After doing a little research, it has a very average score on BeerAdvocate, a C+, which has already lowered my expectations. Although it's labeled as a Cream Ale, it's officially listed as a Fruit / Vegetable beer which is a little weird. I'm guessing it's really heavy on citrus aroma and taste. It's also a beer best consumed during the winter months. I guess I'm failing all over with this one already.
Based on the simplicity of the bottle, I figured this was a pretty low-key brewery which is why I've never heard of it. Turns out, they are from California which probably attributes to them being rather unknown in the Western New York area.
I wish I could tell you a little about their brewery, but their website won't load past the splash screen for me. Maybe someone else will have a little better luck.
Buffalo Bill's Brewery
On to the review.
A - The color of the beer isn't a huge shocker. Orange tinted straw colored. Poured a very small head that was gone in absolutely no time. All that is left are some bubbles rising to the top. This beer kind of looks like a watered down orange juice.
S - Very strong orange peel and almost ginger-like scent coming from the beer mixed with some bitter hops. I don't find the scent to be rather pleasant even though I really enjoy oranges.
T - Very surprising taste, sort of. Obviously it's got a strong base of orange. Very full orange taste that practically dominates the beer. Almost tastes how it looks, like orange juice. There's also an adjunct grain taste present, which I don't dislike paired with this beer. It actually flows together nicely. The finish is full of sweet floral hops.
M - Very light bodied, comparable to something like Coors Light. Despite the amount of bubbles at the beginning it has a very low carbonated taste.
D - I have a hard time believing this is a "winter" beer. I totally see this is a summer beer because it's highly refreshing, and due to it being slightly watery and only a 5.2% ABV it's very drinkable.
Grade - I'd give this beer two thumbs up. I guess this reinforces the whole, "You can't judge a book by it's cover....and smell." line. The appearance and smell did absolutely nothing, so I was set up for a big let down. The taste was good! The awesome part is, I grabbed this from consumers out of their broken case rack, and paid only $1.29. Can't beat that.
Overall though, this beer is pretty much orange juice for grown-ups.
