Parkway Brewing Magella
Parkway Brewing is a relatively newish brewery in the Virginia area and as such, I don’t run across their products very often. In fact, the only beer from this brewery that I’ve had — and it’s a hell of a beer — is their outstanding Ravens Roost Baltic Porter. With such a strong introduction like that tasty brew, it’s going to be hard for the company to keep up.
Enter Magella, a massive 11% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale, that is packed with what I can only describe as a festive, fruitcake-like character. It’s a rich, malty brew with plenty of sweetness and fruits mingling with a strong warmth that is appropriate for the colder months of the year, much like the cool March afternoon on which I originally enjoyed it.
Appearance
Magella pours with a short-lived (to be expected with the ABV) cap of beige foam that quickly disappeared atop the garnet edged brew.
Aroma
Raisin, a light roast, distant spices, yeast, caramel, a decent sweetness and bready malt all combine to give the beer a fruitcake-like aroma.
Taste
Thankfully, the beer doesn’t bring that overtly fruitcake aroma to the tongue. Dark fruits (raisin, cherry, fig) lead the way for rich caramel, a moderate sweetness, Belgian yeast and bready malt. The finish is warming and lasting, but due to the alcohol and distant spices, the beer has a bit of a medicinal character late.
Overall
Magella is a decent effort. It’s not as flavor or as well crafted as the company’s Ravens Roost, but it’s still a worthy beer. The high potency and fruitcake like character are probably better suited for a different time of year than when I enjoyed it. Regardless, it’s great to keep finding products from all of these new Virginia breweries.
Rating: 3.5/5
