Beer # 162 - Honey Basil Ale, Bison Brewing, Berkeley California

An interesting sounding ale - probably best suited for the summer months, but let's give it a try...

It pours a cloudy straw color with a thin head.

The aroma is of slight hop with citrus and floral notes. There is also a honey essence.

The medium/light body reveals honey with a crispness on the tongue. Hop builds in the body giving away to sweet malt. Mild basil notes are evident in the finish.

It finishes clean, the basil and honey flavors linger momentarily on the palate.

Light, crisp and refreshing with some unique flavors - Makes me miss summer!

Chocolate Stout, Bison Brewery, Berkeley California

Our next beer comes loades with 2-Row, Camel, Chocolate, Roast Barley, and Munich Malts. Bison is an organic brewery from Berkeley, CA. Let's see how these malts taste!

It pours opaque with a tawny tight head.

The aroma is cocoa with a roasty malt.

The taste is roasty malt with a medium body. It thickens as it warms and finishes with big chocolate tones. Dark cocoa and a little coffee develops as you enjoy.

The aftertaste is deep cocoa.

This is a deep dark delicious dessert beer.

Cheers!

Bison Barleywine, Bison Brewing Company, San Francisco California

Well, I'm not sure if you are able to get your hot little hands on this wonderful Barleywine - They only brew 1200 cases a year and I'm not sure how far their distribution reaches (us Portlanders are blessed with a fair supply of their beers). I highly recommend this barleywine style ale - in fact I've had a few Bison beers and recommend them all. And with this next sample - I stand by my enthusiastic support. Let's try it out....

It pours a dark toffee color with a tight caramel colored head.

The aroma is dominated by sweet sweet malt.

The taste is subtle up front. A mild ale/alcohol taste that leads into a full malt body. This all leads to a bitter end with toffee tones that lingers nicely.

The aftertaste is big malty sweetness with substantial bitterness.

All - in - all it is truthfully a little sweeter than I personally enjoy. I still recommend it heartily.

It is 9.5% with 85 IBU's.

Cheers!

Gingerbread Ale, Bison Brewing Company, San Francisco California

Our next beer comes from Bison Brewing Company and I raved about their Pumpkin ale this year - let's see how their Christmas seasonal holds up....The name Gingerbread Ale deterred me at first, as any idea of flavoring beer is a challenging proposition for me, which rarely proves successful, but my last experience with Bison was so good, let's do it!

It pours opaque with a big head.

The aroma is mild gingerbread, lots of malt. There is mild sweetness. Vague cinnamon is there as well.

The taste is big roasty malt. It is very mild in it's spice. The gingerbread is very very mild - I actually think the pumpkin ale was more gingerbready than this ale. It has a full body, and the malt is very biscuit. The spice is mostly cinnamon, but it's very late on the palate.

The aftertaste is mildly sweet and slightly cookie-ish.

All in all, it is a solid ale. I'm not sure it's as gingerbread-y as I imagined it would be, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a big roasty beer that is a great sipper around the fire.

21 IBU's with 2-Row, Caramel, Chocolate, Roast Barley, and Black malts. I found mine at Belmont Station. I've seen it at a few grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

Cheers!

Farmhouse Saison, Bison Brewing Company, Berkeley CA

I raved in an earlier post about Bison Brewing Company's Pumpkin Ale, and now we will turn our church key to their Saison offering....

It pours a very bright amber with a big foamy head.

The smell is predominately yeast, but there is also a citrus and slight peppery/slight spice aroma.

It is a smooth beer with a medium body and full taste. There is a bit of citrus, but it is mostly yeast with a slight bitterness.

The aftertaste is a lingering yeast and spice. It is quite refreshing and tastes great all on it's own or with a meal.

Bison is an Organic Brewery. This beer contains 24 IBU's and is made with 2-row, carapils, wheat, and munich malts. I found this beer at Whole Foods and several of Bison's beers are available all over the Northwest. I'm not sure how far east they distribute.

Our next Beer Lesson will cover Belgian Ales....

Cheers!

Pumpkin Ale, Bison Brewery, Berkeley CA

Our next beer is an interesting and exciting choice. This is the first beer I have had from Bison, which is an organic brewery out of Berkeley, California. Straight to it....

The beer pours a bright amber, it is cloudy with a thin head.

The smell is mild, slightly sweet, and mild pumpkin pie.

The taste is a little bit of a surprise. There is hop and yeast noticeable in the beer. The yeast makes the beer a little like a White beer with a little white pepper taste in it. It is spicy and the pumpkin is definitely there. It is slightly reminiscent of a Belgian beer, but for the pumpkin spices.

The aftertaste is sweet, then white peppery and spicy with mild pumpkin.

This is a delicious departure from the other pumpkin beers due to the presence of yeast. I highly recommend grabbing one while they are available. I bought mine at Belmont Station here in Portland, but I've seen it all over the Northwest. Check for it in the 22oz bottle.

Cheers!