Brasserie Fantome - Quirky and Awesome
About an hour south of the city of Liège in the Ardennes forest, the tiny village of Soy is home to some of Belgium’s most interesting beers. It is the home of Brasserie Fantôme and its owner/operator, Dany Prignon. Fantôme beers have a cult following in the U.S. and Europe, but are barely known in Belgium itself. Fantôme makes unique and interesting Saisons, often adding spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers in some wild combinations. Fantôme is committed to keeping their beers “local” and recipes rarely stay the same from year to year.
Charlie (left) with Dany Prignon (right)
Founded in 1988 by Dany Prignon, Fantôme is one of the best examples of Belgian brewing creativity in practice. The “ghost” theme is a reference to a local legend in the nearby town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, where the ghost of Countess Berthe de la Roche has reportedly been seen walking in the ruins of the town’s castle.
When we recently visited the small brewery, deep in the Belgian countryside, we found a small, but efficient, 6.5-barrel brew system that consisted largely of equipment from the original Brasserie d’Achouffe. On that particular day, Dany and his assistant were bottling beer on their somewhat manual bottling system. All of Fantôme’s beers come in green 750 ml corked and capped bottles or in draft kegs. The brewery brews once or twice a week, or whenever Dany is in the mood.
Fantome’s Mash Tun, Hot Liquor Tank, Fermenters and Bottling Syste
Dany is nothing short of a great host and he served us an amazing array of beers, including his flagship Fantôme Saison. One of the most unusual was a delicious green-colored beer made with green tea and spinach. When we asked Dany why he wasn’t joining us drinking beers, he admitted that he doesn’t really like beer, preferring Coke instead. Go figure!
Fantôme’s beer lineup is diverse and somewhat quirky. It includes:
Fantôme Saison – the flagship beer that is both complex and intense with musty notes of strawberries, peaches and citrus. 8.0% ABV
Fantôme Saison Printemps – an autumn beer. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Saison D’Erezée-Eté – a beer that changes its recipe each year. 6.0 to 9.0% ABV.
Fantôme Pissenlit – made with dandelions and showing grassiness and spice. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Chocolat – made with chocolate. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme La Dalmatienne – an amber winter beer. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Black Ghost – a dark beer. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Speciale Noel – a spicy Christmas beer. 10.0% ABV.
Fantôme Brise-BonsBons! – a hoppy Saison. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Strange Ghost – a dark beer full of surprises. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Magic Ghost –Green Tea-Spinach beer. 8.0% ABV.
Fantôme Blanche – a white beer. 4.5% ABV.
Fantôme Dark White – brewed with black pepper. 4.0% ABV.
Fantome’s Cozy Taproom
In addition to all of these, Fantôme makes quite a few one-offs and special beers (like a mushroom beer), depending on Dany’s creative mood and the availability of seasonal ingredients.
Fantôme beers are quirky but awesome, and are well worth hunting down. They are truly an experience in Belgian creativity!