Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale

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

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."

this is one of my favorite pumpkin ales. With a smooth, sweet taste and spicy but soft smell, I can’t get enough.

Pumpkin Ale pours to a bright, slightly murky orange color, with a white head that fades, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic, with aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and "gordy" pumpkin aroma. The palate is firm, with good flavors of pale malt, paired with squashy, pumpkin flavors. Pumpkin Ale finishes with more malty and pumpkin flavors, then ends with a very pleasing, slightly sweet, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove finish, that lingers on the tongue. This is an outstanding pumpkin ale. It might have changed breweries again, but it has always remained a very tasty beer, that features both "gordy"/squashy pumpkin flavors, along with the traditional pumpkin pie in a glass/spice flavors. In that regard, Pumpkin Ale has been a constant, and brings back fond memories to this beer lover. This beer is a fantastic desert beer, that can be matched with a slice of pumpkin pie and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you see this beer in your market, seek it out, you can’t miss it in bottles. It has a very distinctive black label, with a bright orange pumpkin growing out of a leafy patch. This beer is a Fall seasonal release but it usually hangs around to just around this time of year, and usually goes on sale, making a nice beer to enjoy in the winter as well.

Wanted to love it, but unfortunately, it was just mediocre. Very pumpkin in the nose. Very spicy on the palate with less pumpkin than expected. Slightly watery thinnish mouthfeel. Good, but definitely not great.

An aroma of pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon are present. The color is a brownish orange with a small white head. The flavor is dominated by the spicey taste of pumpkin pie.

Light pumpkin aroma. You can really taste the nutmeg, but not alot of pumpkin. Light head fades quickly. The beer is an amber color with a very slight haze. Can’t taste much malt or hops, just alot of spice. It needs more balance. Worth a try.

I discovered a slightly cloudy, light amber bodied ale in the 12 ounce bottle. There was a small off-white head, which quickly vanished and left no lacing. Spice aromas dominate the nose--especially clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Flavors associated with these same aromas dominate the palate through and through. There is a delicately sweet backbone to this ale, but I had trouble identifying any malt component. What’s more, the zesty tang of the spice blend masks the hop balance in the dry, long-lasting finish. This ale is surprisingly refreshing and effervescent, but a bit too heavy on the brewing adjuncts--even for a seasonal ale.