Antigoon By Robert Wiedmaier - Brouwerij De Musketiers

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle I brought to share on the party bus to San Diego, CA.

Pours a murky yellow with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, yeast, spices, and some fruity aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some nice aromas and tasty flavors.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 01:02:33 | More by UCLABrewN84

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle - $9.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, lightly hued yellow body with a large, growing, white head.

Smell: Lightly sweet-scented maltiness in the nose, with a dash of ground spice, dried lemon rinds, and humble, low-priced floral arrangements.

Taste: Lightly malted barley, perhaps with a trifling inclusion of pils. Soft sugary sweetness at the start. Citrusy boosts of lemon juice, lemon verbana fold into a slight grassiness and underlying spice element. Lightly bitter. Growing Continental hop character and bitterness as it warms, though not overly so. Small bit of yeast. Dry, fruity, and certainly fizzy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Highly carbonated.

Overall: A tasty, refreshing Belgian ale. Sure, it's a bit gassy, but it's still quite good.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 14:35:36 | More by ChainGangGuy

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brouwerij De Musketiers - Antigoon
25.4 fl. oz bottle; $9.99 @ Total Wine & More, Claymont, DE

I love the painted label bottle, and the artwork on it. It's a great looking bottle, even if it is a little gory. It illustrates the Roman soldier Brabo cutting off the hand of the giant, Druon Antigoon, who, according to myth, guarded the river Scheldt and cut off the hand of anyone refusing to pay his toll and threw it into the river. Thus, supposedly, the name of Antwerp - "hand thrower".

Appearance: Its slightly hazy deep golden body teems with life as hundreds of tiny bubbles race upwards, taking their place in line beneath the frothy head of white that caps it. The head retention and lacing are both excellent.

Smell: Chalky yeast; grainy, lightly sweet malt; spicy; floral.

Taste: The spiciness and sweet malt dominate the flavor, with the spiciness bouncing atop the malt like a trampoline. Yeasty fruitiness remains in the "golden" arena with mostly apple, and perhaps a hint of pear. Quite floral. Some leafy and grassy hops are present as well; but the chalkiness of the yeast fails to cut through until the finish. It's backed by a solid bitterness that doesn't appear at first as it's masked by the sweetness of the malt but then becomes more apparent towards the swallow, and finally rises to its highest point in the long-lingering, bitter, spicy, and floral finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light in body with a creamy texture due to the effervescent, tiny-bubbled carbonation.

Overall: Charming!!! A surprisingly full-flavored golden ale with a brisk, spicy edge but an overall balance. Nicely rounded and polished. Quite drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 20:46:15 | More by NeroFiddled

drabmuh

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer on tap at a local Belgian restaurant. The menu claimed that the beer was brewed for that establishment and something else about a giant and a severed hand...I didn't read the whole thing.

Beer served in an Antigoon glass. Whoa. Beer is yellow and completely hazy with a big soft white head of small and medium bubbles, nice levels of lacing and moderate carbonation, head has some retention to it.

Aroma is spicy and yeast with a mild sweet and some nice grains. Smells like La Fin Du Monde's little brother.

Beer is relatively thin, mild sweetness up front but a relatively dry finish. Overall the beer is really nice, the yeast comes up on the midpalate like a flower and fills out the midpalate with this complex array of esters. I would have it again. I should research to see if this beer is truly only available at that restaurant or just in DC.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2011 03:11:04 | More by drabmuh

mdfb79

New York

3.9/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from 3/6/10 notes. Picked up at Rick's in Alexandria and brought to a local DC tasting.

a - Poured a murky, pale gold color with about one finger of white head and moderate carbonation. Lots of sediment evident.

s - Smells of yeast and fruit, mainly apples. Also smells of some spices. Nice Belgian smell.

t - Similiar to the nose, mostly belgian yeast and spices, as well as a little apple. A little bit of a sweet fruit taste to it.

m - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Very easy to drink.

d - Overall I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. Typical Beglian smell and taste, with some nice sweet apples coming through. It was very enjoyable and very easy to drink. Could definitely drink more of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 18:02:13 | More by mdfb79

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, dark golden yellow color with a two finger frothy white head that has very good retention, only slowly settling into a lasting ring that leaves streaks and chunks of soapy lacing behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with hints of grassy hops, bread and light fruit. There's also some subtle spice and a pale malt backbone. Hints of grass, straw and pine followed by some apple and pear as well as some subtle alcohol.

Medium bodied with a touch of crisp, earthy hops up front that provide a faint bitterness that slowly fades into dry finish. There's a slightly creamy texture mid-palate that adds to the mouthfeel and complexity of the beer. Not as earthy as the aroma suggests with only faint grassy presence. Sweeter than expected with a pale malt backbone along wither estery and bready yeast flavors. Hints of apple and banana followed by a touch of boozy sweetness in the finish. Not overly complex but well balanced, flavorful and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 09:21:31 | More by corby112

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.63/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a somewhat hazy dark golden with a thick and rather persistent off-white head that leaves some decent lacing. The bottle I got foamed like crazy, so open with caution! Strong aroma is fruity, mainly apple with hints of pear and orange, with a yeasty undertone and just a hint of hops. Rich, mouth-filling flavor is malty and fruity, a little sweet, with hints of butterscotch, banana and caramel as well as a touch of hops - it seems as though each sip is a little different. Dee-lishus! Texture is creamy and fizzy, leaving behind a tingly, fruity, slightly sweet, slightly hoppy and edgy finish. Heartily recommended!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 01:47:44 | More by Cyberkedi

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

LOOK: Deep gold with a white foam topping that has excellent staying power. Leaves behind a soapy sheet of lace. Poured with a good clarity.

SMELL: Juicy Belgian yeast with mild tropical and tree fruit notes. Somewhat musty and funky.

TASTE: Once again some juicy Belgian yeast fruit notes of raisin, pear and apple. Noble hops chime in with woodsy, grassy notes. Firm malt flavor, a rather bright and fresh tasting brew.

FEEL: Light to medium bodied, spritzy, drying carbonation. Drinks easily and is quite accessible. Not too strong, too full or too sweet, this has a nice crisp feel.

OVERALL: I've wanted to try this for a while now, and it was pretty good. A nice simple Belgian blonde. Paired beside a sharp white cheddar.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:43:05 | More by Stinkypuss

kylehay2004

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: single finger head with nice retention and lacing on a cloudy golden with crimson hues body.

S: Breads, cracker, yeast and both pineapple and banana citrus.

T: Opens with breads and yeast with herbal hops and moves to a very fruity finish with pineapple, banana and orange peel.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: this one is very refreshing. I know this because I drank it after walking through DC in July for 4 hours. Very clean and drinkable. The fruitiness is near perfect but the Belgian yeast and spices make you question just how Belgian this one is.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2012 22:21:24 | More by kylehay2004

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle courtesy of fthomasl pours very clear, light gold with a massive, airy white head that sticks around a good while and is very sticky. Awesome looking brew.

Nose is chalky fruit with some bright, grainy malt and light bread. Smells good, yeast is restrained but nice and estery.

Taste reminds me a bit of Delirium, grainy and simple malt profile with some chalky minerals and light fruit. A lot softer than Delirium though, and seems less bready. Hops are floral and quite saaz-y. Tasty beer, very glad to get to try it. Bonus points for the crazy-ass label!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 17:24:45 | More by twiggamortis420

smakawhat

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Good pop on the plastic composite cork. GOONEY GOO GOO!!

A real fluffy and large foamy white head is created on a slow pouring decant. Huge bubble bath lacing and character. Great crystal and slightly opaque body, glowing orb gold and orange hued color, a firey column arises up the middle. Great looking beer.

Nose is a little sticky but also a great ripping grain malt, some sweetness, mix of slight toasty light grains and honey.

Taste seems a little more subdued than what is being smelled. A solid malt backbone mixes with some yeast punch, but toned down on the finish. Mouthfeel hints at some prickly tight carbonation but doesn't quite get there. A somewhat vinous feel but not quite. Aftertaste has a little faint grass and quinine tonic sense.

Overall this felt like I was going to be wowed after smelling it, but in the end it's just very solid and enjoyable. That comes off as a disappointment, but by no means is this a bad beer, it's a bit basic, but a real good one.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 23:48:52 | More by smakawhat

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gotta try and find the story behind the label image. Strange! And pretty much the reason I picked this up. That, and the fact that their Troubador Obscura is great. Figured it was time to try another Musketiers offering.

Pours a quintessentially Belgian-looking appearance, which is to say it's stunning. 2+ fingers of a super-foamy, Styrofoam-stiff, snow-white head, sitting firmly on top of a hazy, sunny golden-yellow color.

Not only is the appearance textbook-definition "Belgian pale ale," but so is the aroma. If you love Belgian yeast and all that it imparts, you'll find this to die for (or get your huge hand chopped off for, like the poor giant on the label). So it's yeasty, reminding of bread pudding, with a healthy layer of sweet, succulent, but somewhat subtle fruits, especially peach, pear and green apple.

Big flavor here, a bit bigger than your more subtle and tempered Belgian pales, and in no way unlikeable. The fruits detected in the aroma come out stronger on the tongue, as if they're riding a wave of big alcohol, but at 6.8% it can't be just that. The yeast mingles nicely with the fruit characteristics, giving it a vibe somewhere between dessert-y and bread-y, and there's just a hint of earth/funk buried far below.

A slightly tart/sour aspect to the finish makes sense with the fruity impressions, and it finishes fairly dry although the yeast/fruit personality makes its imprint on the senses long after the sip. Bubbles are just on the soft side of sharp, if that makes any sense.

Fairly simple beer, Antigoon...I mean, how often did I write "fruit" and "yeast" and "bread"? That's it, in a nutshell, and that's just fine, because there are clearly nothing but quality ingredients being used here. A fantastically flavorful beer that counts as "sessionable" for me (my definition is more liberal: under 7%).

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 22:49:53 | More by Metalmonk

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a slightly cloudy light golden amber. Healthty three finger white head dissipates slowly to a half finger; nice lacing. Aroma of bready malt, Belgian yeast, light fruit, light caramel pleasant. Flavor is much drier than the aroma indicated, slightly sour light fruit, bitter spicing, light sweet malt. Crisp, dry light fruit and Belgian spice finish. Light to medium bodied, but active carbonation created a nice mouth feel. A somewhat understated, dry, well made Belgian pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 03:41:13 | More by LiquidAmber

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #55 (August 2011):

Brewed by Brouwerij de Musketiers for Brasserie Beck in Washington DC, Antigoon is named after Druon Antigoon, a mythical giant who terrrorized Antwerp and got his hand chopped off by a Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo. Pale golden, slight haze, creamy white lacing. Smooth, medium bodied. Toffee, strong spicy phenols, touch of funk in the nose. More caramel and toffee notes; sweet, malty, and a bit candy like with bready flavors. Musty. Peppery. Spicy phenols. Yeasty. Light lemony Saaz hop flavors. They all play well together in what’s a very flavorful Belgian Ale. Brabo would be proud.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 13:12:09 | More by BeerAdvocate

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 10.1.12.

A - Pours a slightly hazy, light orange with a large foamy light-tan head with large bubbles and good retention.

S - Spicy, black pepper and crackers, metallic yeast.

T - Spicy and floral with some bitterness and hoppy-metallic finish.

D - Good carbonation with a medium body.

O - Great art, great and unique brew all-around.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 05:24:03 | More by HuskyinPDX

Bung

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml. Bright gold pour with a very large rocky white head, even with a very careful pour.

Aroma, quite a bit of clove and spice. Some hay citrus and lighter yet caramel.

Taste has a bit more "paleness" to it. Heatlhy grassy hay and citrus hops. Some light fruit, the spice notes are really interesting. More citrus hops especially toward the finish. Light herbal resin lingers nicely.

Quite a bit of carbonation, keeps it lively, keeps it pretty drinkable. Works with the flavor profiles well.

A style not my favorite, but on a suggestion I bought it. Glad I did and for $9 really not to steep. Good for these extreamely hot summer days and nights in Charlotte.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 01:16:24 | More by Bung

CampusCrew

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +14%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this beer in Total Wine Jacksonville. It's now bottled and retailed.

appearance: lovely cloudy and golden glow with nice white very fluffy head rentention

smell: very high belgian yeast aromas, spicy, citrus

taste: wow, like it smells exactly. the spiciest belgian Ive had without the addition of spices. Nice. heavy clove, lavender mixed with citrus, and tropical fruits, best belgian pale Ive had.

mouthfeel: thin bodied, loaded carbonation

drinkability: a rare treat and amazing beer

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 14:27:01 | More by CampusCrew

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very pleasing and quaffable Belgium Pale Ale.

Presentation: 750 ml synthetic cork brown bottle. Screen-printed label shows an illustration of giant Antigoon bleeding profusely with a hand cut-off by soldier bravo. Shows a not very clear and easy to smear best by date on the cork (09/12 12). Notes Alc. by Vol. (6.8%). Served in a tulip glass.

A - Hazy deep gold pour, rich frothy head, nice retention and rich surface memory with fine lacing.

S - Fresh and pleasing nose, with sweet, fruity notes woven with spices and a yeasty touch. Peppery, shy clove, citrus, and a bit of honey in the fruity esters.

T - Taste expand in sync the nose with a rich spiced sweetness, nice and unusual hoppy touch. Fruity sweetness, a bit of pepper, clove, maybe cardamon...

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Bubbles are a bit more assertive early on but go down a bit to provide a sweetly tamed body that works rather smoothly.

D - This works fantastically as a Belgium Golden Ale, almost a session brew like the chef suggests but with a slightly bigger alcoholic range. Very nice and a rather welcome addition to the local landscape.

Notes: Nice and rich DC offering, with Chef Robert Wiedmaier providing a quality surprise with this house ale from Brasserie Beck. It reminds me that I´m long overdue to visit his establishment.

My impression, given that this brew is a Brasserie Beck by Robert Wiedmaier, and that it is contracted to the Musketters in Belgium is that it should be listed under Brasserie Beck and not under the contract brewery as it is typically the norm in these situations.

Likewise, I understand that this is far from being a saison, more so a Belgium Golden-Pale Ale, which would also seem to be backed up by the way that menu and brewers describe it.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 01:11:12 | More by Daniellobo

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A-cloudy yellow gold with a thick off white head

S-Awesome spicy pale Belgian grains. Smells quite raw. Slightly faint.

T-comes in with an awesome raw taste of pale spicy grains. This is actually quite awesome! Theres a good matching after-taste.

M-high creamy carbonation with a creamy finish

O-this is awesome! It tastes just about perfect for the style. It's also extremely drinkable! I love this!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 00:44:58 | More by AdamBear

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer is light golden and the pour results in a large white head. Excellent retention, good lace.

Very unusual (but nice) smell. Heavy on apple, with some bready malt and some Belgian yeast.

Taste is like the nose. Apple in a big way, bready malt, yeast, some caramel and biscuit. Some other fruit, perhaps pineapple. Slightly dry finish.

Medium bodied, highly carbonated, bready.

Overall, a pretty tasty and unusual BPA. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:41:11 | More by jrenihan

bennetj17

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright yellow appearance, lightly hazy. Thick plume of white foam reaches 2 fingers width. Lovely streams of carbonation rise about the sides of the glass. Lightly musty aroma with a touch of estery sweetness and the slightest suggestion of lemon. Not very spicy, a bit subdued overall, but still a nice bouquet.

The taste has a steady malt flavor that is lightly sweet and bready. Clean and dry up front with touches of spice and bitterness at the finish. There isn't an overwhelming complexity here, I find myself wishing for a bit more tartness or some funk, but it's still a straightforward good Belgian Pale. Perhaps it's just a tad too sweet being on the stonger side for the style. The mouthfeel is nice, with a light foaminess on the palate and medium body.

A decent example of the style, I was glad to try this beer. For the price ($9.99) I could probably find something else more interesting, but I might try this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 03:57:25 | More by bennetj17

Shaw

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Recommended to me by a Total Wine staffer.

I don't remember the last time I had a beer whose name was spelled out in a ribbon of blood pouring from the wrist of a giant whose hand had just been severed.

A beautiful golden color with a big foamy white head.

Lovely sweet and spicy Belgian yeast aroma.

The aroma carries over to the taste: It's spicy and earthy with light flavors of banana, clove and coriander.

Smooth body is almost fluffy.

Overall this is a very good Belgian pale ale. Well worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 03:49:05 | More by Shaw

KajII

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Trappist glass]

The pour was a medium murky golden yellow with an average sized (1-2 finger) white creamy head that had awesome retention, reducing to a thin white layer and having excellent sheets of lacing.

The aroma was of a grain malt and a moldy Belgian yeast with notes of banana, honey and citrus (orange and lemon).

The taste was lightly sweet with a touch of malt and a hint of honey at first and had a nice bitter-sweet yeasty finish with a big note of citrus at the end. The flavor lingered for a good long time with the yeasty bitterness lasting the longest.

Mouthfeel was light to medium in body with a creamy dry texture and a medium carbonation.

Overall a boldly flavored Belgian Ale without the heavy alcohol presence, very enjoyable...

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 18:05:09 | More by KajII

SilentSabre

North Dakota

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, lemon yellow colour with a large, snow white soapy head. Sticky lacing clings firmly to the sides of my glass.
Smell is delightfully citrusy with a bit of the dank basement, 'barn yard funk' smell associated with many Belgian styles.
Flavour is mildly spicy with a touch of citrus and a pleasant, earthy bitterness.
Mouthfeel is very smooth and well carbonated. A classic Belgian pale ale and wonderful example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 21:17:52 | More by SilentSabre

ckollias

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this 750 ml caged and corked bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Dark black with a thick dark brown ½-finger head that quickly dissipates and leaves a wispy lace.

S: Sweet fruity lemon aroma with hints of yeast and Belgian candies.

T: Sweet and slightly bitter flavor with caramel and Belgian candies.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: This is a great double blond brew. Great aromas and flavors blended nicely together.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 00:18:06 | More by ckollias