Nebraska Responsibly Belgian Style Ale

The only experience I have with Nebraska so far tells me that they are trying some things differently. Belgian ales are fairly traditional, but I kind of assume they are going to throw up some jazz hands and demonstrate that even the most traditional beers might have something that can break the mold.

The beer is a kind of coppery-red-brown, and it is murky as all get-out with no substantial head to speak of. As a result of the minimal head, there's jack squat when it comes to lacing while there is maybe scattering of bubbles kind of tossed around the top of the beer in a kind of wave of barely trying. The aroma is very heavy dark fruit and heavy alcoholic beverage. What is brandy? Smells to me like it's got lots of cherry wood dragging it down.

First sip is a giant WTF? It's a whole mishmash of brandy, cherries, fruit, grains, yeast, alcohol, and possibly more things that I couldn't possibly tease out from the syrupy strong beer. I mean, seriously, this is NOT a sipping beer. There is just SO MUCH going on with this that a sip is like slapping the queen in the face with a pork chop. Let's try a proper swig.

Tip-in is syrup sweet with very nice solid oak, brown sugar, and even a bit of nuts. The middle is a gorgeous mix of oak, brown sugar, brandy, honey, dark fruits, and spicy yeast. The finish is a bite of bitter and alcohol sharpness with a somewhat tragic trail-off.

Bottom Line: Amazingly, this beer is rich and totally worth the unfortunate finish... which gets better as the 13% ABV settles in.

3.75/5