Jun 13, 2016

Nebraska Brewing Mélange A Trois

On the same trip that I purchased a bottle of Nebraska Brewing Black Betty, I also snagged the lone bottle of their Mélange A Trois. This 11.3% ABV brew started out as a Belgian-style blonde ale before resting for six months in French oak Chardonnay barrels. The result is a beer that had good intentions, but unfortunately ends up a bit muddled.

There are aspects within Mélange A Trois that are interesting — the light funk, stone fruits and oaky flavors — but for the most part everything sort of competes with one another. The wine influence is fairly strong as it battles with the assertive yeast and light hop character. The brew is also a bit soft on the palate for my personal liking. A bit more crispness would probably do it some good.

Mélange A Trois isn’t a bad beer. In fact, I think the flavors would meld together well after some much needed time in the cellar. As it stands right now, the flavors tend to compete with each other more than work in cooperation. The barrel influence should fade a touch and that yeasty character should also settle a good bit with some cellaring. The question remains, however, whether I take that chance the next time I see a bottle.