A very special collaborative beer brewed with renowned Beer Writer and Journalist Melissa Cole

The Breconshire Brewery is delighted to offer a new collaborative beer - M3, the recipe for which was devised, and brewed, by Melissa Cole, a highly regarded beer writer & judge, and driving force behind lovebeer@borough in London’s Borough Market. The beer is brewed with Lemon Balm, whose Latin name is Melissa Officinalis and local honey, the Greek for a honey bee is Melissa - hence the name of M3 - Melissa x 3!

Breconshire Head Brewer Buster Grant commented “It’s been a fun project - far away from my usual brews - but a great eye opener! The beer has worked really well, with the lemon balm providing a distinctive yet not overpowering flavour to the beer - a real pleasure to drink!”

Adding her thoughts, Melissa said: “I made a joke about a vanity project brew with lemon balm so we could call it Melissa, Melissa, and Buster happily squared up to the challenge, little knowing I’d get even more egotistical and decide we should add honey, because the ancient Greek for honey bee is Melissa!

“All joking aside, I can honestly say I’m not being too vain by saying we’ve created a great beer here - with more substance and subtle complexity than the usual blonde summer ales - and I can’t thank Buster enough.”

This unusual golden ale is brewed with water drawn from under the hills of the surrounding Brecon Beacons National Park, and blend of pale and wheat malts, and malted oats, all from Warminster’s traditional Floor Maltings, which give this beer its pale golden colouring and smooth malty flavours. Sovereign hops provide the counterpoint to herb nature of the lemon balm, and the two combine beautifully to give a refreshing, citrusy flavour.

M3 is a 5.0% abv rich golden Summer Ale, brewed with pale, wheat and oat malts, Sovereign hops, local honey and Lemon Balm. Each cask of this beer has also been “Dry-Balmed” with 3 sprigs of fresh Lemon Balm. A light, sweetish aroma with a decidedly herbal, citrus character greets the nose, and the palate starts with a sweet malt undertone with tingly high notes of honey, which is replaced by the moorishly spicy herb character and a lingering dryness from the hops – creating a satisfying yet exceptionally refreshing experience!


Contains Wheat and Oat Malts