BBT 2010 - La Brasserie Fantôme

Expectations were high when we reached La Brasserie Fantôme and we entered a very cosy building. The Fantôme himself, Dany, showed us around in his brewery. You could see that he is a hard-working man and a real enthusiast. Unfortunately for us he seemed to be in quite a hurry and the tour was very quick. I don't blame him though, he seemed to have a lot of work going on.

His wife then took care of us for some tasting of their beer and it was a relaxing and interesting experience. Fantôme experiments a lot with spices and according to me that's only positive. Too bad I didn't like all of his experiments but my guess is when Dany gets it right it will be fabulous. The whole place is very likeable and I hope to return there some day for more bizarre experiences.

Fantôme
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 4
A nice smell of Abricots meets the nose as it is poured. It tastes of a fruity yeast and you can sense some classical ale far away but the taste of this brew is unique. As it grows warmer it tastes a little like artificial strawberry. In a good way. What holds it back a bit is that it has very little after-taste.









Fantôme Chocolat
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 3
A chocolate beer that doesn't taste like chocolate. Instead it tastes like banana. It has a bitter after-taste and gets rounder as it grows warmer. More fun than good actually.












Fantôme Fleur de Bomal
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 3
This is bizarre for real. It scents and tastes like pencil sharpening. Very spicy, mostly oregano but even some other spices. I just now found out that oregano is actually used in this brew so I give myself an extra golden star for my developing tasting skills. It is a smooth beer but also a little sour. Also more fun than good.









Fantôme Hiver
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 2
The saison-brew for the winter. It smells like strawberries but unfortunately it tastes like canned mushrooms. It's acidic with a sour after-taste with hints of sweet licorice. Since I was scared of mushrooms when I was a kid and still have problems with the taste this beer is nothing for me. I guess it deserves a better rating but I can't honestly give it that.