Troubadour Magma - Brouwerij De Musketiers

glb3

Washington

1.74/5  rDev -55.5%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75

Overly hopped Belgian ales is just a really bad idea. The two flavor profiles do not go well together. I believe that the hop profile of Belgian ales should be gently stitched into the backround. Belgian yeast strains married to a properly malted barley is a beautiful thing. A menage a trois with some big hops might sound interesting, but it just messes things up.
This particular selection was unattractive to look at. The color was OK, but it was cloudy and filled with rather large suspended particles...even after carefully pouring into a glass; too much reliance on bottle conditioning rather than secondary fermentation. I found it to have too much carbonation, and too large of a head.
Spend your beer funds on some of the other great Belgian ales at your disposal. This one was hard to swallow.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 06:46:58 | More by glb3

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

1.93/5  rDev -50.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle poured into pint glass; review done from notes taken at my sister's apartment. A little over-carbonated, as it began to rise up through the neck of the bottle before I could get it poured. Indication #1 that this beer may be "old", but I can find no freshness info on the bottle, so my review continues.

A: pours a hazy light orange with a thick foamy off-white head. 4.0

S: bisquity and earthy sweet, with a twinge of citrus hops and cotton candy sweetness. 2.5

T: malty sweet, with citrus on the back end, but no bitterness to balance it out. Overly sweet, cloyingly so, with that "cotton candy" sweetness that indicates to me it is beyond it's freshness. With no discernible freshness date, I can't confirm my fears, so I review none-the-less.  Triple-IPA? I think not... 1.5

M: thick and syrupy, this beer appears to be properly carbonated but you can't feel it through all the thick syrupy sweetness in the mouth. 2.5

D/O: this isn't very enjoyable at all. Not repeatable. 1.5

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 20:14:00 | More by psuKinger

largadeer

California

2.08/5  rDev -46.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Draft at Gourmet Haus Staudt. Cloudy, ruddy copper body; magma is an appropriate name. The head is small but retains well, leaving webs of lace behind as it falls.

The nose is more tripel than IPA. Very estery and phenolic, the yeast nearly overwhelms the hop aroma. This smells a lot like sulfurous dried fruit, peaches or apricots in particular. Spiciness is present in the form of clove and white pepper. There's a mild herbal hop note buried beneath. Not a ton of sweetness is noticeable, maybe a hint of dark candi sugar.

Spiciness and fruit carries over on to the palate, but there's a more dominant herbal, somewhat metallic or mineral hop flavor. Dried fruit and caramel flavors lend a touch of sweetness, but it's a more dry beer on the whole. The finish is only moderately bitter, but it has a metallic and herbal astringency that seems to linger entirely too long.

This becomes a bit of a chore to drink after a while; I'm not crazy about the interplay between the hops and yeast. Too much astringency, not enough hop flavor. I'll pass on this one in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 02:37:03 | More by largadeer

stcules

Italy

2.55/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Orange, quite hazy. Creamy white head.
In the smell ripe pear, apricot in syrup, and sugar and molasse. Too sweet.
The hop?
A bit better taste, less sugary and less ripe fruity.
Warming and alcoholic, but after a bit, quite boring.
Eminently alcoholic aftertaste.
Not balanced, not really inviting for a second taste.
(ps. Belgian IPA?)

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 20:37:11 | More by stcules

Jesse13713

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance - Awesome frothy lacing on this one. A completely opaque and cloudy amber-orange color that suits the name of the beer.

Smell - Smells of a spicier Belgian yeast. Strong hints of orange and caramel litter the nose as well.

Taste - The taste is hard to pinpoint here. Full of Belgian yeast and honey. Slightly sugary with floral notes. Faint hops.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability - Slightly sweeter than I expected. Definitely a sipper and overpriced at $4.99 for an 11.2 oz. I realize this is a short review, but this beer was just not at all that interesting to me.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 04:25:24 | More by Jesse13713

AgentZero

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

jrallen34 brought this to our recent tasting. To preface, I dislike most Belgian IPA's, although I have had a few I like.

A - Cloudy brownish-orange color with a two finger, white head that left minimal stick on the sides.

S - Some fruit, phenol, hops, belgian yeast, seems pretty typical of a Belgian IPA.

T - Some bizzare chemical and yeast flavor that tasted kind of skunky. Little bit of spice and hops, but I just didn't like much.

M - Medium bodied, dry finish.

D - I didn't like the beer enough to drink tons of it, perhaps I need more exposure to the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 00:48:06 | More by AgentZero

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to drabmuh for picking this bottle up for me. Poured into a snifter.

Pours a light golden copper color with a two-finger head with great retention and thick lacing. There is a great cap throughout. The nose is quite plain with a faint yeast character and a very minor amount of hops. Slightly sweet with a bit of peach. Taste is sweet and a bit grainy without any real hop or yeast character. Quite puzzling. A bit sweet and really not much else. Light caramel and stone fruits could be in there, if I try to throw out another few characteristics. Medium body and slightly cloying. Overall, not a big fan of this.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:16:12 | More by Thorpe429

TheWhiskerReview

Tennessee

3.15/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tasting sample pours a pale orange with some frothy head and wet lace.

Nose has a big, bready pale malt with some estery apricots and a big, noble hop earthiness. Some other, more delicate hop aromas of lean orange, flowers and herbs contribute also.

Palate is full bodied with a very dense, bready malt and a sizable earthy hop bitterness. This beer seems very big, and though it's an IPA, I think I'd prefer it aged. Any fruit is minimal and the spice and eventually very big alcohol take over on the finish- a lingering dryness at the very end with some more delicate notes of earth, flowers and citrus blossom.

Not bad but I don't think I'm a fan of this Double Belgian IPA style as it would seem to be at 9%, at least not fresh maybe. It's just a little out of whack and needs some time to come together.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 20:28:58 | More by TheWhiskerReview

danmcg62

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-Pours an deep orange color with a big white head. I noticed ther is some grayish matter floating in the beer. Not sure what it is (yeast maybe?). Don't know what to make of this.

S-A real spicy, bready smell with various citrus fruits as well. Mild hop smell.

T-Very malty, hoppy. Mild citrus taste. Not too bad.

M-Real thick and chewy. Not overally drinkable.

O-Overall this beer is just OK. Don't know if I'd ever get it again, but glad I gave it a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 01:34:35 | More by danmcg62

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a Troubadour tulip (proper!). Poured red-orange with a two and a half finger slightly off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, citrus, citrus hop, earth, and earth hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, citrus, citrus hop, spice, and big sweetness. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. First off, the sweetness on the flavor of this one was almost too much as my score will attest to. Luckily there were some citrus notes that helped to bring it back to an average brew for the style, but there was really no real balance going on here which was very saddening to me. Glad I got the chance to try it, but doubt I would order a glass again if there were other options available.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2012 11:44:02 | More by thagr81us

StlHopHead77

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 vintage

A-Poured a thick,turbid,peachish-orange body with yeast particles suspended throughout.A 2 1/2 inch tall,firm and resilient,bone white crown sat atop it and left thick rings of lacing on the glass.

S-Big,overripe citrus and stonefruit smells dominate with some scents of clove,bubblegum and bready yeasts as well.Candy sugar and a floral hop quality are also present.

T-More citrus and spice initially.Navel orange,clove,sourdough,peach Jolly rancher and baked sugar finish.

M-Medium bodied with a flavor profile that reminds me of a dry-hopped Witbier.Unique and relatively well-hidden ABV.

O-A more hopforward Belgian IPA than I've experienced before.Good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 18:02:26 | More by StlHopHead77

Zorro

California

3.3/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear copper colored beer with a tall yellowish white head.

Smell is sweet and hoppy. Toffee and coriander with leaf tobacco scent. Scent of apple skins and olive oil.

Starts out semisweet and woody with a strong tea flavor. Distinct wood hop flavor here lots of strong tea. Not really tasting like a Belgian IPA here, much more like an East Coast IPA with English style hops. OK I am disappointing, expected more.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall average at best. Save you money and buy the American version.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 01:50:36 | More by Zorro

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.33/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle served in a glass goblet.

L - murky with a few floaties, burnt-orange color with a creamy beige head that left some sticky lacing behind.

S - Belgian yeast and spices.

T - spiced yeasty taste the hops are not too prominent and really only yield a slight bitterness on the dry finish.

F - medium bodied with active carbonation.

D - it went down easy enough.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 20:47:39 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Pours deep amber with a fading head.
Very sweet smelling aroma of confectionery, golden syrup and spicy hops.
Similar flavours, sweet malt and spicy, herbal hops. Also some booze giving a harsh, slightly industrial character.
Carbonation is a bit too high.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 01:08:53 | More by CrazyDavros

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy orange with a one and a half finger fluffy white head. The head does not leave much in the way of lacing though. The aroma is of tropical fruits up front along with some sweetness, and a hop bitterness at the end of the nose. The taste follows suit. The beginning of the flavor is of citrus and tropical fruits, sweet not bitter fruits. There is a hint of belgian yeast and spiciness in the middle before a decent bitter hop bite at the end. The flavor is balanced but not as good as some in this class. The mouthfeel is a little thick and sticky with moderate carbonation. Overall the beer was solid, it wasn't best in class for this style but a solid decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 20:57:42 | More by goblue3509

MikeB20

Delaware

3.35/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

P: 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Pours a hazy amber with a large foamy off white head. Lacing is very nice and remains throughout the glass.

S: A little barnyard typical of some Belgian yeasts. Lots of caramel sweetness with some alcohol. The hops have a citrus character to them, grapefruit and orange peel come to mind. I'm getting some sourness as the beer warms.

T: Lots of caramel up front with a solid bitterness to finish. A rind-like flavor from the hops. I thought there would be more complexity but it's fairly straight forward, sweet and then bitter. The Belgian yeast flavors are faint, as they're probably overpowered by the hops. Not really what I would consider an IPA but it's stated as such on the label.

M: Moderate body and carbonation. Slick on the tongue with some lingering bitterness.

O: I wasn't sure what I was in for when I poured this beer, I was expecting a highly hopped Belgian and for the most part that's what I got. It has some Belgian characteristics and some more of an IPA but it doesn't really blend either to that great of a result. The hops end up being more bitter than flavorful and the Belgian notes are lost on your tongue. This isn't a bad beer by any means, just not a great one.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 20:42:31 | More by MikeB20

ONUMello

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle poured into a goblet
A: Muddy orange with a gorgeous one-finger head that lingers
S: Raw grains, citrus, toffee. A bit of what I would describe as a cheese aroma comes through as it warms up. Pleasant & complex.
T: Sweet, with yeast, bread, citrus juice, then a brief hop kick at the end. Interesting, but disjointed.
M: Thick & not super easy to drink.
O: Love the nose, not so much a fan of the rest of it. Interesting to try, but would not be a repeat purchase.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 04:06:09 | More by ONUMello

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: cloudy amber orange color with a thick, foamy off-white head that lasts for a long time. I see a lot of floating matter.

S: citrus, fruity esters, thick malt smell, and some yeast

T: bitter and citrus hops with light malt and fruity esters and yeast flavors

M: very smooth, highly carbonated, and creamy/foamy with a medium-heavy body

O: This beer is heavier and creamier than other belgian IPAs I have tried. It's good, but not incredibly drinkable. I'll have it again in a few years when my preferences change again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 23:13:04 | More by Holland

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at TJ's Everyday in a tulip glass.

Troubador Magma came in the glass looking faded orange with some bright bronze swimming within. Just some sparse white bubbles on top, no lacing. Smell is fairly malty but there is also some bright citrus hops rounding out with a whiff of alcohol. Some grain makes an appearence after a bit. On first sips, this tastes more like a weak barleywine to me, it just has that bigfoot taste to it, though watered down if that makes sense. Tastes of rancid pine, highly bitter(like a fresh bigfoot) with light tropic fruits. The belgian yeast while there, is not as pronounced as some in the style. This is more American than Belgian IMO. Feel is sticky and insanely bitter especially with the aftertaste. Carbed up very low, but enough to make a dent. Glad I tried it, this is a unique beer, and it was a good kickstart to the weekend with the 9%

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 14:37:11 | More by onix1agr

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I have heard of this beer for quite some time, but it recently became available in Texas, so I am giving it a try. I had between this and the stout to choose from...so I chose the Triple.

Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy burnt orange color with about a 1/4" cap of light peach colored foam. After the pour, the head kept rising and is now a solid inch. Even after I am half-way through the beer, the head is still solid and there are sheets of lace left on the side of the glass. If this beer would have been clearer, it would be gorgeous...but I don't see how that would have been possible with all of this hop presence.

Aroma: I initially got a healthy dose of hops, being a medly between citrus and floral, but the citrusy hops are definitely a keen player here. There is a good bit of malt here, which adds some toasty notes along with a dry wheat. There is a little bit of the alcohol noticeable even through the foam as a peppery spice. As the beer warms up, the alcohol is starting to become more noticeable.

Taste: The flavor is more balanced than I thought it was going to be from the aroma. The hops are a huge player in this beer, no doubt, but there is enough fruity characteristics added by the yeast to muddle up the whole hop citrus thing so that the beer finishes a bit confused in a bit of a fight for dominance right there on your palate. The hops win in the end, but the malt doesn't go down easily. As the beer warms, the bitterness is becoming a bigger player in the finish and they are starting to show a grassy note.

Opinion: This is a pretty decent beer. I am not a huge fan of hoppy beers, so I am obviously not the best judge of this one. It has a nice balance, but it doesn't hit your palate as excellently well blended as most Tripels do. The hops want to be in charge too bad, so it doesn't really let the beer do its thing. I don't know... I am enjoying the glass that I have, and will probably have another one since my palate is blasted because of all the hops, but this isn't one I would have very often at all.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 08:16:07 | More by SkeeterHawk

david18

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a twelve ounce glass of this at DBGB on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It was described as a double IPA, no mention of Belgian. To my taste, it was pretty much a standard double. It was good, not great.

Appearance is cloudy with a thick head that faded pretty quickly.

Aroma was of intense hops combined with alcohol. Not much in the way of yeast or malt.

Flavor, on the other hand, was quite balanced among the three elements but a little on the hot/alcohol side.

Overall, a beer worth trying but not the best Euro-American IPA tht I've had.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2011 19:39:34 | More by david18

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a 10.5oz tulip for $8. Sampled 10/15/10.

A: Arrives with a finger plus of fluffy/creamy almost purely white head with great retention. The body is a murky honey-amber with transparency only when held to light. Lacing begins to coat the glass in sheets, becoming torn as the drinking continues. A collar and thin film persists.

S: There is a rustic hop quality to the nose, medium in intensity by American standards. General citrus up front, with light orange rind more specifically in the background. The yeast has an earthy doughy presence, which is relatively prominent. The malt bill produces aromas of caramel, straw and toffee. Slightly solventy.

T: The taste favors sweet caramel malt sweetness, backed by toffee, gently easing into orange hop flavor with warming alcohol not far behind. Bitterness is low.

M: Creamy and full with average or below levels of fine fizzy carbonation. Semi-sweet at first and dry on the finish.

D: [DRINKABILITY] Pretty average brew and not particularly exciting. I won't be ordering another.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2011 19:15:16 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

Cresant

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured this 11.2 oz. brown bottle into a Tripel Karmaliet glass. The cap had an inkjet date: 23/003/12. ? The body was a dull and turbid greenish-copper color. The head was off white/light tan and was quite tall, leaving splotchy lace.

The smell was simply flowery and fruity.

The taste was moderately yeasty with dirty hops. There was a nice lingering bitter finish. Spicy and rather drying.

The mouthfeel was medium in body and somewhat creamy.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 15:36:29 | More by Cresant

sweemzander

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a hazy golden orange/peach colored hue. Produced a giant frothy white head with near perfect retention. Tons of lace left behind.

(S)- Lots of woody dry pine. Some lemon & lime citrus.

(T)- Similar to the smell. Lots of piney citrus, dry biscuit, and a mild yeasty clay.

(M)- A nice carbonation level and balance. Very much an IPA, but with mellow belgian characteristics.

(D)- I enjoyed this one. A good happy medium of hops and belgian characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 12:04:24 | More by sweemzander

movingtrain

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

11.2 ounce bottle sampled from a La Chouffe tulip glass.

The appearance of this beer is remarkable. It pours with a huge, fluffy white head that doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast. Good carbonation in the body. A straw-amber color, and quite cloudy.

The aroma is that of a good tripel. Up front here are the hops, followed by very earthy floral notes and a strong, fruity yeast backbone. There is some spice in this beer, too...light cinnamon, cloves, sage, and rosemary.

The first flavor on the tongue is banana. I'm actually surprised at that...but, that's what it is...banana. It's sticking around, too. I wonder what kind of yeast strain was used here. The alcohol is very astringent, being felt up in the nose after each sip. There is some hop flavor in there, and maybe some sweet candy sugar, as well. Bready for sure. But still, after multiple sips, the primary flavor I'm getting out of this is banana.

While the alcohol is very present, it adds a nice warming feeling as it goes down. The carbonation is good throughout, adding some to the flavor. I just can't get over that banana...it's like a Belgian Tripel, but with the yeasty-bready notes of a weiss beer--sweet and fruity. The bottle says it's a Triple IPA...

Overall, I feel this beer is trying to do too much in the style...it seems off track just a bit, and what could be a great beer is lost in translation.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 22:22:51 | More by movingtrain