Good evening all. After six months of intense work and writing, I finally picked up the printed and bound copies of my dissertation today. As if that wasn't enough to justify celebrating, I also received a nice order from BrewDog containing, among other things, two bottles of AB:09, the latest offering in their ongoing Abstrakt series. Expect a review of that on the blog soon, but until then here's another one to keep you all satiated. The beer is Troubadour Magma, a Belgian IPA from Brouwerij De Musketiers, and the review is after the pic....
Troubadour Magma (9.0% ABV) pours a dark golden colour with a thick white head that maintains itself well during drinking. There's some lacing present in the early stages, and generally it looks like a fantastic Belgian beer. The aroma is surprisingly vinous- reminiscent of Mikkeller's barrel aged beers- with phenols, spice, pine, citrus fruits and a noticeable sweetness that supports the fruity hop aromas. There's also a herbal quality from the hops that resides in the background. The vinous aspect hits first, with the hoppy pine/fruit aromas being carried along by the yeast-derived phenols. Smells amazing, much sweeter than other Belgian IPAs such as Duvel Tripel Hop or Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, but that's definitely not a bad thing. The taste is more subtle than the aroma, with honey, resinous hops, citrus fruits, phenols and spice, with the spice lingering in the dry, slightly bitter finish. The aftertaste brings along more of the vinous quality, and the sweetness comes through after the hop flavours have resided. The mouthfeel is quite light despite the decent carbonation, but is still sufficient to support and compliment the flavours. The higher alcohol content certainly isn't noticeable which makes this dangerously drinkable (well, that and the great flavours and aromas!). Overall, a very good Belgian IPA that combines characteristic Belgian spice with a nice dose of sweetness that compliments the hop additions very well. If you're more of a fan of the spicier Belgian IPAs then go for the offerings mentioned in the review, but if sweeter flavours are more your thing then give this a try, you won't be disappointed.
Until next time....
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