Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Buffalo Bills Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Hayward, California USA

This was my first flavored beer, and it had a very good pumpkin flavor, similar to eating a pumpkin pie. The overall beer wasn’t top notch, but the flavor made up for the lack of head and palate.

Very sweet aroma, highlighted with pumpkin spice and clove. The Head was light beige, but it faded fast and left a small ring of bubbles around the rim. The body is an orangish tan. Strong spicey taste, it is the pumpkin spice that is most present. MIght be better in a cold fall evening, but not that great for a cool spring evening.

I noticed this at the store around Christmas time, then picked it up in March when I saw it on clearance. This is definitely a seasonal beer, and in March seems about as appropriate as Nat King Cole singing O Holy Night. While most winter beers are still beers, and really could be enjoyed any time of year, this pumpkin pie-flavored beer is a holiday novelty.

Still had a few bottles of these in the fridge from last fall, what better way to thin their numbers and clear some room by drinking one. Pours a transparent amber color witha fizzy white head that dissapears rather quickly and leaves almost nothing but a small film around the edges. The aroma does give you pumpkin, as well as nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. The flavor though seems to be dominated by cloves with the nutmeg coming out in the finish...there’s a small pumkin flavor that comes out but not as much as the spices do. The beer has a very light body, a little bit watery...I was hoping for something a bit more on the creamy side of the spectrum. Seems like it’s having some balance issues.

Bottle. Pours golden honey color with tons of bubbles but not really any head retention. The aroma is pumpkin, nutmeg, and a strange note of hay. The flavor is mostly nutmeg, clove, cinnamon sticks, and some pumpkin. Like that canned pumpkin pie filling. Some mild maltiness works its way in there, too, and the finish is faintly grassy. Leaves a very pumpkin-like aftertaste. I would like the beer aspects to be more prominent than the pumpkin pie, but I guess it delivers what it promises.

First off, I only wish that I had tried tihs back in Oct/November instead of late February. Fate is fate though so you just go with it. Anyways, I thought this beer was rather intriguing and can’t WAIT to try it again in said months. The aroma wasn’t too bad with some soapy aroma and a little pumpkin thrown in. I didn’t get nutmeg as some reviewers did. As it warmed up a bit I also got a slight metallic nose too. Appearance was just beautiful with a dark maple appearance and a huge head, although the carbonation was fairly lacking. Mouthfeel was nice and soft, although a bit flat. Flavor was pumpkin, but in a way that was pleasing not distracting. There was some maltiness to it that was also nice, although unlike other reviewers I didn’t get (again) any nutmeg or allspice. Perhaps wishful thinking or just that time of year. Overall this was a nice brew that would go wonderfully during Oct/November. Can’t wait!

Revisited 10/06.<P> Beer is clear, bright, light orange-caramel color with a small, frothy, off-white, mostly and quickly diminishing head.<P> The aroma is lightly malty with a note of toasted grain, moderate caramel and toasty cookie, trace of toasted nuts; Hoppy with a trace lemon zest note; Lightly yeasty with a trace of dough; Drowning in heavy, sweet, heady miscellaneous notes of honey, cinnamon, anise, ginger allspice, nutemeg and pumpkin pie filling. Heavy note of sparkling ginger dominates. Reads like a sublime gingerale.<P> The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter/dry, trace acidic with an average-length, trace acidic, lightly bittersweet finish, slightl astringency. The body is light, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.<P>Will stock this one for holiday visitors, too.

"HMMM not sure what this one is missing. The pumpkin is there for sure, but it almost has a watered down flavor. Can get some cinnamon but missing the others i am looking for. Dry finish."