Breweries "Visited"

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Of Beer and Taxes

Beer #127 Antigoon / Brouwerij de Musketiers, Ursel, Belgium

Spent the day finishing my taxes instead of just enjoying tons of beautiful spring sunshine.  I get that I need to pay my share, but man it hurts to see the amount I fork over to Uncle Sam staring at me from the page.  I wonder if I can deduct the cost of beers purchased as a business expense for this blog?  Or, I wonder if I can establish beer as a religion and gain a tax exempt status for my "house of worship," sort of like a liquid Rastafarianism?  Lawyers, accountants - get at me on this one.  Curious to hear your thoughts on creative beer related ways to lessen my tax burden next year.

And speaking of beer, I know we have another 238 beers/breweries to cross off the list, but I feel safe in stating the Antigoon from Brouwerij de Musketiers has without a doubt the most unusual label.  It's basically a giant with his arm cut off at the elbow, a river of blood washing his severed hand away.  Whaaat?  Clearly this beer means serious, violent business.

When you pour it in the glass, it doesn't look like a monster.  Instead, you get an effervescent hazy apricot with a white head that lingers as you drink.  Your nose picks up light aromas of malt and bread, and the taste has a sweet flavor of bread and banana.  There's a little funky bitterness in there as well.  In all, not overly complex, but a very good beer.  If you're in D.C. or if you can find a Total Wine and Spirits near you, pick one of these up.

Lend you a hand?

Antigoon was initially commissioned for a Brasserie Becks, a restaurant in Washington D.C., although this beer is now available in limited distribution.  There's no mention of it on the brewery website - they only have their Troubadour line of beers listed.  Because I know you're wondering, the inspiration for the beer name and artwork was Druon Antigoon, a mythical giant from Antwerp who guarded a bridge and cut off the hand of travelers who couldn't pay the toll.  Guess they didn't have EZ-Pass.  Well, he did that up until the day a Roman soldier cut off Antigoon's hand and threw it in the river, thus ending what was I'm sure a huge problem for morning commuters.  I guess people have never enjoyed paying taxes, likely never will.

Thing to Think About Today:
So many things to think about!  Mythical road rage giants, taxes, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Very busy day.  If this beer is Antigoon, let's go ahead and think about The Goonies.  Will the Truffle Shuffle ever stop being funny?  I doubt it.


Hopefully you're all getting an income tax refund.  Use it to buy beer!

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