Huge, fine amberish head over clear copper beer; layers of lace. Spicy, herbal nose, immortelles, very aromatic; caramel malts, hints @ fusels. Bitterish onset with a creamy-sweet finish. Bit of marzipan, but preciously little wood. Very slick, almost viscous, well-bodied, soft carbonation. Not half bad, but as to that oak...

Draft @ Stokerij, Ghent. Dark amber colour, white foam. Nose of tropical fruit, grapefruit, sweet caramel along with some woody notes. Taste is rather sweet, hoppy bitterness.

27 September 2018. Birthday Antwerp Pub Crawl - cheers to Anke! At Gollemke.
Pours clear orange with a lasting, unstable, frothy, off-white head; some lacing. Aroma of sherry, oak, white grapes, grapefruit juice, vanilla, sweetbread, cheese, raisin, pear, 'fruity pasty'. It tastes medium fruity sweet, hints of apricot & ripe pear, and light to medium hoppy bitter, grapefruity, woody, a bit spicy with a sourish raisin & sherry accent. Dry, grassy & fruity hoppy finish, woody with warming sherry alcohol. Medium to full body, supple creamy texture, soft carbonation. Good one, delivers what it promises.

This year’s special edition of Troubadour Magma, a series which is apparently still continued (I thought their new “Belgian Legends” series had replaced it altogether); so far, changing the parameters of the existing ingredients of the basic beers seemed no longer feasible so the Musketeers deciced to “add” an ingredient – in the form of oak chips. Draught at Struise Shop in Bruges. Egg-white, moussy, slowly opening but stable, lacing head on a warm, misty orangey amber coloured beer. Aroma of dried orange zest, warm French toast, marmalade, crackers, apricot, pineapple, peanuts, indeed wet wood. Fruity onset, peachy, light banana, apricot, sourish accent, fizzy carb, full and rounded mouthfeel; caramelly, full and rounded malt body with a peanutty edge, some oaky tannins in the finish as well as brightly orangey hops adding a long, soft but thorough, spicy bitterness that goes well with that oak accent which turns out more aromatic than tannic in the end, and the warming, gin-like alcohol effect ensuing. The sweetness remains however dominant, resulting in that lovely orange cake effect that typifies the base beer as well. Very tasty like its basic self, but I wonder what a more extended aging on a full-fledged wooden barrel would do to it – no doubt that would truly make a great Magma version.

330 ml. bottle @ Beerlovers Bar. Dark amber orange, creamy white head. Nose is weird grain, caramel, malt, little how & super sweet vanilla oak. Taste is weird sorbet, high carbonation, grain, malty, sugar & super sweet vanilla oak, real mess way too much sweet vanilla oak, sugar, too high carbonation, oak is pure overkill, hard to drink, nope didn’t work. Too weird.

Pours unclear, darker orange. Good to big white head. Smell is full, sweet, typical Magma. Little to no oak. Taste is bitter, smooth, vanilla forward oakyness. Very much vanilla, perhaps a bit too much. Full, fruity. Well made, but I prefer the regular.

Light brown colour with lasting thick head. Aroma and flavour have a lot of sweet malts. The finish is dry and woody. Some vanilla sweetness in the nose.