la Brasserie FANTOME
Have you ever wondered, “Where does this beer come from?” “How did it get here?” “Who makes this beer?”
With our tour through the Ardennes region in Belgium, we come to Fantome. Located in the town of Soy, Dany Prignon uses his talents to creates many incredible beers using local ingredients like dandelion flowers, mustard seeds and chocolate to name a few.
As Dany walks us through his brewery, I notice lots of similarities to my homebrew system. This brewery is not a state of the art, top of the line brewery. There are no bells & whistles to be found. What you see is practical brewing at its finest. Many brewing items are one of a kind, custom build pieces. Not everything is brand new and shiny, yet this is were the magic of this brewery shines. Dany’s hard work, innovations, brewing knowledge, talent and style come shining through. As he shows us his mash tun, lautern tun and boiler, Dany has an excitement for his craft that permeates the room. After fermentation, we see the simple bottle filler, corker and separate capper, all accomplished by hand. The dedication of the craft Belgian brewer really starts to come out in Dany’s tour. You can see the hours he spends putting the finishing touches to his art, sometimes having family come help bottle. Then the bottles hit the bottling line, being dressed with one of many labels that define his beer style, but keeps the mystery of what he really spices each brew with. We end our tour back in the front bar. Dany opens the bar on the weekends for the locals to come have a glass of his art. He pours us several beers, some from his two taps to others in bottle. We ask Dany was spices he uses in some of his eclectic brews. He only smiles at us, giving us that I have my secrets grin, and says, “I don’t remember” thick with a heavy French accent. The delicate flavors of spices, herbs and flowers play off each other, some bringing out the flavors of the malt, while others dance off the hops bitterness. Hints of mustard seed, ginger, anise, lavender make you wonder what is in this Strange Ghost, with its orange copper color brew. Lots of perfume aromas fill the mouth, almost forgetting that this is a beer, not some strange elixir of years past. Yet, as a beer, the complexity is not overwhelming. You see the mastery of years of perfecting his concept of what a farmhouse brewery should product. You taste his stamp of flavors, so unique, yet on the board of the style. Next we taste the Saison, fizzy with carbonation, citrus, biscuit, malty, peppercorn, tart finish, all the while showcasing a beautiful white Belgian lace head, with its delicate tiny bubbles, almost like cream… How does he do that??? The more time we spend with Dany, the more he opens up. He shares his love of old cars, showing us photos of his restored classics.
We ask about the BBB beers he has brewed for the Babble Belt. He shares with a smile that he was happy with how they have come out and would be happy to do another in the future. Dany shares with us that he isn’t really a beer drinker, shocking us all, as he occasionally has a Westvleteren 12, if he must… The pallet of coca in the corner of the bottling room starts to make more sense, then it did on the tour.With all his energy and passion for life, I reflect on when I see his ghost labeled beers on the shelf of my local bottle shop; this beer is made here, from this brewery. I am humbled as a brewer, as a beer geek, as a beer drinker. After seeing what we have seen of an eclectic brewery, a unique and warm brewer, sharing his craft with us, at 10:45 am, I smile. I will no longer just see a bottle of Fantome on the shelf as just another bottle of beer. I am reminded where my beer comes from. How Dany takes so much pride in his craft, creating art and sharing it with us in the US. I think about what I like to drink. Where I choice to spend my dollar and who it supports. I know who made this beer and am delighted to drink another one now. Thank you Dany. 
