The Cannibal Ale Review #71

The Cannibal Ale
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV:  7.2%
Part Of The Bottle Reserve Collection
750ml Bottle Poured Into A Iron Hill Brewery Pint Glass

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Maple Shade, New Jersey
The Restaurant Chain Is Named After The Hill In Delaware On Which The Battle Of Chooch's Bridge Took Place
2008 First One Opened


For those of you who don’t know, this beer has a story behind it. I’m a bike nut and I’ve always wanted to name a beer after the Cannibal, partly because I think it’s a cool name for a beer and partly because he’s one of my heroes. The Cannibal by the way is Eddy Merckx, a Belgian who raced in the 60s and 70s and whom many consider the greatest cyclist in history. He’s kind of the the Pele or Babe Ruth of cycling. He was called the Cannibal because he was said to devour his opponents. Basically if you were in a race and Eddy Merckx showed up you were now racing for second place. So we made this strong Belgian beer in tribute to a strong Belgian rider. We also brewed it in celebration of the Tour De France and the bike club Iron Hill founded. This beer always goes on tap on the first day of the Tour and stays on tap through the Champs de L’elysee. We also save a keg that we break out every year at our thank you party for the organizers of the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium. So this beer is pretty steeped in cycling culture.

Appearance:
14 Karat Gold Color
A Veil Of Foam Tops This Blond
Head Diminished To A Respectable Cap And Lasted Throughout
Relaxed Carbonation
Soapy Window Wash Lacing
Brilliantly Clear Clarity

Aroma:
Melon-Citrus Aroma
Honey Dew
Cantaloupe
Plantain
Lemon
Lime
Slight Curacao
Nectarine
Tangerine
Authentic Biscuit
Caramel Nose

Mouth Feel:
Quaint Refreshing Nature
Metallic Tang Feel
Medium Bodied
Wickedly Dry Fruity Finish
Lemon And Lime Belgian Sour Aftertaste
Tangy/Sweet/Sour Balance
"Duvel Beer Clone"
Citric Burn Beer
Sessionable- The Price Will Kill You, Instead Of The ABV
Slight Drinkability- I Felt The Brew Had To Much Tangy And Cloying Sweet Flavors Overpowering This Beer
Smooth And Chewy
Semi-Velvety Texture
Formidable Alcohol Bite

The taste is pretty dry, in fact definitely dry and it has a fizzy, carbonic texture that certainly helps this perception. A soft, cracker like grain character is found in the middle and is joined by a suggesting of pale malt character that is not quite sweetness, but sort of there. The beer has a fairly light body, especially for its strength, but doesn’t seem to quite achieve the light bodied character of Duvel; this is still quite quaffable though. There is a touch of fruitiness to the flavor, but nothing like the levels that were noticeable in the nose. There is a touch of dusty grain character in the finish, that might be the only real sign of age at this point, though there is perhaps a touch of a boost to the malt complexity found in this beer, both of these are slight though and this beer is certainly holding up quite well.
 


3 Out Of 6
Don't Want A Sixer