Bison Organic Red Ale

Brewed by Bison Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Berkeley, California USA

more of a light copper than a red or amber color. hoppy, minty, grassy aroma. taste is bitter and hoppy. hint of mint and alcohol. metallic notes. decent

A fresh aroma of hop and caramel styled malt gently greets my nose. Color is a glowing red with a thin patchy layer of head. The drink itself has a medium body and mouthfeel with a slight bitterness that will linger well after its been consumed. Some very weak touches of caramel malt cross my tastebuds even though i find this a pretty sweet amber ale. Nice brew, i can’t wait to get ahold of other Bison beers.

Pours hazy golden with a huge foamy off-white head, as if perhaps it was slightly infected. Aroma is clean though, sweet toffee, spicy hops,a nd a light note of alcohol with the sweetness of fruity cantaloupe. Taste is light toffee and toasted grainy caramel, with some very mellow Cascades blending everything together. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly sticky with a bit of harshness. A bit dissapointing unfortunately, but not bad, this just never reached its full potential. More hops might have made this work.

slightly fogged amber orange with a big white head, tart apple nose, slightly yeasty, tastes like diareah, straight up, watery shit in a bottle with some lemon juice added, worst beer ever, infected with something I assume, probably got it in the red light district

Not bad for a typically uninteresting style. Nice and refreshing without a cornmeal or syrupy malt finish. The hops join in with the more-than-expected carbonation to give the beer a nice clean finish. Not sure about the metallic finish, but I have had many brews organic or not with this element. Maybe a hole in the center of the palate, but I’ll see this guy when it warms up.

Pours medium amber and clear with a large beige head that lingered nicely and left good lace. Aroma is honey and caramel malts, herbal and floral hops without much of what I’d expec from a "copius addition of organic Cascade hops". Maybe it’s that they’re organic, but the aroma is more subdued than I’d expect. Flavor is sweet lightly caramel malts initially, with a good amount of citrus and floral hops, but it’t degraded by a somewhat metallic flavor. This is the flavor that I’ve come to associate with organic ales - what’s up with that? Seems that someone should be able to produce a good organic ale without the metallic hops... Medium body and assertive carbonation. Not really bad overall, but could be much, much better without the metallic notes.

This is the most under-rated beer I’ve yet had in 2006, but remember that I am a proud hophead. First of all, the guys at Bison must be color-blind because this beer is dark straw, not even a hint of red. The aroma is very highly hopped, with fruit, black peppery and floral spicy notes. Definite 9 for aroma. The flavor is hoppy and citric, with grapefruit and canteloupe hints. Medium palate. Gets hoppier with more tropical notes as it warms. I would, and I will, drink this again. In fact, I’m going back to Total Wine tomorrow to get more of this.

Pours a deep dark reddish amber color. Aromas of hops, spice, caramel malts, and touch fruit. Flavor is nice and hoppy with fruit touches and a weird chocolate taste. Damn fine beer.