Luckily for me I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Nebraska Brewing Company’s Melange a Trois from their reserve series. Melange a Trois is a Belgian style strong blonde ale that spends 6 months of its life aging in French oak chardonnay wine barrels.
I was able to find a bottle of this at a local beer shop in Portland which made it an extra special find. It sounded unique and I figured I could go back for more if I liked it enough.
I heard that this beer had a lot of head so I decided to pour this probably slower than I’ve ever poured a beer before. Holy crap! As you can see in the picture there was a ton of fluffy white head that stuck around for a ridiculously long time.
There was quite a lot of carbonation bubbles floating to the top of the hazy yellow/grapefruit color beer. The head was a bit excessive but it definitely had a tasty appearance. The lacing on the glass was as thick as you’d expect.
The aroma was light but yet very unique. It’s almost as if I was smelling a chardonnay with some slight belgian yeast mixed in. White grapes and pear are the predominant smells along with the yeast and wheat. My taste buds kicked into full gear as soon as I smelled it.
Unique is how I’d describe the flavor in one word. I’m sitting alone while doing this review and taking my first sip I audibly said “wow” fairly loudly (although I wasn’t sure if it was a good wow or bad wow.. it was good).
Upfront it tastes like straight chardonnay which lasts throughout with bready wheat and belgian yeast mixed in between. The white grapes and pear from the nose follow into the flavor quite strongly however the beer flavor is still pretty present. It’s definitely got some tartness that lingers and very little hop presence.
Overall this is a pretty dang solid beer that could sneak up on you if your not careful. The 10% ABV is barely noticeable. Combine that with an easy sipping beer, you have yourself a pretty good time.
My Nebraska Brewing Company Melange A Trois Review: A-
Here are the details:
ABV: 10%
IBUs: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
What’s your thoughts on Nebraska Brewing Company Melange A Trois?