Flo Saint-Antoine, a dark beer and the memory of Blehen
In Blehen, Brasserie du Flo brings village life into conversation with brewing craft. Saint-Antoine, a dark beer with caramel notes and a fresh, bitter finish, recalls the local guild.
A village brewery with a second life
In Blehen, in the municipality of Hannut and the Waremme district, Brasserie du Flo presents itself as a small-scale brewery with an educational role. Its official history begins in 2004, through the initiative of Louis Fraipont and in connection with the Saint-Antoine guild. The contemporary project thus has a specific link to village life.
The story has also included a pause: production stopped in late 2017 because of the condition of the equipment, before a new team resumed activities in 2019. Telling this story avoids suggesting an unchanging tradition. Behind a bottle are investments, decisions and people who bring a production facility back into use.
Saint-Antoine, a dark beer with a meaningful name
The Flo beer listing describes Saint-Antoine as a dark beer with caramel notes, light sweetness and a fresh, bitter finish. Its name refers to the guild in Blehen. Caramel here is a flavour description supplied by the maker, not a reason to assume a specific undeclared ingredient.
When discovering a dark beer, distinguish colour from strength: one does not automatically reveal the other. Check the bottle label for its alcohol content, ingredients and serving advice. A small amount is already enough to explore the relationship between initial roundness and final bitterness, without arranging a succession of large drinks.
The Flo, once a natural skating pond
The most endearing anecdote concerns the brewery's name. According to its owners, the Flo was a body of water opposite the brewery whose size changed with the seasons. In winter, children skated on the ice. A simple village memory thus becomes a beer name and a link between generations.
The brewery also offers an educational introduction to brewing. Check activities, group arrangements and appointments before coming: the contact page specifies visits by appointment. The photograph depicts Blehen Château in 2021 and locates the village; it shows neither the tanks nor a château visit included in a brewery tour. Drink in moderation.
Photos and credits
Photo 1 — Blehen Château in Hannut in 2021, giving the village setting of Le Flo without depicting the brewery. Eebie · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source.
