Fantôme Chocolat - Brasserie Fantôme

emerge077

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the 2nd bottle of this particular Fantôme i've tried. Since bottle variation tends to be higher for the brewery, i'd consider this to be the minimum for a review.

The deep amber body is capped by a thin film of foam. Not especially effervescent in the carbonation. Crackling bubbles appear with a strong second pour. Some minor bits of sediment hang in the tulip glass.

Smell seems to open up as it warms. An earthy sweetness is predominant, not especially in line with a chocolate character though. This is a Saison, and true to style. Mildly sweet and spicy.

Taste is earthy again, somewhat sweet and bitter. Lingering dusty earth and mild, spicy capsaicin tingle in the finish. The chili pepper element is extremely subdued and not hot at all. Not really dry like other saisons, mouthfeel is sort of flat, with malty sweetness. Honeyish tone also appears in the finish.

A 750mL bottle is no problem to finish, but it's a good one to share.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2006 02:45:08 | More by emerge077

ADTaber

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-13-2013 23:42:51 | More by ADTaber

cgentzkow

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

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

tectactoe

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
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 -1.1%

03-02-2013 20:24:29 | More by GRG1313

Seaba

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

02-28-2013 14:18:14 | More by Seaba

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -47.2%

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

mportnoy

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

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

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

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

LambicKing

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

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

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

3.81/5  rDev +0.5%
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 -1.1%

02-11-2013 18:11:24 | More by Hanzo

impending

California

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
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 +9.2%
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 +4.2%
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 -7.7%

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

AgentMunky

Alabama

2.93/5  rDev -22.7%
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

pwoody11

Delaware

3/5  rDev -20.8%

11-03-2012 00:42:53 | More by pwoody11

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bottle purchased and poured at Avenue pub, NOLA. Pours a golden hay with great thick lasting foamy head into unibroue tulip. Funky sour saison aromas; a little lemony citrus but its bright. Taste is of very pungent funk, sour, crisp citrusy sasion, but followed by a very subtle chocolate flavor. Really really nice. It actually works well, although it seems gross on paper. Nice dry finish as a saison should be. Again, a great unique saison from the master.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 23:53:28 | More by DrinkSlurm

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 10.7.12

A - Pours a hazy medium orange with a very large off-white soapy head that fades down very slowly.

S - Tart lemons, hay, grass, wood.

T - Roasted malt, smoke, tobacco, leather. Some subtle funk throughout along with some chocolate.

D - Tons of carbonations with a light body and a smokey finish.

O - Looks Belgium, tastes smokey and dark chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 06:18:57 | More by HuskyinPDX

gpawned

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

10-06-2012 20:28:13 | More by gpawned

srhoadsy

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at Stein's in New Orleans this past May.

This is a very different and complex beer. Served in a large tulip. It pours a very hazy blonde with an inch to an inch and a half of white head that slowly dissipates but leaves a long lasting surface layers of fizz.

Smell is an immediate blast of brett funk and stale citrus with a slightly smoky background. To me it was like a smoked champagne aroma.

Tastes follows suit with a peppery farmhouse funk and sour aspect. That smoky background carries through in the flavor. As it warmed and I swished it around I did get a slight taste of bittersweet cocoa on the back of my tongue.

Mouthfeel is crisp, sharp and dry with a high level of carbonation but still maintains some malt sweetness.

Overall this is a decent beer. Not something I would search out again, but if you are into funky, complex beers. This one is definitely worth a try. Next time I would serve in a flute instead of a tulip.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 02:39:23 | More by srhoadsy

Magery

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

09-24-2012 21:10:19 | More by Magery

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.28/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml split with the wife.
Served in Tripel Karmeliet tulip.

A - Pours a hazy apricot with a creamy eggshell head that sinks forming a thin cap. Speckled lacing left behind.

S - Astringent and sharp brett yeast, barnyard funk galore, pungent lemon, soured hemp, moldy fruit, oranges, seasoned curly fries, peppery spices,

T - Peppery spice upfront, dried orange peel, honey bread, earth, arugula greens, dry bitter cocoa wicks away any moisture on the palate creating a bone dry and bittering finish.

M - Smooth feel, moderate creamy carbonation, bitter dry finish.

The aroma is full of sharp funk. The cocoa works well because it's a bitter chocolate rather than sweet. The cocoa along with the chili powder add dryness and bite and marries well with Saison characteristics. Loved exploring this beer and wish I had some cheese to pair it with.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 01:11:31 | More by StaveHooks

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +5.5%

09-01-2012 01:38:07 | More by t0rin0