Fantôme (Brasserie Fantôme) is a small

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

Soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. Founded in 1988 by Dany Prignon, it produces

saison Saison (French, "season," ) is a pale ale that is highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, and often bottle conditioned. It was historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern productions of the style have moderate to high levels of alcohol. ...

s, a type of farmhouse ale.

General

The brewery occupies a stone farmhouse on the main road through the village of Soy in the

Marche-en-Famenne Marche-en-Famenne (, literally ''Marche in Famenne''; wa, Måtche-el-Fåmene, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The municipality consists of the following districts: Aye, Hargimont, Humain ...

district of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

province. Founded in 1988, Brasserie Fantôme has gained international attention and a cult following among lovers of craft beers. Owned and run by Dany Prignon, Fantôme is known for its unique variations on the

style of farmhouse ale, often involving the use of herbs, spices or fruit juice. Ironically, while their complex, earthy, and herbal flavors have caused them to be sought out by connoisseurs outside Belgium, Fantôme's products are difficult to find and not well known in the country of their origin. The name of the brewery stems from a legend of the nearby town of

La Roche-en-Ardenne La Roche-en-Ardenne ( wa, Li Rotche) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg and the arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium. Lying beside a bend in the River Ourthe, the small town of La Roche-en-Ardenne ...

, which asserts that the ghost of the long-dead Countess Berthe de La Roche can still be seen walking amidst the ruins of the town's castle.

Production

The brewery's equipment, much of which was obtained from the original brewhouse of the

Brasserie d'Achouffe The Brasserie d'Achouffe is a Belgian brewery based in Achouffe. It was founded in 1982 by two brothers-in-law, Pierre Gobron and Christian Bauweraerts, as a hobby. In September 2006, the brewery was sold to the Duvel Moortgat brewery group. ...

, is capable of producing 750 liter batch at a time, which is matured in cylindro-conical fermenters and aged for several weeks before being hand bottled and labeled on the premises. Beer is made about once per week, with many of the specialties being produced only once per year. Fantôme's products are available only in corked and capped 750ml bottles of green glass and on tap. Fantome-ccs

Beers

*''Fantôme Saison'' (8.0%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

), their flagship product, a fruity, strong take on the

Saison Saison (French, "season," ) is a pale ale that is highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, and often bottle conditioned. It was historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern productions of the style have moderate to high levels of alcohol. ...

style. Described as "Intense — maybe too intense — flavors of orange, peach and strawberry; a lot going on." *''Saison d' Erezee'' (varies from 6.0% - 9.0% ABV) A quarterly product named for the season (Printemps - Été - Automne - Hiver) that varies in its formulation each year *''Fantôme Chocolat'' (8.0% ABV), made with

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civil ...

*''Fantôme Speciale Noel'' (10.0% ABV), a Christmas beer with a spicy character *''Fantôme Brise-BonBons!'' (8.0% ABV), a particularly

hop A hop is a type of jump. Hop or hops may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film * Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel * ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom * Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s an ...

py beer *''Fantôme Pissenlit'' (8.0% ABV) made with

dandelions ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

, literally "wet the bed" in French. Described as "highly spicy with touches of pepper and slight grass and floral notes, a touch of lemon-lime citrus." *''Fantôme Black Ghost'' (8.0% ABV) A dark beer whose formulation has changed over time. *''Fantôme Strange Ghost'' (8.0% ABV) *''Fantôme La Dalmatienne'' (8.0% ABV) An amber-colored winter offering. *''Fantôme BBB Babillard'' (8.0% ABV) Produced based on the results of a members' poll from a popular online beer enthusiast forum. In addition to those listed above, there are many special and one-time products made at the whim of the brewmaster. Custom beers have been made on commission for bars, such as the Circus Fantôme created for the now-closed Beer Circus in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...

, UK, or on behalf of charity, like the Fantôme Santé.

References

External links

Brasserie Fantôme Official website

Brasserie Fantôme listing on RateBeer

Brasserie Fantôme listing on BeerAdvocate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantome Brewery Breweries of Wallonia Organisations based in Luxembourg (Belgium) Érezée