Troubadour Blond Ale - Brouwerij De Musketiers

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

tap

Pours an orange amber color, hazy, with a sudsy white head that retains as a lacing.

Smells of honey, coriander and bretty yeast and bananas.

Tastes of honey, corander, bananas, medium sweet malt, and mildly dry bitter hops.

Medium to full body with a soft carbonation.

Pretty tasty ale, good flavors and decent body, although not as good as some of the other Belgian ales I like. The hoppiness is an uncharacteristic but welcome addition. Overall, there are better offerings out there, but this one is still worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2012 00:43:35 | More by Cylinsier

jrallen34

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap in Antwerp into a Troubadour glass....Pours a dark honey gold with a big fluffy white head. Thick but spotty lacing...An aroma of lemons and yeast, not bad but a tad boring after a bit...The taste is more yeast and lemons, again not bad, actually after awhile I begin to dig it. However, there is an aftertaste that is half chalk half medicinal that grates on me after awhile.

A flavorful but commonish blonde that I did enjoy. I would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2010 03:38:38 | More by jrallen34

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

POurs a small hazy golden/ yellow color with a nice white head. In the aroma, citrus, corriander, and a small candi sugar. In the taste, corriander, and mellow yeastiness, and a small candi sugar. A small spice bite, and a medium mouthfeel, with a semi dry yeasty and corriander aftertaste. Mellow and not overbarring, quite smooth and quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2008 13:23:34 | More by OWSLEY069

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Clear golden body witha slight white head. Leaves behind Some nice lacing on the glass.

Smells yeasty with some good pale malts.

Wow. This is an exceptional blonde. Biscuity flavors with peppery yeast. Some honey/fruit/citrus sweetness comes through. Has hop bittnerness to balance it out. A balanced, flavorful, great brew. Mouthfeel is medium body, some what creamy. Well-carbonated.

This beer is easy to drink. Great tasting, well balanced and light.

Easily the best Blonde I have ever had. Great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2008 21:13:44 | More by Hojaminbag

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer was enjoyable to drink as I am a big fan of Belgian beers. Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass, it was a cloudy yellow/wheat color that had a good white head on it that more than took its time to dissipate (While I am not sure that the waitress pours too many beers, she actually recommended this beer). It gave off a strong wheat/grain aroma but was also sweet somehow. The taste...WOW...you could really taste the wheat, citrus and maybe honey and banana. It was also a little hoppy, which was surprising as I did not smell the hops. This beer is smooth and very easy to drink. This is going to be a beer that I am going to have to hunt down and try to add into the rotation. This is an excellent beer and hope to enjoy more of it in the future and only one of many reasons why Belgian style beers are possibly the best.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2008 21:17:34 | More by PhillyStyle

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's the other day.

At least for me, this is probably the finest Belgian Blonde I know of. At least on tap, it's just terrific.

The beer pours a slighty hazy honey gold color with excellent head retention and lacing. On the nose I get more honey, with a touch of citrus. The beer smells enticing. On the palate this beer is delicious. It is moderately sweet with a solid core of hoppy bitterness. The lovely flavors of cherry, lime and honey are countered nicely with the drying bitterness from the hops. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, but this beer comes across as fairly light from the relatively low abv. Never tiring or heavy, this beer finishes well and is so, so easy to drink.

This is a perfect example of what sets Belgian beers apart from so many others. Just excellent.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2008 00:00:24 | More by johnmichaelsen

leweascoba

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed Troubadour Blond from a 1/4 keg. Very enjoyable Ale with slight hints of fruit that finished very well. The alcohol is present but very well blended and taste is wonderful.

Keg tapped well and each glass had nice head of foam. A very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2007 04:31:21 | More by leweascoba

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Muddy Pig, St. Paul, MN...

Slightly hazy medium gold appearance, nice tight-bubbled head of 1/2 an inch and good duration. Laces thickly in fine crystalline sheets. Yeasty aroma, light honey. Mouthfeel is medium and the carbonation is a good match, plenty but not overdone. Starts out straw-like, but in the vein of Chinese bird's nest soup, sweet but with a sense of mustiness. Countering this rich experience is a lemony citrus element that's not strident and mellows to a sweet sugary sense. Finishes with lots of aftertaste, a little cloying in the long run. No real hops detectable. Not a lot of beers have struck me as similar, but its heavy for a Saison and not really up my alley.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2005 19:28:44 | More by ADR

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Redbones this past week. The 10.5 pour when served exhibited a reddish tangerine glow. The thin white head had that petri dish look (some small circles of white floating on top). Aroma was all about the yeast and fruit (I would say more stone fruit as oposed to citrus). The beer had a rich medium body with most of the taste in the powdery/yeasty/spicey range, with some bubblegum thrown in sparingly.

Serving type: on-tap

10-31-2004 19:44:19 | More by PatandDavid

AaronRed

New York

4.22/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at The Ginger Man in NYC. Great bar, great beer. This beer in particular was excellent. Nice golden color, with scents of ripe fruit and yeast. Taste was exceptional- smooth and rich, with a nice fruity sweetness as well as a slight spicey tang from the yeast. This beer goes down well, you really cannot taste the alcohol, which can be concerning if you need to drive anywhere. Overall and wondeful refreshing and tasy brew.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2003 13:40:26 | More by AaronRed

frank4sail

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Floral hoppy sharp nose. Crisp fruity taste. Very lively (tickle the tongue) mouth. Clean sharp hop finish that makes you want to drink more. The floral hop presence from smelling to your final taste ends in wanting crispness. This is one of the "sharpest" beers I have had. Very rounded throughout.Medium to light mouth overall and as stated earlier quite lively. Overall the word for this brew is refreshing... The is just enough spice and hop bitterness to make it wonderful. I had this on Tap at Monk's on 2-8-03 and hope it is still there when I return... refreshing....

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2003 08:58:37 | More by frank4sail

Jason

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bight yellowish straw with a faint chill haze, superb lacing.

Moderate body and quite crisp. Honey like malt and modest medicinal phenols find balance, faint alcoholic esters within the fruitiness. Touch of yeast adds a dough character in the middle.

One of my all time favourites in the bottle, on tap it was pretty damn good as well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2002 07:35:51 | More by Jason

doerickson

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a lot in the nose, but very complex taste. A bit sour at first, not to the extent of a Cantillon but in the same vein. Plenty of other nuances I couldn't easily identify, but very easy to drink, and I would have one again in a second.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2002 23:15:18 | More by doerickson

metter98

New York

4.01/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear and a darker shade of golden yellow in color with a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high bright white head that has excellent retention properties, taking a very long time to died down and consistently left a short head covering the surface and a coating of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of Belgian yeast are present in the nose along with hints of spices and sweet malts.
T: Like the smell, the taste is quite malty and has bits of sweetness along with notes of Belgian yeast and hints of spices.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has the maltiness and a similar flavor profile to that of a triple, but isn't nearly as sweet and seems to be more drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 02:06:14 | More by metter98

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.04/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber with a fading white head.
Nose shows doughy Belgian yeast, soft wheat, faint lemon and orange marmalade. Very doughy.
In terms of flavours there's more lemon, orange marmalade, doughy yeast and overly sweet malt.
Too much carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 02:50:09 | More by CrazyDavros

Murrhey

Montana

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 11.2oz bottle into a wine glass. Purchased from Brix Bottleshop in Kalispell, Mont. Drank in Libby, Mont. Reviewed live.

A- Two finger white head with large bubbles and a moderate retention. Spots of lacing. A honeyed-golden color with high clarity and nice carbonation.

S- Some warm malty character, sweet and spicy.

T- Slightly bitter in the finish, with a sweet beginning. Complex beer, spiced with subtle hops, delicious malts and powerful yeasts. Tasty brew.

M- Slightly syrupy with heavy carbonation.

O- Well above average beer. Maybe one of my favorites in the style I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 02:43:27 | More by Murrhey

JMad

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer is a light golden murky color with a huge foamy white head that stayed consistent. The aroma has lots of banana and a slightly tangy grass taste along with some wheat and clove. It tastes balanced with a bit of grassy hops, clove, and more banana. It's not light or heavy, kind of in the middle with lots of carbonation and a slightly dry finish. This is a very nice beer, one of the better blonds I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:12:42 | More by JMad

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a hazy golden amber. A gentle pours produces a massive white head with good persistence and tons of lacing. Great aroma of caramel malt, light cider fruit with a mild sour element. Flavor dominated by sweet caramel malt and Belgian yeast. Light fruit juice and Belgian spices with a somewhat pleasant dry finish. Light to medium bodied but active carbonation gives a pleasant mouth feel. A very nicely made Belgian pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 04:34:19 | More by LiquidAmber

MaximalC

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours translucent amber in color with a minimal white head that sits in clumps across the surface after receding. Visible yeast sediment is also present. Aroma is generally mild and smells of apple, pear, some caramel, and a trace of alcohol. Caramel sweetness is far more present in the palate than in the nose, bordering on Viennese lager in terms of the malt presence. This sweetness lingers in the back of the mouth after the finish, affording it an almost dessert-like essence that works surprisingly well. Hops are used very modestly--just enough to lend some balance without being obtrusive. The carbonation is spot-on, yielding a nice crispness. Some warming spices emerge as the beer warms, perhaps nutmeg or clove, with a dusting of coriander. Others have astutely noted a vanilla presence that seems obvious in retrospect.

I've had a number of Belgian blondes/pales, and this one certainly stands out as something different from the rest. It's not necessarily my favorite beer in this style, but the characterful sweetness and complex flavor profile make it unique and memorable.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 00:56:47 | More by MaximalC

Durge

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Happy to snag a growler of this imported brew at DeCicco's in Brewster, NY, this one is a clear bright golden color with a slight haze, a decent white cloud on top with stubborn lacing in retreat. Looks good. The aroma brings light banana clove over crisp wheat and a pleasant herbal/floral overtone. Neat. The taste includes big sweet wheat grain and vegetable clove with its expected banana element. This also has a little hop bite, along the lines of a citrus swamp flavor. The body is medium-plus with modest carbonation and a politely syrupy feel. Very solid Belgian styled brew and recommended for sure.

Serving type: growler

09-12-2012 15:42:08 | More by Durge

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours hazy gold with a big rocky dense off-white head. I poured the remainder in the glass, and watched the head grow again. Lace clings to the glass as the head collapses a bit.

I want more nose, and maybe it is a result of the dense head. I get grain, alcohol, some fruit, wood, and a little vanilla.

Yum. That pretty much says it all. Nice complexity. Bitter alcohol up front, with the bitterness just allowing a hint of tropical fruit to shine thru before shoving it aside. You get some yeast, some woody vanilla, a tiny spicy bite as well. Finishes dry and moderately bitter. This brew has a dried out element that is needed. Funny that it is only 6.5%, although it seems boozier than it is.

Medium body, just right carbonation.

Overall, the more you sip this, the more you enjoy, and the more the beer evolves. Very very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 00:43:03 | More by OtherShoe2

sergio1va

California

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours to a pale orange color with an off white creamy head.

Smells of grapefruit, sour fruits and mild vanilla smells.

Taste is definitely of a highly fermented beer- strong alcohol flavor in the front balanced out by the sweet grapefruit taste.

Bitterness is definitely on the strong side but not too harsh on the palate to completely wreck the future sips of this beer.

Clearly a high class beer worthy of enjoying every sip.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 05:40:59 | More by sergio1va

smakawhat

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

A good shocking white head, made off the pour and FROZEN in place, supper sticky. Body color is a real simple orange to yellow opaque body, and this nice crawling white bubbles on the edges of the glass. Some clumps of lace hit the edges, real impressive.

This is a Belgian Pale Ale? It smells like a doppelbock. Huge caramel and sticky toffee, and a real nice honey sense with it as well. Clove like honey and brown spices, malty. Very interesting.

Taste is all Belgian goodness. Light crisp honey body, hints of clove and sweet sugars. Malt rich density with a light effervescent mouthfeel. Apple crispness comes in the aftertaste with a mix of yeasty Belgian goodness and maybe even some vanilla.

Wow, this thing is real unique, real impressive, very great Belgian beer here.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 00:21:05 | More by smakawhat

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.08/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brown 33cl bottle, best before 30 Mar 2013, poured into a 'Hoegaarden Grand Cru badged stemmed tulip on 25 Nov 2011.

Huge white head, slightly hazy body of gold sat below.

Belgian yeast esters came up to greet my nose, wave after wave of them, lovely.

The taste was also of yeastiness, the beer being hoppy, dry and crisp in the mouth. Really liked it, as I do most Belgian brews.

Well worth finding.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 18:45:18 | More by BlackHaddock

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.08/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a hazy gold with a thin white mousse. Much darker than many other Belgian pales. The look alone sets it apart.

S: Aromas of butterscotch, caramel, spice, candy sugar, and biscuits are present on the nose. Hop character is not readily noticeable, which is sort of disappointing.

T: Opens malty and sweet with notes of candy sugar, biscuits, cream, vanilla, butterscotch, spice, and orange. The finish is short, sweet, and smooth with cream, vanilla, butterscotch, and sugar flavors. Too confected for my tastes.

M: Relatively light-bodied, slick, and smooth. Dries out a little on the finish. Fairly drinkable.

O: I'm kind of disappointed by this beer. I find it to be too sweet and completely lacking in hop flavor. Not my favorite Belgian pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 19:32:18 | More by mrfrancis