Magella Belgian Dark Abbey Ale | Parkway Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Parkway Brewing Co.
Virginia, United States
parkwaybrewing.com
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.10%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by obywan59 on 09-06-2013
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 37 | Reviews: 13
Reviews by ZachKelly:
More User Reviews:
3.96/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.15/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Wow...this is a big and tasty beer. The beer poured a hazy amber with thin ecru head that is not leaving any lace. The Belgian style is strongly present in the scent and taste. Brown sugar helps to makes this beer unique. The Mouthfeel is fuller in body with smooth carbonation. Overall it's a great beer.
307 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Wow...this is a big and tasty beer. The beer poured a hazy amber with thin ecru head that is not leaving any lace. The Belgian style is strongly present in the scent and taste. Brown sugar helps to makes this beer unique. The Mouthfeel is fuller in body with smooth carbonation. Overall it's a great beer.
307 characters
3.87/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: Brown in body, with a small tan head after a fairly aggressive pour.
S: Fruity with banana and spice. Some nice molasses notes in the back.
T: Classic belgian characters.. clove, banana, fruitiness, with a bit of booze, and some earthiness in the finish.
M: Medium light in body, good carbonation.
Overall pretty darn good.
333 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: Brown in body, with a small tan head after a fairly aggressive pour.
S: Fruity with banana and spice. Some nice molasses notes in the back.
T: Classic belgian characters.. clove, banana, fruitiness, with a bit of booze, and some earthiness in the finish.
M: Medium light in body, good carbonation.
Overall pretty darn good.
333 characters
3.93/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the Roanoke Kroger store on the corner of Brambleton and Colonial.
"Magella is brewed in the typical Belgian fashion. With candy sugar and Belgian malts, hops & yeast. It's the clove with hints of banana that dominate the flavor & aroma of this rich ruby brown beer." 48 IBU
Rich, ruby brown is spot on for the color of this beer. A hard pour gives a slowly rising head that tops out a about 3 fingers, but quickly recedes to a ring around the glass, before disappearing completely. In the end, it looks more like a thick wine than a beer.
At first the aroma is mainly of dark chocolate and coffee with a hint of dark fruits. The coffee and chocolate fade however and the fruitiness dominattes as the beer again becomes more vinuous.
Mimicking the aroma, the taste initially exhibits strong coffee and dark chocolate flavors. As it warms, the flavor of dark fruits develops and the beer again morphs, approaching the
fortified wine, but more like a Madeira than port or sherry.. A bold tartness and an almot grape-like aspect strengthens the association with wine. The touted banana and clove arise on the second pour as the beer approaches room temperature.
Full and thick on the tongue and a bite of carbonation early on. Slightly drying with moderate syrup plenty of warmth from the alcohol.
While not as thick or rich as Chimay Grande Reserve, Unibroue Maudite, Huyghe Delirium Nocturne, or Ommegang Adoration, Parkway has made a noble attempt at the style. The evolution of flavor as the beer warms is amazing. So far Parkway is 4 for 4 in my book with no disappointments
1,609 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the Roanoke Kroger store on the corner of Brambleton and Colonial.
"Magella is brewed in the typical Belgian fashion. With candy sugar and Belgian malts, hops & yeast. It's the clove with hints of banana that dominate the flavor & aroma of this rich ruby brown beer." 48 IBU
Rich, ruby brown is spot on for the color of this beer. A hard pour gives a slowly rising head that tops out a about 3 fingers, but quickly recedes to a ring around the glass, before disappearing completely. In the end, it looks more like a thick wine than a beer.
At first the aroma is mainly of dark chocolate and coffee with a hint of dark fruits. The coffee and chocolate fade however and the fruitiness dominattes as the beer again becomes more vinuous.
Mimicking the aroma, the taste initially exhibits strong coffee and dark chocolate flavors. As it warms, the flavor of dark fruits develops and the beer again morphs, approaching the
fortified wine, but more like a Madeira than port or sherry.. A bold tartness and an almot grape-like aspect strengthens the association with wine. The touted banana and clove arise on the second pour as the beer approaches room temperature.
Full and thick on the tongue and a bite of carbonation early on. Slightly drying with moderate syrup plenty of warmth from the alcohol.
While not as thick or rich as Chimay Grande Reserve, Unibroue Maudite, Huyghe Delirium Nocturne, or Ommegang Adoration, Parkway has made a noble attempt at the style. The evolution of flavor as the beer warms is amazing. So far Parkway is 4 for 4 in my book with no disappointments
1,609 characters
4.31/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
22oz Bomber into a wine glass.
A: Holy moly, pours a beautiful, clear, ruby/copper. Almost looks like pinot noir with the right backlighting. 1/2" khaki head recedes pretty quickly but has decent retention. Lacing is quite nice. This is a stellar-looking brew.
S: As expected, the big two are clove & banana, with a dose of Belgian yeastiness & a hint of melon. Nice.
T: Very, very rich. Open with cane-sugar sweetness that lingers somewhat over the whole palate. Clove comes into play on the mid-palate along with what I guess I'd call honeydew & cantaloupe. The finish has more of a hop-bitter quality & the banana really starts to show here. A touch of cinnamon & nutmeg coat the mouth after the swallow. The flavor evolution across the palate is both logical & beautiful - definitely the intersection of science & art.
M: Full, rich, velevety & creamy with moderate carbonation to balance it out perfectly. For lack of a better word, 'elegant' comes to mind.
O: Go ahead Parkway! What this brew lacks in flavor complexity, it more than makes up for in terms of balance & focus on the flavors that are there. This is the best offering I've had from Parkway by a mile.
1,193 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
22oz Bomber into a wine glass.
A: Holy moly, pours a beautiful, clear, ruby/copper. Almost looks like pinot noir with the right backlighting. 1/2" khaki head recedes pretty quickly but has decent retention. Lacing is quite nice. This is a stellar-looking brew.
S: As expected, the big two are clove & banana, with a dose of Belgian yeastiness & a hint of melon. Nice.
T: Very, very rich. Open with cane-sugar sweetness that lingers somewhat over the whole palate. Clove comes into play on the mid-palate along with what I guess I'd call honeydew & cantaloupe. The finish has more of a hop-bitter quality & the banana really starts to show here. A touch of cinnamon & nutmeg coat the mouth after the swallow. The flavor evolution across the palate is both logical & beautiful - definitely the intersection of science & art.
M: Full, rich, velevety & creamy with moderate carbonation to balance it out perfectly. For lack of a better word, 'elegant' comes to mind.
O: Go ahead Parkway! What this brew lacks in flavor complexity, it more than makes up for in terms of balance & focus on the flavors that are there. This is the best offering I've had from Parkway by a mile.
1,193 characters
3.97/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured on-tap into a tulip. Pours pitch black with very little head. Smells of wheat and slight candy. Tastes of thick Belgian grain and yeast with slight alcohol aftertaste, nice fruit aroma. Beer is a sipper, full bodied. Overall, a pretty good beer.
252 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured on-tap into a tulip. Pours pitch black with very little head. Smells of wheat and slight candy. Tastes of thick Belgian grain and yeast with slight alcohol aftertaste, nice fruit aroma. Beer is a sipper, full bodied. Overall, a pretty good beer.
252 characters
4.85/5 rDev +23.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This is fantastic. Get one - actually more than one since once the first one's gone you'll wish that you had more. Dark. Boozy. Smells of spice and bananna. Rich in taste. Beautiful hazey brown color. 11+% and 22oz. threw me for a slight loop. Asking for 3 more when the fam comes down from VA next time. Going to pull off Interstate 81 next time and get a case!
362 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This is fantastic. Get one - actually more than one since once the first one's gone you'll wish that you had more. Dark. Boozy. Smells of spice and bananna. Rich in taste. Beautiful hazey brown color. 11+% and 22oz. threw me for a slight loop. Asking for 3 more when the fam comes down from VA next time. Going to pull off Interstate 81 next time and get a case!
362 characters
3.96/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.3/5 rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Nice banana and clove notes and decent color. That's about all. No lacing or strong Belgian foamy head to speak of. This Belgian is way too sweet and syrupy for the style. Lacking the effervescence, and spiciness of a the classic Trappiste BSD styles. Carbonation is lacking in my opinion. I want so badly to like this local brew, so maybe in a year I will give it another go. So what if it's 11% ABV. Brewer definately needs to refine this recipe.
456 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Nice banana and clove notes and decent color. That's about all. No lacing or strong Belgian foamy head to speak of. This Belgian is way too sweet and syrupy for the style. Lacking the effervescence, and spiciness of a the classic Trappiste BSD styles. Carbonation is lacking in my opinion. I want so badly to like this local brew, so maybe in a year I will give it another go. So what if it's 11% ABV. Brewer definately needs to refine this recipe.
456 characters
4.74/5 rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Appearance: pours dark amber. Light head with moderate lacing.
Aroma: Belgian - banana and spices. Tempting.
Taste: a lot like the aroma but more intense. Incredible mix of spices, banana and fruit. Some cinnamon in the back. Sweet (from the alcohol?). Excellent mix of flavors.
Mouthfeel: good carbonation, very smooth, alcohol is well hidden but with some warmth.
Overall: a very good beer. This is a great cool weather beer. My recommendation: let it warm to room temperature and it really shines. Recommended. Good job Parkway.
531 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Appearance: pours dark amber. Light head with moderate lacing.
Aroma: Belgian - banana and spices. Tempting.
Taste: a lot like the aroma but more intense. Incredible mix of spices, banana and fruit. Some cinnamon in the back. Sweet (from the alcohol?). Excellent mix of flavors.
Mouthfeel: good carbonation, very smooth, alcohol is well hidden but with some warmth.
Overall: a very good beer. This is a great cool weather beer. My recommendation: let it warm to room temperature and it really shines. Recommended. Good job Parkway.
531 characters
3.79/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured a brown body with one-finger head and an aroma of banana, candi sugar and yeast. Smooth beer with a bready feel that has this banana bread/candy sugar sweetness (hints of dark fruits as well) with a bit of fluffy yeast in mouthfeel. Not a bad beer but doesn't blend well and is a tad bland.
299 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured a brown body with one-finger head and an aroma of banana, candi sugar and yeast. Smooth beer with a bready feel that has this banana bread/candy sugar sweetness (hints of dark fruits as well) with a bit of fluffy yeast in mouthfeel. Not a bad beer but doesn't blend well and is a tad bland.
299 characters
Magella Belgian Dark Abbey Ale from Parkway Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
3.92 out of
5 with
37 ratings
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