Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Hayward CA


Alright, let's forge ahead and try out this season's specialty: The Pumpkin Beer! The first comes from Buffalo Bill's Brewery, advertised on the bottle as "America's Original Pumpkin Ale", so it seems like a logical start for us. Buffalo Bill's is in Hayward, CA, the beer is brewed and bottled by Pyramid Breweries (Seattle, Portland & Berkeley).

It pours a bright amber with a thin head.

The smell is all pumpkin and spice. Not too sweet. The spice is hard to distinguish: cinnamon, clove, allspice...all together.

It is a light body with a decent amount of spice. I wouldn't call it bold, it is fairly balanced for being a "flavored" beer. It has a slight coppery taste - not unpleasant, it balances with the sweetness. The spice is again a general flavor.

The aftertaste is very mild. It dissipates quickly, which is nice. With flavored beers, I've noticed that there can be a sweetness that lingers a little too long. A general toasty taste remains for a few moments.

In all, a great beginning to our pumpkin season. It's not overly intense, so a new-comer looking for to ease into the pumpkin beers might find this one a good starter. I have about 5 more ready to go in the fridge!

Cheers!

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