Brasserie The Musketiers Troubadour Magma (5/10)

Every so often, I'm not paying attention when I pick up an unfamiliar Belgian beer.  Generally speaking, that's not a problem.  I find most Belgian beers at least drinkable, if not good, great, or fantastic.  So I wasn't paying close attention when I picked up Brasserie The Musketiers' Troubadour Magma Belgian Triple IPA.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that the India Pale Ale (IPA) style is one of my least favorite, if not the last favorite.  I generally find them to be nothing more than a glass full of hops. I want more from my beer than that.

Nevertheless, I decided to give Troubadour Magma a fair shake.

It pours a lovely coppery amber color with two fingers of off-white head that lasts quite a while.

The aroma of the beer is very hoppy.  Grapefruit and pine dominate the aroma.

The flavor starts malty and slightly sweet for just a second.  Then a tidal wave of hops washes over all that malty goodness and beats your tongue with plenty of hoppy bitterness.  The finish is bitter, but less so than I'd expect for an IPA, much less a "triple IPA".

Given that the folks on Beer Advocate tend toward the IPA side of the fence, it's not surprising that they like this beer more than I do.  They rated it 88 or "very good".  Rate Beer actually loved it, giving it a 97 overall.  Because I dislike IPAs in general, this beer does nothing for me.  I am rating it a 5 out of 10.

I'm not sure where I picked up this particular bottle.  It may have been at Weiland's, Palmer's, or Savor Growl.