Who You Gonna Call? Not the Ghostbusters!

The spooky sounds of autumn still creak by for some of us. Sparking scraping of metal rakes overrides the hushed rustle of dried, dead leaves. The wind and impinging cold trick our primitive brains into bringing forth visions of Samhein, Dia de los Muertos and dancing legions of specters.

Barring Casper, the wandering spirits suffer a lousy reputation in our culture. The victims of exorcists and pesky proton-pack-powered purveyors of poltergeist purgatory—can we not lend them a little dignity via a beer-powered séance?

I’ve never made secret my love for Soy’s crazy brewery Fantôme or the madman tourism director-turned-brewer Dany Prignon. Whenever I feel like I’ve outstripped my potential for madness, I think of Dany. The day I spent at the brewery, I never once saw him touch a beer, only double espressos (his hair signals the caffeine intake—*sproing*). He laughed profusely during my visit, but I think that was mostly from watching a fat American wheezing and shoveling out the mash tun while drinking gallons of his beer.

And what beer it was! His regular Fantôme surprised me—slightly sweet, creamy and orange—the most amazing orange sherbet boozey punch you’ve ever had the grace to taste. Yet, in the weeks/months Dany’s bottles and kegs sit waiting for a container to take them across the sea and to your local shop, the beer morphs completely. Sweet orange flavors disappear, replaced by a bracing lemon peel and funky Brett character. As it ages, the flavors deepen, but the tartness never reaches unbearable levels. Bear in mind this all applies to Fantôme’s standard Saison. Dany is so famous amongst geeks for his wacky produce additions—dandelions, gourds, chiles, etc.—that the tickers and chasers forget just how damn spectacular his “regular” beer is.

Recently, life conspired to bring Fantôme back to my mind’s eye. The first was discovering a five-plus-year-old keg of Fantôme sitting in the brewery. Seriously, I’d forgotten I’d split a keg with friends years back. (Does this mean I have a problem?) I would share, but even I’m not that munificent! Secondly, recluse Jonny dropped off a tiny pure yeast culture he obtained while volunteering at the Bruery. If that’s not a sign to get brewing, then I’m hanging up the pots. Sadly, life got in the way: What with that whole eviction scandal (see earlier this year), the brewery sat idle and the culture cooled off in my fridge.

Although I like to brew “Super Saisons,” it’s a violation of the Geneva Yeast Convention and a stupid idea to take an abused sample straight into a big beer. No, this set of bugs needed some TLC in the form of a starter beer: Thus, Lil’ Ghost was born. A blend of Pilsner malt for base mixed with oats for creaminess, Carapils for body and Aromatic for spice, with sugar for dryness, yields a beer far closer to an old-school Saison than Fantôme’s offerings. Straight out of the font, the beer had that strawberry and citrus character that people seek and within three weeks, the yeast offered an impressive tartness—a ton of flavor in a 6-percent beer.

Armed with a 5-liter slug of yeast cake, Big Ghost took shape as an autumn celebration beer (Falcons’ 35th anniversary). Given that I wanted a bunch of beer for the party, the club and I brewed 31 gallons. Desiring stronger malt for the stronger beer, I ditched the Carapils and added Munich. Once the slurry finishes snacking, I expect a malty, complex and dry 11-percent ghost that’ll scare anyone, no matter how many unlicensed nuclear accelerators they may be packing.

LIL’ GHOST SAISON
For 5.5 gallons at 1.054, 34 IBU and 5 SRM (75% efficiency – 90-minute boil)

Malt/Grain
7.0 lb. Belgian Pilsner malt
1.0 lb. flaked oats
0.5 lb. Carapils
0.25 lb. aromatic
1.5 lb. light brown sugar

Mash
150°F Saccharification Rest 60 minutes

Hops
1.5 oz. Hallertauer Tradition | (6%) | 60 minutes
1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings | (2.6%) | 20 minutes

Yeast
2 quarts Fantôme Yeast (sub two bottle dregs or your favorite strain)

BIG GHOST SAISON
For 5.5 gallons at 1.092, 52 IBU and 7 SRM (86% efficiency – 90-minute boil)

Malt/Grain
9.75 lb. Belgian Pilsner malt
3.5 lb. Munich malt
0.75 lb. flaked oats
0.25 lb. aromatic
1.0 lb. white sugar

Mash
149°F Saccharification Rest 60 minutes

Hops
0.9 oz. Magnum | (14%) | 90 minutes
0.5 oz. Saaz | (3.6%) | 0 minutes

Yeast
2 quarts Fantôme Yeast (sub two bottle dregs or your favorite strain) ■