Buffalo Bills America’s Original Pumpkin Ale

Buffalo Bills Brewery
Brewed at Pyramid Breweries
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Hayward, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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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.

Pours orange with haze ..small white head.. Aroma is of orange pop..taste is of lemon and wheat..not bad.but wont do again interesting

Originally reviewed: 9/17/09. Eh. When I bought this I had much higher expectations as it is brewed with real pumpkins, but this let me down. Pours a dark orange with a bubbly off-white head on top. This disappears very quickly to nothing. No sheet or ring at all. This just looks like an orange soda. Smells of pumpkin, nutmeg, and allspice. Not bad. The mouth is thin and lacking carbination. Weak. The flavor is weak as well. Some mild pumpkin and muted spiciness are there, but very mildly. This was a disappointment. Look for better pumpkin ales out there.

12oz bottle, hazy gold colr, no head. nice spice, nutmeg, pumpkin in the aroma. the taste doesn’t follow up on the aroma. weak and watery, very little pumpkin, bit of spice in the finish

Rich color but lost it's head quickly. Could taste pumpkin pie spices. Light bodied and enjoyable. But I wouldn't necessarily buy it again. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Well,....smells great at first whiff... no head whatsoever.....then it gets worse. cloudy urine-coloured, not really even orangish, any pumpkinivity this aspires to is lost in a tart, sour, acidic, hypercarbonated mess. poured it out after 3/4.

Appearance: clear orange under a bubbly head – fades into a thin bubbly collar. Swirls bubbly with no real foam or lace, just bubbles.
Nose: spice is first and dominates the top of the palate. Pumpkin is underneath, a solid platform for everything else to stand on. All spice, nutmeg, candied ginger. Moist, meaty pumpkin pie mix.
Palate: medium-light body. Slight creamy pumpkin mouthfeel. Borders on watery which offsets the spices – ginger and nutmeg – which is slightly detrimental to the overall profile of flavors. Pumpkin in the back with a dry finish – pumpkin skin and burnt pie crust.
Final Thoughts: historically speaking, was Buffalo Bill’s the first…not sure. It proclaims to hail from an old Georg Washington recipe, and I don’t not believe it. Let’s just say that along with the mother of invention is innovation and improvement. Alright but not a pumpkin seasonal I’d readily seek out.

Pours cloudy malted orange with small head, small floating retention, torrents of fast-moving CO2 streams, glass-clinging/sliding lacing, micro CO2. Pumpkin and cinnamon/nutmeg + malt on the nose. Burst of nutmeg/cinnamon up front, sharp and heavily carbonated, light-medium mouthfeel, some malts and pumpkin, carbonated finish. Not quite balanced - overly carbonated, good flavour, but not much carry in the watery finish. Medium complexity, medium depth, short-medium length, not-good-enough carry, medium-bodied. Spices and flavour are good, but burpy carbonation and watery finish no good.

The smell is pretty bad, so it starts off weak. The taste is ok, but nothing really happening in it for me. The pumpkin is very heavy and at the front if you like that style. Much, much better fall beers I would have before this one again.

It’s spicy, pumpkiny, and watery all at once. It’s a decent beer but there are many better fall beer alternatives than this one.

Apricot color with a thin head and cloudy appearance. Spicy nose. Smooth entry with a mildly-carbonated, somewhat watery mouthfeel followed by hints of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon.