There have been many iterations of the original Troubadour Magma beer and (I think!) this is the latest. This beer is not too far away from the previous year’s Troubadour Magma Tropical edition in my opinion, right down to the ABV being the same.
It has a subdued tropical fruit aroma that’s not smacking you in the face but if you get your nose right in the glass it is there.
There is a very early sweetness of citrus fruits, particularly grapefruit and mandarin. That quickly gives way to a clean and slightly spicy herbal bitterness. There is a crisp grainy malt body that doesn’t really add much to the sweetness but keeps the beer very light and dry. And there is very little of the Belgian yeast character; I might have to call this just an IPA.
It finishes dry and pleasantly bitter, and this is really what they were aiming for with this beer. A sessionable (at least in Belgian terms) beer that is intended to be enjoyed late into the autumn.
We’ll just have to shut our eyes and imagine we are holidaying in Belgium, enjoying the afternoon sun shining down on the outdoor canal-side courtyard of our favourite Belgian beer bar. Take me there now!