So my local tavern has set back some nice stuff for their 12 daze of christmas. Besides a 1/6th barrel each of KBS and CBS they have some Belgiums. One of which I hadn't heard of before but it sounds awesome.
A Belgium Triple crossed with an American IPA.
The brewery behind Troubadour Blond and Obscura is set to release Troubadour Magma, a Tripel IPA that combines the hop bitterness of an American IPA with the fruity characteristics of a Belgian Tripel. Stefaan Soetemans, one of the founders of Brouwerij The Musketeers, gave us a little insight on the upcoming release as well as his thoughts on European and American beer cultures.
Some might look at Magma and begin jumping to conclusions without having tasted the beer. But to Stefaan Soetemans, that's part of the experience. Along with co-founder Kristof de Roo, Stefaan aims to dispel some preconceived notions that beer drinkers in the United States and Belgium might have regarding beer styles.
The Musketeers are no stranger to this approach. It began with Obscura, a cross between a stout and a Belgian brown ale. The idea was simple: produce an easy-drinking, Belgian-inspired IPA. By taking the essential elements of both beers and combining them, they had a hit on their hands.
But they haven't stopped there. The new Magma Tripel IPA provides a formidable hop presence and is dry-hopped with American Simcoe hops, but is also tempered by the fruitiness that comes from the yeast during the fermentation process.
At the 2010 Zythos Beer Festival, held annually in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, attendees from around the world were pleasantly surprised by Magma's balance. The beer received a positive response from both Belgian and American beer geeks.
"Not to be pretentious, but I think it's of the best of both worlds," said Stefaan. "However, the intention was not to make a beer that's loved by as many people as possible. We simply wanted to make an IPA that was smoother, one that could quench your thirst."
Ultimately, Stefaan hopes that folks who try Magma will have the same reaction they did when they tried Obscura - one that goes beyond styles and categories, and focuses on the beer itself.
"That's what I want to achieve with my beers. I want to see people expand their palates and go on to try other beers, other tastes, other flavors. It's a mission."
