I’m not sure how you all do it, but when it comes to beer drinking I’m a little adventurous until I get burned. Buffalo Bills Brewery has produced a couple of beers that I have really enjoyed over the last few months. I started with them with their pumpkin beer in October, which I really enjoyed, because instead of them trying to make a beer that tasted like pumpkin pie, they used the squash flavor of the pumpkin in the brew, which I really appreciated. I know many of you didn’t, but you are wrong. Then I decided to give their spin on an Oatmeal Stout a try. They infused the stout with blueberries, which I thought made for a very good fusion of flavors, and surprisingly they hit another base hit in my book. So I was interested to taste their take on an Orange Blossom beer. Well I guess all good things must come to an end, or if you prefer, even Babe Ruth was also known as the Strike Out King…
Buffalo Bills Orange Blossom Ale is an idea that had it been executed well might have been much better than it was. Its pour is light, lagery, and well…orange. Not much of a head to speak of and there was no retention, and very little lacing. The nose on this stuff was like a mix of Budweiser and orange juice. Seemed like a college aged hangover recipe.
The flavor, well…I understand where they were trying to go with it, but they just didn’t pull it off. Much to my pleasure they didn’t go for the Bayer Children’s Aspirin orange flavor, but this was much more like fresh squeezed, so that was good. Not sure how they got it in there, but perhaps there was orange used in the wort, making the orange flavor much more natural and prevalent in the profile, but again they just missed. See this brew says ale, but the flavor says lager all the way. It really did taste like someone squeezed orange juice into a Budweiser. Not so good.
I was thinking that this could have been much better if they tried it with a wheat beer and gone for more of a Blue Moon type flavor, complete with the orange slice. That might have saved this brew a little. Some styles can blend with citrus a lot better than lager.
So this is the first strike against Buffalo Bills Brewery for me. Given the fact that they have had two really good but quirky brews for me in the past, I’m not ready to write them off like I might have been had this been my first brew I tried from them (like that horrible Pete’s Wicked Strawberry Blonde), but given the history I have with them, I will keep trying their beers. So what about you? DO you give up on a brewery if they make a bad beer like Jim does (Flying Dog, Saranac) or do you go back to the well to see if there might be something better?
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Good question. For me, if I’ve had a dud I’ll be a little more careful with other offerings unless I read some good reviews about a particular beer.
For example, I thought Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale was horrid (I am right) but when I read your gushing review of their Blueberry Oatmeal Stout, I gave it a try and really enjoyed it. After reading this, I doubt I’ll try the orange one though.
I think every brewer has the potential to make some beers that any individual can love or hate.
Well despite your glaring mistake about the Pumpkin Ale, you have a pretty balanced approach to how you approach beers from a brewer you have had a bad experience with. Sometimes the experience is so bad, i.e. Pete’s Wicked Strawberry Blonde, it really becomes a huge leap of faith to try the next brew from that brewer. If I have two bad ones in a row without having anything good from a brewer I depend on gifts to change my mind.
I’ll have to resit this one, because last I had it I thought it was pretty good…maybe a 3.5 star review.
but yes, I will always revisit a brewery that burns me IF they are putting out new recipes.
Scott, I am with you on BB pumpkin. yuck.
Oh the pumpkin haters are out in full force. I tell you all that the BB Pumpkin Ale is the best, and I stand by my weird vegetabley beer! 🙂
You’re outnumbered, Don, but it’s your blog, so I don’t know who wins. I think I’ve called “my blog, I win” before, possibly to the guy from Saranac.
The only one I can’t beat on this blog is you. Because it’s your blog too. But as far as Nate and Scott are concerned I win. Hell, Nate doesn’t even like pumpkin beers!
FYI “resit” is fat fingers for “revisit”
Can either of you guys get Buckbean’s Orange Blossom ale for comparison? I’ve wanted to try it, but we don’t get it out here.
Writing it up as we speak Nate.
sweet
That’s just weird.