Troubadour Westkust
The Musketeers Brouwerijcafé

Troubadour WestkustTroubadour Westkust
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From:
The Musketeers Brouwerijcafé
 
Belgium
Style:
Black IPA
Ranked #41
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,372
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 9.93%
Reviews:
54
Ratings:
202
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 17, 2024
Added:
Jul 27, 2012
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  39
Black Imperial IPA, brewed with 100% Belgian ‘Westkust’ hops. Dark and bitter ale with hoppy flavours. Refermented in the bottle.

Troubadour 'Westkust' is a dark, almost black beer with 9.2% alc V / V with a hoppy aroma, roasted malt, coffee and light notes of chocolate and vanilla. The taste is a balance between the taste of roasted malt and coffee followed by a strong but pleasant bitterness that slowly gets the upper hand and ensures a long hoppy finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tdm168:
Photo of tdm168
Reviewed by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at World of Beer Raleigh. Served in a snifter.

A - dark brown with a thin white head that has great retention

S - coffee, chocolate, toffee, roasted malts

T - chocolate, roasted malts, charcoal, coffee, bitter finish

M - full bodied, well carbonated

This is a really solid offering. It's labeled a Belgian Style Black IPA, but this drinks like a really smooth Imperial Stout. It has great flavor, it's complex, it's balanced, it is definitely worth trying.
Jul 27, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.2 by a_pal0 from Italy

Feb 17, 2024
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.97/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
May 2013: On tap at Copenhagen Beer Festival 2013. Very dark brown to ruby colour, nearly black. Large beige head. Pleasant aroma of American hops, on a background of roasted malts with mild coffee notes. The flavour is also mildly roasty with a nice amount of fruity American hops, not extreme. Slightly warming mouthfeel, otherwise the alcohol is well hidden. Good stuff.
Oct 11, 2023
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: It pours black with a light brown head. Head retention is excellent.

Smell: It has a deep dark chocolate aroma. It has some herbal and pine qualities in the background with a bit of citrus.

Taste: It has a deep, rich chocolate flavor with hints of coffee mixed in. There are light herbal, pine, and citrus elements in the background.

Feel: It has a medium full body with medium bitterness boarding the high side. The texture is smooth.

Overall, this beer doesn't quite remind me of a black IPA in that the hop bitterness just isn't quite up there. However, the beer is enjoyable especially with the deep, rich chocolate flavors.
Mar 27, 2021
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Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.62/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
L- Black to the eye, but with a halogen behind it is a veeery dark ruby red. Slight haze, 15mm dark tan head that holds and holds.
S- Unclear to me, some mild hop/fruit notes?
T- Now I get some modern IPA fruit notes but overlying a notably deep roasty flavour. A hoppy-dry flourish into the finish.
F- Vibrant hops and the ABV% well obscured behind a deep toasty taste/feel.
O- A deeply pungent dark beer with bright contemporary hops - something quite out of the ordinary. Interesting to try but the prominent modern hops are a rather high for me to buy this one again.
330ml bottle BB: 09/04/22 Bought from BeautifulBeers/BurySt.Edmunds as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

The ABV% apparently varies. It's 8.5% in the listing^ 9.2% in the Notes^ and my bottle is marked 8.6%
Feb 06, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by steverx8 from England

Oct 25, 2020
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Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a dark brown cola like colour with finger plus of creamy tan head.
Aroma floral citrus hops with roasty chocolate malt, coffee - reminiscent of a floral Starbucks blend.
Tastes starts almost floral fruity sweet; roasty malt with notes of coffee, chocolate and then a building resinous bitterness.
Remarkably creamy mouthfeel despite being on the thinner side of medium bodied - briskly carbonated - bittersweet lingers nicely.
Aug 07, 2020
Photo of Snowcrash000
Reviewed by Snowcrash000 from Germany

4.29/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a deep, dark mahogany coloration with an amber hue and a huge, creamy head. Smells of roasted, biscuity malt and resinous, citrus hops, with notes of chocolate, grapefruit, and lighter coffee and pine. Taste follows the nose, with an excellent balance of roasted, biscuity malt, bitter, resinous, citrus hops and notes of chocolate, coffee, grapefruit, lime peel, pine and hints of brown sugar and estery spice. Finishes with a medium/strong bitterness and some roasted malt, chocolate, grapefruit and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Full, creamy mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and medium carbonation.

This is a great BIPA with a very slight Belgian twist, featuring an excellent balance of roasted malt and bitter, resinous hops, but with just a hint of brown sugar and estery spice as well, which lends that certain belgian feel to this, but never allows it to become too sweet, being balanced very nicely by those bitter, resinous hops, while also featuring a very pleasant, soft and velvety mouthfeel and thick, fluffy foam, leaving large, wispy chunks of lacing on the inside of the glass.
May 07, 2020
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

3.54/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
tasteful Belgium beer slight coffee and malty taste / pours with strong head that coats the glass as you drink
Apr 20, 2020
 
Rated: 2.86 by andaub

Mar 07, 2020
Photo of octortus
Reviewed by octortus from Canada (ON)

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330 mL Bottle. ABV 8.6%.
Appearance: Chocolate brown, Two fingers of creamy and frothy light tan head, Nice lacing, Great retention.
Aroma: Dark fruit (prune, cherry, raisin), Bittersweet chocolate, Caramel malt, Floral hops, Toast, Slight coffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium-Full body, Slightly creamy, Slightly sticky,
Flavour: Roasted malt, Strong hop bitterness, Slight chocolate, Slight citrus, Dark fruit (cherry, prune, raisin).
Overall:

Review: 134
Feb 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.71 by ThinkAgain from Canada (ON)

Feb 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by Rukeli76 from Canada (ON)

Jan 11, 2020
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Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.06/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Apr 8 2022 and listed at 8.6%. Served slightly chilled.

Pours functionally opaque - deep cola brown in colour with the slightest of reddish-chestnut hues around the fringes of the glass. Nearly an inch of foamy, beige-coloured head rises from the surface before being gradually reduced to a creamy quarter-inch cap; this happens over the course of ten minutes or so, leaving behind a fine coat of lace in the process. Looks great, and the aroma is interesting, too: piney hops, muddled grapefruit citrus and roasted malts come through, the latter imparting subtle hints of chocolate. I'm also getting suggestions of vanilla and molasses, as well as touches of alcohol and spiciness.

A tasty black ale; the roasted malts figure in prominently at the front end, supplying notes of coffee and cocoa that pair well with molasses and brown sugar sweetness. Hoppier flavours of grapefruit and orange develop by mid-sip, followed by pine resin and an earthy, herbal bitterness at the finish, leading to spicy, slightly warming aftertaste with a fair bit of lingering dark malt & cocoa flavour. Medium in body, with a moderate bite from the carbonation and a silky-smooth texture that I found highly appealing. Finishing the bottle was a pleasure, but I'd say its drinkability is limited, given its bitter nature and relatively high alcohol content.

Final Grade: 4.06, an A-. Troubadour Westkust fuses Belgian and American beer sensibilities quite effectively, and I wouldn't mind having another glass in the near future. This is one of those styles that I return to so infrequently that it's hard to compare any individual black ale to the others I've had in the past, but I will say that I definitely like this one more than most. The expiry date does seem far out for a hop-centric beer, but considering its reasonable price I don't mind picking up another bottle and putting it to the test.
Jan 08, 2020
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Reviewed by Cramshawbar from Canada (ON)

3.19/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Nice pour with loads of head retention. The nose is somewhat offputting. Not sure what this is supposed to be. Ale, sure. IPA? Not really. Dubbel? Somewhat, but too bitter for that.
The lingering Belgian yeast saves this, but the bitterness is really sharp. Will not try again.
Dec 22, 2019
Photo of BGDrock
Reviewed by BGDrock from Canada (ON)

4.24/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Deep, dark brown body. Layered with a dense, marshmallow head the colour of cappuccino foam. Rock solid retention.
Aroma of cola, toffee, fruitcake, roasted malt. Somewhat like a Fall forest after it rains.
Balanced flavours of dark roasted malts and lightly spiced hops. If I didn't know better I'd say this was brewed with rye. Medium roast coffee and cocoa powder lingers through the long finish, which is dry with just the right touch of bitter hops to cleanse the palate. Emphasis is on the malt. As I said, notes of rye bread, as well as fruitcake, rum soaked raisins. That might make it sound sweet, but the richness of the roast and the hops even everything out. Medium carbonation and body. Mildly warming. Well attenuated.

I'm enjoying this a lot. Lovely malt flavours that lounge on the palate for ages, highly quaffable, well balanced. Make this a go-to Fall and Winter beer. Great on it's own, or with a beef stew.
Dec 14, 2019
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Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.92/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3.85 CDN. Best before April 2022 although I'd drink ASAP given the hop intensity level here. Listed at 8.6% ABV. Did not realize this was a black IPA.

Appearance - Super dark brown, near black but ruddy red highlights when held up the light. Nearly two fingers of light tan head and loads of sticky lacing strewn about the edges of the glass.

Smell - AN interesting combo, some roasty aromas, west cost style hops but also a slightly more yeasty aroma. Pine needles with some grapefruit also come to mind. Might be hints of molasses in there as well.

Taste - Very bitter, pine resin, some wood, a little coffee and perhaps treacle. Super intense dark chocolate might also be intermingled given the bitterness. Very little sweetness, although it does fade off somewhat quickly and after a couple sips leaves you wanting more.

Mouthfeel - Assertive carbonation, fairly heavily bodied and dry finish. Booze very well hidden, drinking it you'd suspect around 7% ABV, not nearing 9%.

Overall - Really solid stuff and having a Belgian brew what is otherwise a super American style, gives it a little panache and points of differentiation that are hard to pinpoint but certainly enjoyed.
Dec 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.22 by arzt from Germany

Aug 06, 2019
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Reviewed by brewerburgundy from West Virginia

3.41/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
750ml bottle, mug, best before 9/5/19.

It appears to be a hazed, frothy brown much like I imagine a medieval ale poured from and rustic barrel to be. Head is thick and latte colored with excellent lacing.

Rock candy, leafy hop, sweet bread, yeasty dough, alcohol.

First and foremost this is a sweet, malty beer that, while missing pungent hoppiness, has a complex, vinous maltiness. Dark brown sugar, sweet cigar tobacco, dark toffee, herbal bitterness, medium roast instant coffee, bitter alcohol finish.

Thin, but silky with tight, biting carbonation.

What are Westkust hops? Interesting try at a black ipa, but it’s almost more a barley wine. There is a medium-high level of bitterness, but little hop flavor and the alcohol gets pretty hot. Of note, this bottle says the ABV is 8.5%. The reduction was appropriate given how obvious the alcohol is and it could go lower to its benefit.
Apr 27, 2019
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Reviewed by TheBierdimpfe from Canada (QC)

3.79/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Medium: Capped, snifter glass.
Opacity: Almost opaque.
Color: Almost black, very slight copper hue.
Head: Creamy and soapy beige 2-3 finger.
Legs: Decent with good swirl reaction.
Smell: Floral/Toffee/Figs.
Taste: Herbal/Coffee/Raisins/Vanilla.
Feel: Piney/Belgian yeast/Roasted/Earthy
Body: Light slick, medium smoothness and soft oily.
Carbonation: A bit prickly, fine crisp at the end.
Overall: Warming and dry but the alcohol is well hidden. Very good Belgian Black IPA.

Visual 6.5/10 - Flavors 7.5/10 - Sensations 7.5/10 - Balance 7/10 -
Freshness 6/10 - Intensity 7/10 - Complexity 7/10 - Appreciation 7/10
Mar 17, 2019
Troubadour Westkust from The Musketeers Brouwerijcafé
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 202 ratings