A few weeks ago, I decided it?d been entirely too long since I paid a visit to the good people at Flying Bison Brewing Company. ?With the brewery (located on Ontario St.) situated vaguely between my home and office, I?ve kicked myself on many-a-Friday for not bringing an empty growler to fill up during their weekend sampling/retail hours.
Last Friday, I put on my responsible-adult hat for once, and actually remembered to bring one. ?I was excited when I called the brewery to hear that they were featuring a small-batch beer called Bison Ordinary Bitter, and eagerly anticipated my trip to the brewery (potentially the friendliest place on the planet) all day at work.
As a fan of English styles, I knew what to expect from the otherwise misleading name, Bison Ordinary Bitter. ??Bitter? in English beer terms describes a beer that is rarely, in fact, very bitter. ?These are quaffable ales where malts are huge players, nicely balanced by mild English hops. ?They are the standard, everyday ales served at many pubs around the UK, and generally labeled in tiers of Ordinary, Special (or Best) and Extra Special Bitter (the world-famous ESB style), with ABV as the main distinguisher. ?Ordinary Bitters float between 3-4%, a true ?session ale?. ?The closest American examples (aside from ESBs, which are fairly plentiful) would be Pale Ales (a term also used in the UK), but American Pale Ales are generally more aggressively hopped with piney/citrusy hops from the Pacific Northwest, and have higher alcohol content than their British counterparts.
Enough of my pretentious diatribes on British beer. ?Point is, I was excited to try a locally-brewed, low-alcohol session beer, something that is rare to find around these parts aside from your average Can-Am Macro Swill.
I expect a certain consistency from Flying Bison, and Bison Ordinary Bitter did not disappoint one lick. ?The beer pours a light caramel/amber color with a 1/4 inch head that fades to bubbles and lace, but lingers as you drink the beer. ?This is not easy to see from my picture, of course this was a growler fill and not fresh from the tap. ?The beer has a nice, medium carbonation and the bubbles dance in the glass. ?It looks nicer than my crappy cell phone picture lets on.
The aroma is thin, but present, sweet grainy/caramel-ish malt and some mild, slightly fruity hop notes. ?The low gravity of the beer is evidenced in the light body, which is accompanied by a semi-dry finish and effervescent mouthfeel. ?The brew has a great fresh/crisp malt flavor. ?It?s very light, but solid enough to satisfy the serious beer drinker. ?The hops are definitely there to balance the light maltiness with a nice, clean bitterness and some lingering earthy hop flavor. ?The beer is tasty, mild and extremely drinkable. ?I very much enjoyed the ultra-fresh flavor, a perk of getting your beer diredt from the source.
Overall, this is a solid brew. ?With the right marketing, I could easily see this as an entry-level craft beer for the ?I only drink Bud Light? crowd ? but it would probably need a different name first. ?It didn?t sound like there was any plan to brew this again soon, but I personally hope that FBBC makes it a semi-regular thing. ?There are not enough flavorful low-alcohol beers around Buffalo.
I suppose I?ll close with the vitals. ?This brew rang in at 3.8% ABV and was $9.50 for a growler. ?I understand that there is a new collaboration effort with Gordon Biersch on tap, so I?m guessing this has been kicked and there is no more ? but if you?re interested, I?d say it?s worth stopping to ask. ?The worst that can happen is you see another beer you?re interested in and enjoy that instead.
Support local business! Cheers.
Source: http://buffalobeerandfood.com/heres-hoping-flying-bison-revisits-bob-ordinary-bitter/
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