The Troubadour beers from Brouwerij De Musketieres were the very first beers we officially imported in Australia, so Troubadour will always have a place in our hearts. Even better that they continue to make some delicious beers.
They started out brewing their beers at the famous De Proefbrouwerij in the town of Lochristi near Ghent. This enormous brewery would rent out brewing time and space (as they did with the Troubadour guys) or contract brew beers for a surprisingly large and we-known list of Belgian and international breweries.
In 2019 they found their own home and set up their brewery and café in an old brickworks in the Sint-Gillis-Waas which is about a half hour drive west of Antwerp, up near the Dutch border. When they moved to the new brewery, they reworked the Westkust recipe from the old 9.2% ABV to the current lower ABV. But I don’t think it tastes much different from what I remember.
It is a delicious blend of rich malt, bitterness and the subtle citrus and fruit notes from the hops. Early on you’ll taste roasted malts, dark chocolate and coffee. As it warms the malt body offers a softer sweetness with caramel and vanilla. Then there is the slightly herbal, citrus and pine flavour from the all-Belgian west coast hops. A beautifully balanced beer that offers a little something of everything.