Belgian Pale Ale Project – Brouwerij de Musketiers’s Antigoon by Robert Wiedmaier (#8)

11.2 ounce bottle decanted into an oversized snifter.  6.8% ABV.

Appearance:  This has got to be one of the longest lasting heads that I’ve ever seen.  When I first decanted it was about a finger deep, and it never really went away.  Towards the end it thinned out some, but the surface was never anything but white.  Incredible lacing down the sides of the glass.  The body is a rich, murky tan (4/5).

Aroma:  My first impression immediately following the pour was very bready, almost like pizza dough.  But that cleared out relatively quickly and was replaced by the aroma of fresh pressed cider.  As the beer warmed the malt came in, and blended nicely with the apples (4.5/5).

Taste:  Toffee and pressed apples.  A little peppery.  I catch a whisper of Saaz-like bitterness on the back end, but it’s very reserved.  Slightly sweet, and finishes surprisingly clean (4.25/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, medium carbonation.  A touch of astringency that feels like it may have come from the grain husks (4.25/5).

Overall:  Druon Antigoon was a fabled giant who guarded a bridge on the Scheldt River in Antwerp.  If you needed to cross, you had to pay his toll.  If you did not, he would cut off your hand and throw it in the river.  Things went south on the giant’s toll-collecting career when he encountered Brabo, a Roman soldier who challenged the giant and paid him back for all the hands he cut off by lopping off his.  This fateful scene is graphically portrayed on the label (the beer’s name is even written in the giant’s blood).  With that Belgian mythology lesson behind us, I would highly recommend Antigoon.  Definitely one of the best Belgian Pale Ales I’ve had thus far.  Between the bready malt, and the fresh cider taste, it was the perfect pint for fall (4.25/5).

-Matt