Fantôme La Dalmatienne (Light) - Brasserie Fantôme

Reino

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1pt 9.4fl oz bottle poured into an oversize snifter.

Note: This bottle was given to me out of my bottle store's cellar. It foamed over upon opening causing the yeast to stir and resulting in yeast being poured into my glass on both pours. The bottle was well cared for and had no "off" tastes or aromas.

Apppearance-- The beer poured a cloudy, ruby-amber hue with a solid head that fought the good fight for quite some time. If you judged the texture of this beer by its appearance, you would think the beer had the mouthfeel of a warmed gelatin. The yeast appeared almost suspended in the liquid, even though the carbonation appeared to be ample. Perhaps my glass was not cleaned well enough, but I have to call it how I see it, and the lacing of this beer leaves something to be desired. Maybe the yeast being in my pours had something to do with it, but I'll buy another one and change the score if that's the case. Otherwise, lacing was on the low side.

Smell-- Fruit and a funky medicinal phenolic scents battle it out at first. As I let my nose dive deeper into the snifter, the medicinal phenolic smell seems to be paired with a biting kalamata olive scent and faint black pepper. This would be a bit off putting if not for the fruit, which is incredibly hard to nail down as to which fruits I'm actually smelling. It changes as it warms, but I think I've settled on dried apricots and mangos, figs and a hint of orange rind. Perhaps a bit of light, bready malt, as well. The aroma is a complex one, and I'm not going to pretend like I can pick out everything, but for the reviews' sake, just know that it is very good and interesting.

Taste-- Fasten up and let me take you on the bizarre ride that is this beer's taste. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and after tasting it, I'm still not sure I have a grasp on what I experienced. The notes this beer induced seem manic, but I'll try my best to make sense of it all. At its coldest point, the beer's taste was dominated by the same fruits I experienced in the nose mixed with the same medicinal/olive-y funk: dried apricots, figs, band aid and kalamatas. But as it warmed a bit, the spicy pepper made itself very well known at the finish and buddied up with some alcohol spiciness. The alcohol was similar to the spiciness you'd get from a good vodka. The fruit remained at the forefront as it warmed, but the band-aid funk came early and tried to get to the end before succumbing to the pepper and alcohol that lingered on my tonsils and back of my throat. The funk sort of takes on an yerba mate tone towards the very end, with that earthy, astringent, vegetable taste. There is also a touch of caramel in there, but this beer is incredibly complex and above my pay grade.

Mouthfeel-- At first it has a medium-low carbonation which suits the beer just fine, but it quickly gets to a lower carbonation point that I find very pleasant. There is very little tartness to be found, and the gooey, gelatin-like appearance starts to reflect the mouthfeel. Some tart or hoppy beers feel like they're taking something away from the tongue, leaving it dry and abused, but this beer coats and messages it. My tongue feels smoothed and refreshed by this brew. It makes for quite the pleasant experience, allowing me to really appreciate the complexities that I'll never be able to explain.

Drinkability-- A bit torn on how to score this one. On the plus side: the beer's tartness is very well in check, as is the carbonation and the flavors, which are complex, but aren't so overwhelming you can't enjoy a few. I myself drank a bomber alone and didn't regret the decision. On the negative side: it provides enough complex flavors that in the long run it may grow tiresome and overwhelming if you tried to drink more than an entire bottle, and has a fairly high abv that sneaks up on you, even with the alcohol presence there to remind you to slow down. When it comes down to it, buy this beer if you see it. It is very interesting and worth your money and time.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2008 06:53:12 | More by Reino

laituegonflable

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a shiny gold colour with no head. Thin film around the edge with dense bubbles. Decent lace. Not bad, but not great.

Smells sweet, honey and nutty. Lots of almondy notes. Sweet predominantly with hints of Belgian phenols on the back. Marzipan, pecan and peanut. I'm definitely missing the funk here.

Wow, world of difference on the palate. So sour. A lot better, and yet still a bit simple and underdeveloped. Peanut notes, some chestnut, with tart vinegar character and some lemon/apple cider notes. Not particularly interesting, just tastes a little unnuanced to me.

Tart mouthfeel with pull from the yeast. A bit dry and acidic, but not bad.

Maybe it was a mistake following Logsdon's excellent Seizoen with this, as this just doesn't taste right to me. Tartness is there but there doesn't seem to be much else.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:07:31 | More by laituegonflable

CelticAleMan

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-20-2013 00:08:51 | More by CelticAleMan

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -1%

05-15-2013 00:22:06 | More by JAHMUR

ADTaber

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

03-15-2013 13:49:23 | More by ADTaber

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

02-08-2013 08:24:31 | More by schopenhauerale

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

01-28-2013 02:43:44 | More by oglmcdgl

baybum

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%

01-27-2013 13:23:40 | More by baybum

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%

01-27-2013 00:01:53 | More by Rifugium

JasonSiedman

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

12-30-2012 00:54:05 | More by JasonSiedman

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1%

12-23-2012 16:34:51 | More by rfbenavi80

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From: Gifted by CE, from somewhere in AZ
Date: None on bottle
Glass: New Belgium globe glass

Pours a light beige head of about 1cm, composed of medium to large-sized bubbles, and with below average retention (lasting under a minute). The head fizzes away to a thin ring around the glass, leaving a few modest spots of lacing along the sides of the glass. Body is an orange-amber color, transparent, with light bringing out a somewhat bright, rust-orange color. Carbonation is visible and fairly substantial, streaming up from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is nearly candy-like sweetness with light toffee, hints of brandy, and lavendar/mint-like herbs. Not unappealing, but not particularly appealing, either.

Front of palate picks up light toffee and brown candy sugar-like sweetness. Mid-palate is brown candy sugar sweet, with prune esters, brandy, and medicinal or cough syrup-like flavors at times; it also includes a bit of "damp woods" like tastes, powdered cocoa, and potpurri-like herb usage. Back of palate picks up faded cherry-in-syrup flavors, toffee and brown candy sugar sweetness, and faint ethanol. Lingering aftertaste of medicinal/cough syrup sweetness with hints of brown candy sugar and prunes. Overall, quite complex, but perhaps overly sweet and a bit unbalanced in this regard.

Beer is medium-bodied, with slight wateriness around the edges. Carbonation is low in intensity, resulting in a smooth, though fairly stagnant mouthfeel that is just slightly foamy. Closes dryly, with little residual stickiness across the palate, despite the sweet flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 03:59:23 | More by falloutsnow

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml capped and corked bottle purchased from K&L Wine Merchants in Redwood City, CA. Shared with @tobeerornottobe and @LaitueGonflable in Sydney as part of our Fantôme tasting day.

It uncaps without as much as a thunk, and pours similarly: rather flat and heavy. A mild ring of white forms around the edge, but otherwise it looks uncarbonated and pretty dense. Colour is a pleasant slightly hazed golden hue, and it picks up the light nicely: giving it a glow. Overall, it's not bad-looking, but is missing some of the key points of the style and the brewery.

Holy crap, what's going on here? Sweet and sour intensity, like heavily oaked botrytis semillon, with a hint of earthiness and a phenolic, gueuze-like bite. Some marzipan almond acridity. This is very strange: possibly just wrong.

Taste is similar, but maybe a bit better: apple and pear cider characters come through along with a pronounced acidity, and a slightly herbal and slightly carbonic bite on the finish. It feels rather thin, however, and has very little residual body: it's this more than anything that makes me believe this is not how it was supposed to be.

To be honest, I didn't hate it, even though it feels like this sample is infected with something that wasn't meant to be there: the stronger acidity is actually an interesting addition to the base Fantôme beer, which still managed to retain some character. But this is less good than it should have been, I feel, and I wonder just how much this has veered off from its goal.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 06:19:25 | More by lacqueredmouse

SPRichard

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

11-06-2012 00:45:47 | More by SPRichard

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours an almost perfectly clear golden yellow color, topped with an inch of fluffy white head, nice retention, leaves a bit of spotty lacing.

S- Really interesting aroma, lots of fruit (apple, pear, a bit of citrus) as well as strong spice, musky earth and yeast notes. Some clove, pepper and caramel malt as well, it smells awesome, and evolves as the beer warms up.

T- Similar to the nose, quite fruity with lots of apple, pear and a bit of citrus. There's a really perfect amount of tartness that I wasn't expecting from a saison, but it works really well. There's also some mild caramel malty sweetness in the center, with a dry, spicy finish. Musty, earthy yeast pulls everything together.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth and creamy, drinks pretty easily for 8.00%, although it's on the fuller side of medium.

O- A great saison, has a massive amount of complexity and character, the tart flavors also add a nice new dimension to the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 20:07:49 | More by WillCarrera

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-cloudy gold with a thick cream colored head

S-fairly funky. Some spices. Caramel. Medium strength

T-comes in with a taste of some funk, but actually...it mostly tastes like sweet BBQ? I'm not lying. It's very odd. It tates almost smokey. After-taste is matching.

M-medium creamy carbonation with a watery finish

O-well, I never had a Saison like this before. Seems like it'd be a good summer Saison. I wonder what the dark version tastes like. Definitely goes down well.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 00:16:01 | More by AdamBear

cbnz

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

09-28-2012 17:14:13 | More by cbnz

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

09-01-2012 22:13:56 | More by t0rin0

larryi86

Delaware

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a tulip

A- A hazy golden copper color with a two finger white head.

S- Barnyard funk, earthy, a little sour, some light fruits, herbal, floral.

T- Funky, earthy, sour lemon, sweet apples, some sweet malts, floral, herbal, ashy/off finish that really throws everything off. The finish isn't as off putting the more I drink this.

M- Crisp, light body.

O- I like the nose and the beginning of the taste, but the finish hurts this beer a lot. I feel that drinking a whole bottle isn't an issue. This is the second beer I have had from Fantome and I am not really impressed, I seem to have really bad luck with getting good bottles...

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 02:19:17 | More by larryi86

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

Pours a gorgeous golden color with some bright yellow notes and some nice haze to it. There is a nice 1 inch white head with some density to it but not very dense. White soapy bubbles are formed and they recede at a moderate pace. Not leaving any real lacing.

Strong funk notes. Old horse blanket and some nice corn husk notes a-plenty. It's been a while since I've smelled a true Belgian saison. Herbal and spicy notes are present including some nice fresh grain notes.

Grainy flavors start things off with some malt and some nice tartness. Lemony and citrusy juice notes are present and mix in with the funky horse blanket. There are grain notes mixed in with the tart notes and the funk. Interesting take on the style. Crisp and clean with a nice dry finish.

Pretty good saison. Fantome doesn't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 22:48:59 | More by JoEBoBpr

BilbosNuts

California

4.2/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Pours a very cloudy dark yellow color with no head at all. It appears very still with limited to no carbonation.

S: The aroma is amazingly complex. Earthy, funky, sour apples, lemon, grapefruit, grassy. All aspects are balanced as well, as none overpowers the other.

T: Not quite up to the standard set by the aroma, but it is still solid. Definitely more lemony and grapefruit-y in the taste. While the other aspects are present, they aren't as well balanced as the aroma.

M: Medium bodied with minimal carbonation. Very smooth with a crisp, tangy finish.

O: I really enjoyed this saison. It was honestly unlike any other saison I've had so far. While some aspects were a bit flawed, overall, it was very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to trying more from Fantome.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 03:10:36 | More by BilbosNuts

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1/2" off-white head that dissipated quickly over amber liquid.

S: Oak, horse barn funk, floral and earthy hops.

T: Just like it smells. Horse barn funk and sourness, oak, malt along with a floral, earthy, and citrusy finish.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of fine carbonation.

O: As unappetizing as I have described it, this beer definitely is interesting and it begs for another taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 02:32:50 | More by DaftCaskBC

gunclubchris

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

05-17-2012 01:26:53 | More by gunclubchris

deapokid

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -25.7%

04-16-2012 17:37:48 | More by deapokid

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Honey colored with white head that dissipates quickly.

Smell is strongly lemon with some funk.

Taste follows the smell initially. This is very tart. There is some definite horse blanket quality to it. Very little bitterness in the finish. Dry finish.

Mouthfeel is dry with average carbonation.

Overall good, but I am less of a fan of sours.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 11:21:48 | More by TrappistJohnMD