Original Orange Blossom Ale
Buckbean Brewing Company

Original Orange Blossom AleOriginal Orange Blossom Ale
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From:
Buckbean Brewing Company
 
Nevada, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
74
Avg:
3.13 | pDev: 17.57%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
56
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 15, 2022
Added:
Jul 02, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.26/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Pretty sure this was the flagship beer for this defunct brewery. Big disagree on the amber/red ale designation. Fruit/vegetable genre you dork jobber. Feelsgoodman. Orange blossom beer pours an auburn burnt amber orange like color. The head is thick for style and uneven around 1/2" depth. The color is flat out unattractive and doesn't look like amber/red ale. The aroma checks out, orange blossom beer smells of orange.

The taste wasn't for me, but I knew plenty of people who were into it. Orange, but not from a wedge or hops. I think they literally dropped orange blossoms into this. The mouth feel wasn't the best, had a watery edge to it, wasn't really beercentric, didn't really smack of malt, yeast or hops, a light bitterness, 25 ibu vibe styleeeeee, just a orange blossom delivery vessel, and that's cool, there is/was a market for that kind of stuff. Its weird that the color of this suggested some kind of malt contingency, but then you really didn't taste nor feel it mouth feel wise.
Sep 15, 2022
 
Rated: 2.25 by mmilyko from Nevada

Sep 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 09, 2012
 
 
 
Rated: 3 by shelby415 from Oregon

Feb 12, 2012
Photo of Cinderbike
Reviewed by Cinderbike from Nevada

2.71/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
A - Slightly hazy golden yellow with fluffy off-white head.

S - Oranges, lemons, and malt. Not your usual citrus aroma, however - more akin to orange soda.

T - Again, the orange essence used gives it a unique, almost artificial orange flavor. Very tart with some lemon tones and a bit of diacetyl. There is a little bit of caramel and toasted bread in the finish but the 'orange blossom' flavor dominates.

M - Thin and effervescently carbonated.

O - It's a strange beer. I suppose for a session beer or someone new to craft it might be good, but I just found it too weird to enjoy.
Feb 05, 2012
Photo of johnnnniee
Reviewed by johnnnniee from New Hampshire

3.07/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Received in trade from mdaschaf, thanks for the opportunity.

I smell oranges as soon as I crack open the can. Pours out quite the hazy orange color with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Smells of citrus and orange with a sweet almost sugary malty background. Wow this has quite an odd flavor to it. Its almost like someone took an orange popsicle and mixed it in a thin amber ale. It's heavy on the oranges for sure and there must be some malt in there somewhere. Bone dry finish with a fairly thin body. Moderate level of carbonation with a tart prickly mouthfeel. Well they get an A for being distinct, but this only worked for the first sip or two before I tired of it. I'm glad I got to try this.
Jan 27, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by jbweld from Nevada

Dec 19, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Ryburr from California

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by jh1982 from Nevada

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of sendsilk
Reviewed by sendsilk from Florida

3.12/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This beer starts out pretty refreshing. Nice orange and floral hops in the aroma. Looks clean and crisp in appearance but slightly cloudy.

The taste. It starts off fairly well but rapidly gets old. Very one dimensional and the beer seems to become less appealing as it warms. The mouthfeel is a little light but seems appropriate for the style.

I only bought 1 16 oz can of this and am glad the have tried it but I probably won't be going back to it anytime soon.
Oct 20, 2011
Photo of RomaniIteDomum
Reviewed by RomaniIteDomum from Florida

4.07/5  rDev +30%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours golden amber with a big fluffy white head.

Smells like light orange blossoms and a light floral hop presence.

The taste has a nice floral orange blossom taste with a hint of orange juice, but mostly floral qualities. Lingering blossom and floral hop notes. Good balance keeps it from being one-dimensional.

Nice light feel keeps with the light floral nature of this beer.

Overall, this was a very pleasant surprise. good balance and refreshing qualities make this a great lawnmower beer. I enjoyed mine in almost 100 degree heat with damn near 100% umidity. Perfectly refreshing.
Aug 30, 2011
Photo of steved64
Reviewed by steved64 from Arizona

2.64/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
A: gold to copper, no haze.

S: DMS, cooked corn. I have tasted many a homebrew with this flaw and rather supprised to see it in a commercial beer. Some folks don't mind this but I cannot stand it. The orange stuff is in there somewhere.

T: Balance on the sweet side, pretty much what I expect for a fruity beer. Again hard for me to get past the DMS. I can tell what they were trying to do and it could have been very successful if not for the DMS dominating.

M: crisp, reasonably light

O: Sad to say I did not drink more than a few ounces before giving up on this one.
Aug 25, 2011
Photo of GallowsThief
Reviewed by GallowsThief from Florida

3.6/5  rDev +15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured out of a pint can into a pint glass.

A – Pours a cloudy orange yellow pour with about a finger of off white fluffy head.

S – Very sweet smell, reminds me of orange Kool Aid.

T – Nice smooth orange flavor. Some hops present but faint. Tiny bit of bitterness present. Slight warming at the finish.

M – Lively carbonation. Light to Medium body.

O – After smelling this I thought it was going to be very sweet. It is actually not. It has a strong taste of orange of course but it still retains a beer flavor. Pretty solid.
Aug 14, 2011
Photo of ktrillionaire
Reviewed by ktrillionaire from Florida

3.31/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A Nevadan tick, huh? This one pours an amber-orange hue and is capped with a very scant film of microbubbles. The nose is pleasant enough - and is definitely suggesting orange blossom water - with a faintly perfumed citric odor standing above smaller hop and grain notes. Flavor-wise, it is pretty good; I get mild orange blossom notes atop a lightly spicy-herbal and crackery base. The feel is very watery, which actually serves this brew well. Overall this seems like a perfectly reasonable libation for a sweltering desert like NV.
Jul 30, 2011
Photo of JohnnyS17
Reviewed by JohnnyS17 from Maryland

3.08/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Pours a murky orange and brown with about an inch or two of thin white head. The head subsides pretty quickly into a very thin lacing. The particles are very tiny unlike a Hefeweizen where you can see individual bits of wheat and yeast. It smells of flowers and oranges; it would make a nice potpourri for your bathroom.

The taste is kind of odd. It starts out like a wheat beer and finishes like a pale ale. There are mild hints of wheat and hops, with very subtle sweetness. It is a bit too bitter for my liking. There is a moderate, crisp carbonation. It is a very thin body with a slightly dry finish.

Overall, the most interesting part of the beer was the unique smell. Besides that, it is not an extremely exciting beer.
Jun 19, 2011
Photo of yemenmocha
Reviewed by yemenmocha from Arizona

3/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours light amber with white head. Nose has a clear floral orange character. Palate has some toasty grainy flavors with the orange floral flavors taking over. Hard to enjoy this one, almost like drinking an orange soft drink. Light bodied. A bit watery.
May 23, 2011
Photo of Smakawhat
Reviewed by Smakawhat from Maryland

2.57/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

A very soapy large bubbled off white head of three fingers comes off the pour. It seems to fall at a good clip. Body is slightly cloudy and a nice orange amber, but it looks a little unpleasant.

An obvious whiff of faint orange soda, airy. Also some sweetness that's kind of odd. There's something kind of funky/musty almost with a little veggie like, but this is actually kind of interesting to me. Slight hint of malt to go too.

Woah what happened to this body? This seems as something a little bigger bodied is coming but it is incredibly wet and watery. Taste dissipates very quickly, with a faint old stale orange, but not much malt either. This feels like an incredibly weak lager and very just... wow boring.

Overall I am not impressed with this for it's category. It seems to start off well but is incredibly weak in taste and feel. It just feels like flavored weak soda and orange.
May 14, 2011
Photo of beagle75
Reviewed by beagle75 from Iowa

3.87/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Draft pour into a goblet at Brix in Sunset Beach.

A: Slightly hazy, light orange-amber with one finger of diminishing mango-tinted foam head. Moderate lacing remains on the glass.

S: While slightly toasty, it is most like standing next to a large citrus tree that is in full bloom--very aromatic and appealing.

T: Begins off-dry, with early floral aromatics carried from the smell that yield to the cream ale core of soft toasted malt (and perhaps adjuncts). Acidity is low despite its citrus theme. A whiff of authentic orange blossom persists through to the end, amidst a finish that entirely lacks bitterness. Flavors are careful to never cross an important line toward sweetness--in fact, the opposite is more true--which lends validity to this beer's approach that would otherwise be easy to not take seriously.

M: Medium viscosity, oily and smooth on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Here is an interesting American-brewed alternative to England's cream ales. It is not undermined by the involvement of the orange blossoms, instead gaining interest and floral complexity from them. It reminds of 21st Amendment's watermelon wheat, not in similarity of flavor but in similarity of approach to pairing questionable botanical elements with beer and still respecting the style.
Apr 26, 2011
Original Orange Blossom Ale from Buckbean Brewing Company
Beer rating: 74 out of 100 with 56 ratings