750 mL, corked and capped, the usual presentation. Brewed 19-20 August 2022.

Modest pop on removing the cork. Pour gives a lovely tangerine, marmalade color with some light haze and a nice, rocky, white head. Head is only moderately retained, and leaves little lace.

Nose has some tangerine, orange based bitterness that is not particularly perceptible, but just about is.

Tastes are mostly citrus bitterness initially, and they largely stay that way even as the beer warms. It’s not really a hoppy bitterness per se, but much more like an orange peel and pith bitterness. The battering effect lingers through the back-end and aftertaste. Quite soapy and the bitter elements build throughout.

For me, not much signature, herbal element that one usually expects with Fantôme, so in that regard this is a little atypical.

It’s a little one-dimensional for a Fantôme beer TBH. One has to understand that’s not a knock on the beer, rather a simple comment on the usual intense and amazing complexity of Dany’s beers. I wish that the orange element was a touch stronger to counter the bitterness slightly, because they are natural bedfellows.

The beer is still incredibly tasty, and drinkable, but it seems like a chance was missed to make sometime really special.