 15:26:41 | More by cgentzkow

tectactoe

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep and murky, dark-amber-ish color with a HUGE light-beige head that pillows up and leaves nice lacing behind. Not what I was expecting from a beer with "Chocolat" in the name, but I guess you never know what to expect from Fantome. And I love it. Still looks pretty good for a saison.

First whiff is pretty fruity with a light tartness to it; ripe, green apples, white grapes, light cherries. Each successive sniff puts more and more of that funky-ass Belgian yeast in my nose. Wet wood, musty cellar, corky. Maybe not the funkiest thing out there - but it's still pretty damn funky. I think the tart fruits keep it in check a little bit. Some very mild spice on the end of the aroma, though I wouldn't say chili powder like the bottle advertises. It doesn't smell "hot" or anything... just like some kind of weird spice. But not chili powder. No chocolate to be found in the nose, or at least not that I'm picking up.

The taste provides a very solid mixture of fruity and funky - balanced well for how strange Fantome stuff usually is. Pears, apples, grapes, all tart - not quite to the level of puckering, but borderline. Once the sour washes away, a delicate sweetness forms from these fruits. The fruitiness is met with funky yeast, cork, musky cellar, and wet barnyard notes. Funkalicious. Although it's a bit lighter on the palate than in the aroma - tart and sweet are the real kings, here. Some other seemingly random spices make their way in... still not tasting like chili powder, and still no sign of chocolate. The beer, however, is still pretty delicious. Medium bodied with heavy carbonation.

Chili powder and chocolate are apparently in this beer. I taste/smell neither. But the beer was still very good - classic Fantome funk with a nice cloud of tart and sweet fruits. This almost tasted more like a sour/wild ale with brett rather than a straight up saison. In any case, I liked this one much more than reviews on this site would indicate. To each their own - you can all feel free to send your Fantome my way!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 23:25:15 | More by tectactoe

GRG1313

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

03-02-2013 20:24:29 | More by GRG1313

Seaba

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

02-28-2013 14:18:14 | More by Seaba

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -46.9%

02-25-2013 09:19:34 | More by RobertColianni

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

02-25-2013 02:23:27 | More by mportnoy

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

02-25-2013 00:10:37 | More by rolltide8425

LambicKing

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

02-16-2013 21:19:40 | More by LambicKing

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

3.81/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served from a tall bottle into a tulip glass; consumed in front of a fire on a cold night.

Aroma: Very power fruity esters. Sharp, with some sweet and malty notes. Clearly a saison, right out of the bottle.

Appearance: Straw color and cloudy, with some sunlight around the edges.Some head; good lacing.

Taste: Very sour up front, but there's something there that's breaking up the flavor. I got no chocolate, which on the one hand is OK because that's not called for by the style, but on the other hand this is supposed to have some chocolate flavor. The only way to describe this flavor is "short"--there's no lasting impression as I usually get from a saison. But the fruity, lemony, clove flavors were there, and of course got more complex as the beer warmed up.

Mouthfeel: Sharp from the carbonation, but it drinks well.

Overall: A nice beer with decent flavor. I don't think this one was "off," but it was a bit disappointing for all the hype it gets.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 13:00:30 | More by Beerstorian

Hanzo

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

02-11-2013 18:11:24 | More by Hanzo

impending

California

4.08/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-

750ml into a tulip. Pours a slight hazed pale golden yellow, dense head, nice lacing.

Aroma is classic earthy saison, clearly Fantôme. Lemon citrus, wet grass, old damp hay with a hint of sour.

The flavor includes the citrus and brett. Interesting spicing but no chilies no chocolate. Conforms traditionally. A tiny touch of citrus tart announces the aftertaste with a nice sharp dry twang. Thin smooth mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 06:08:54 | More by impending

mynie

Indiana

4.14/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The phantom was as much as blob as he was a gust of air. Whenever I saw him it was in the sense of putting the pieces together post facto, like how after sex or a trauma we narrativitze the few specks we’re sure of into a relatable story, replete with made up stuff like meaning and motive. He’d breeze by four, five times in an evening—always in my home, at night, and always right when my thoughts were turning bleak—and each time there’d be a very different sense of him that nonetheless felt distinctly like Him; he couldn’t have been just a memory or a windgust.

His face was all crust and pantomime. His hands were nothing but fingers and they only appeared when there was real trouble afoot. Thinking back now, trying to get a clear enough mental picture so as to describe him through type, all I remember is text. It’s like how when you read Ulysses or The Sound and the Fury for the first time and the lines of words are so very word-like and ropey. And then later, after a guide or teacher has explained what you were exposed to, your mental image is of actual pictures where the background are drawn ascii-style, out of typeface.

Or maybe it’s only me who reads like that, who can’t quite bridge the gap between immersion and mediation. Maybe I’m too much of romantic to dismiss the supernatural out of hand, but too much a product of my time to believe in ghosts full-bore, as see-through children who float above our beds at night and only give us kisses when we’re deserving.

I want to believe. But I can't.

http://mynie.com/?p=113

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 18:30:50 | More by mynie

kojevergas

California

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A chocolate saison, eh? Normally I'd be extremely skeptical; it sounds like the kind of thing Brew Dog or The Bruery would attempt, fail at, and somehow successfully sell at a marked-up price. But if anyone can legitimately pull it off, it's Fantome. 750ml green glass (come on!) bottle with pressure cap over a cork and an appealing label served into a New Belgium stem-goblet in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the brewery. Cost was $22.00

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm considerably over the course of consumption. Poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Paired with couscous and pretzels (don't ask...)

A: Pours a two finger white colour head of nice cream and thickness, and great retention (~7+ minutes). Lacing is decent. Body colour is a dull lemon-brown on par with dirty straw. Nontransparent; non-opaque. Hazy. No yeast particles are visible - at least not this high up in the bottle. No bubble show.

Sm: Lemon citrus esters, brett yeast, soft rustic esters, heavy crystal malt, pale malts, and sweet crystal sugars. Lacks spice for a saison - especially one from Fantome. A moderately strong aroma. Very appealing, but not as complex or subtle as anticipated given the brewery. I don't get chocolate at all, nor do I get any peppery saison notes.

T: Crystal malt, bright lemon esters, some more rounded full fruit esters, yeasty banana and clove, soft bretts (seamlessly integrated into the balance), pale malts and derivative sweetness, and full luscious clean barley. Light lemongrass comprises the foundation. Very refreshing, with hints of lactic notes complementing the clean pleasant feel nicely. No alcohol comes through. I don't get any chocolate though I really look for it. It's quite enjoyable, and delivers a lot of complexity - though it lacks the subtlety and clever balanced spicing present in many other Fantome saisons.

Mf: Light, tingly, smooth, wet, and near perfectly carbonated. Ideal thickness. Good palate presence. Feels tailored specifically to the flavour profile and complements it as such. Even a bit buttery.

Dr: Exceptionally drinkable, especially considering the (well hidden) high ABV. I expected some chocolate but found none, yet it remains an excellent saison. Another delightful beer from the masterful Fantome, but it won't be what most expect. I'd happily get it again, and I certainly regard it as among the finest saisons I've ever had.

High B+

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 04:32:37 | More by kojevergas

chippo33

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

12-21-2012 03:49:44 | More by chippo33

AgentMunky

California

2.93/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice.

A: This bottle erupted in foam, then the chalice I poured it into is full of foam, then the bottle foamed over again. The 'head' is three fingers large, and fades slowly. Huge, sticky lacing.

S: Skunky as all get-out. Hint of spice, hint of tang, faintly unpleasant. Lemon zest.

T: Interesting....Lemon zest was spot on, as this is a tart, acidic beer. I wonder how much, if any, is attributable to spoilage. Actual taste is pleasant though, with lemon, light pepper (jalapeno?), and very little chocolate, other than perhaps a lightly chalky bitterness.

M: Dry, sparse, lightly carbonated, and generally barebones.

O: Is it good? Kinda? I think my bottle is atypical, but this can't even approach the level of

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 08:12:47 | More by AgentMunky