A taste of… Buckbean Original Orange Blossom Ale

Reno,

Nevada

USA

Preface:

Yesterday, at the height of what local on-air-meteorologists have called a dangerous heat wave, a box of “Yeast Samples” arrived at my door. As you can (pun intended) see, it was canned beer. The packaging was less than successful in that all cans suffered a dent or two. However, none were punctured.

That said, I offer the following tasting notes…

Appearance:

This is a bright new copper penny colored ale topped with a loosely knit tan head of medium to large bubbles. The head slowly falls and laces nicely.

Aroma:

The first impression is malty grain followed by whiff of orange scent that I might miss if I wasn’t looking for it. Finally a richer malt aroma greets the first sip.

Mouth feel:

There is a heftier mouth feel here than I expected… perhaps an extra measure of dextrin?

Flavor:

The dominant hop flavors strut their stuff early and with enthusiasm. As a partner, malt holds its own and actually leads about halfway through the dance. While this is developing the wall-flower is the “Orange Blossom”. The poor thing might be there to make hops look/taste extra “sweet” but that’s about it. A little less body and bronze color (slap my face and send me to the corner for some time out) and this would be an exceptional summer quaffing brew.

Finish:

The presence of the hops is long lasting but is a joined by a flavor I associate with some of the citric herbal teas that were so popular in the late 1970’s.

Comments:

As a “summer seasonal” brew I find it a bit robust. That said, I would be interested to pair this with red-sauce real smoked barbecue. This brew would also add a special dimension if used in a BBQ sauce. The intensity of the hops would marry well with the tomato and sugar while the orange might come out and impart a special bite all its own.

The brewery Site: http://www.buckbeanbeer.com

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