Buzzerkeley
Calicraft Brewing Co.

BuzzerkeleyBuzzerkeley
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From:
Calicraft Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
Ranked #156
ABV:
7%
Score:
84
Ranked #23,038
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 13.82%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
90
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 15, 2022
Added:
Jul 14, 2012
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  12
Buzzerkeley blurs the line between beer and wine. Pushing the boundary of taste and style, this light and zesty Sparkling Ale showcases pure California Starthistle honey and is a blend of two batches, one made with a Champagne yeast, the other with a Belgian yeast, blended one-to-one.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Bubbles:
Photo of Bubbles
Rated by Bubbles from California

2/5  rDev -45.8%

Jan 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
really fun beer here, especially with some age on it! 2015 vintage, awesome. this seems to do pretty well in the bottle over time, i was impressed with how lively and bright it is, and quite distinctive too with the multiple yeasts in the blend, i love the idea and the execution is rock solid, would be cool to have been able to side by side this with a fresh one, i bet it changes quite a lot with the wine yeast over the years. anyway, this is rather pale, just slightly orange tinted heady from the bottle, close to clear, and prickly on the carbonation. aroma of white wine grapes, floral honey, and lightly toasted pale malt, some light and even flattering oxidation is set in, but its not out of place, and i get some belgian yeast esters too, pear, apricot, and subtle white pepper, hay and straw here too, this has a farm element and a little tang. the flavor is real unique, kind of hits slow, like it takes a second to really have much flavor, but it opens nicely into amazing honey brightness, fruit trees blooming in spring, dandelion, poppy, honey buttered toast with this malt profile, and surprisingly very little mid palate sweetness for how much other honey character there is. i can also appreciate both the belgian yeast and the wine yeast, this is definitely vinous, i get a light lemony bacterial aspect too, subtle pear, champagne, dried herbs, and golden raisin. i get some alcohol, seems stronger than its listed abv. lovely effervescence, even with the age on it, decidedly unique, and without a doubt underrated on here unless its not even close to this good when its fresh, which based on the quality here i seriously doubt. i hope to drink this one again, great use of the honey and these two yeasts!
Nov 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by BarrelAgedG from California

Jul 19, 2017
Photo of ONUMello
Reviewed by ONUMello from Ohio

3.64/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 750mL bottle into a tulip
A: Light orange with a one-finger head that quickly settles
S: Honey, grass, baking spice and malt
T: Matches the nose. The honey is there, Belgian in style overall
M: Light to medium-bodied, a bit of carbonation but not as much as I expected given the label
O: This is a decent beer but as much as I was expecting something to remind me of California given the label and beer/wine blur, this is a straight up Belgian ale and nothing more
Mar 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by frasergrove from California

Jan 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.87 by leprechaunandfatman from Ohio

Dec 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Nov 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Ajlvt from Washington

Nov 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by RBorsato from Virginia

Jan 30, 2016
Photo of Fatehunter
Reviewed by Fatehunter from Oregon

3.44/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a half finger of head on a clear light straw body. Lots of bubbles.
The aroma is a nice pear, apple and spice smell.
The taste is fruity sweet but balanced with a dry tenancy towards the finish.
The texture is medium and fizzy.
It's enjoyable.
Jan 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.72 by donspublic from Texas

Dec 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.93 by ssgunbond from Belgium

Nov 21, 2015
Photo of Dope
Reviewed by Dope from Massachusetts

3.67/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
No bottling date but presumed fresh.

A: Pours a hazy ruddy red/orange. Tall and fizzy tan head. Head fades quickly at first but then slows down with decent retention. No sign of lacing.

S: Smells just like a saison to me. Light citrus and grass. Grainy malt. Good amount of cloves.

T: Huh, very unique. Citrus and grass up front but it's got sort of an odd mix of flavors after that. Sweet grainy malt with...honey? Cloves and earthy spices follow. It's sort of like a sweet belgian pale (whereas most are dry and crisp). Lots of white wine in the aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied, sweet and smooth.

O: Hmph. Very unique but I'm not sure that it works. Just a sort of mess of flavors that don't really go together. I see they used champagne use to make this "light and zesty" but it's the exact opposite, it's overly heavy and sweet for a BSPA. Has some wine characteristics but...just doesn't work. Not a bad beer, just not that great either.
Oct 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Oct 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.92 by Piglet_rulz_da_yard from California

Oct 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.78 by metter98 from New York

Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by Matt141 from Texas

Sep 11, 2015
Photo of mwilbur
Reviewed by mwilbur from Minnesota

3.77/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 750 mL bottle into champagne flute.
A: Pours a clear golden yellow with high carbonation, but only a 1/4 inch white head that quickly settles down to a thin skim that is continually fed by the carbonation jets...very champagne-like.
S: Belgian yeast, candi sugar, dry white wine, a musty note, white pepper, and a hint of honey.
T: The blend is apparent with the Belgian yeast side hitting first, quickly followed by the champagne yeast side. Honey, dry sweet white wine, white pepper, and a mild musty/funky note. With warming, sourdough and spearmint come to the surface.
M: Light-medium body. Mild effervescence (I was expecting a bit more here based upon appearance). Dry and sweet throughout. Mildly oily feel.
D: An interesting brew to be sure. I like the thought process behind it and the end result is solid, but not spectacular. I wonder what a 5-to-3 ratio of champagne-to-Belgian yeast blend would taste like. It seems if the balance was shifted a bit more toward the champagne yeast side of things it might be even better.
Sep 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by smithj4 from New York

Sep 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by valkyre65 from Texas

Aug 31, 2015
Buzzerkeley from Calicraft Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 90 ratings