Smoke On The Bayou
Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co

On tap at the brewery, served in an 11.5 oz plastic cup. Pours a deep, clear amber brown, with a short head of tan foam. Aromas of caramel, toffee, wood smoke, leather, earth, dried plums and apricots. Taste follows with a big malty body, plenty more caramel and toffee, roasted apples and pears, smoky roasted nuts, and just enough tobacco, and earthy hop bitterness. Creamy smooth mouthfeel, medium body and moderate carbonation. A nicely complex Scotch ale, full flavored with nice smoky notes reminiscent of Texas barbecue.

 

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours moderately hazy deep ruby red, light copper/brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, wood smoke, toasted biscuit, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, and red apple; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, roast, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/smoked malt, fruity yeast, and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, wood smoke, toasted biscuit, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, and red apple; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, roast, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, wood smoke, toasted biscuit, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, light molasses/nutty/roast, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/smoked malt, fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is good. Pretty thin and not that rich for the ABV, but not bad. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is a very good scotch ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/smoked malt, fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the ABV; with the minimally bitter/drying finish. Very well balanced malts and English yeast complexity, with mild earthy hop balance against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm never a fan of Scotch Ales, but received this as a gift. Actually not bad, maybe the best Scotch Ale I've had. Not sure about the "taste of Houston" thing on the label - being from Dallas, that is not a city I really want to taste ;)

Not bad, but not one I'll go seeking out.

 

 

 

 

No head at all; dank sugar nose with little appeal; almost sour off putting flavors. A bad bottle? or a bad concept?

Aged 9 months. Mellow Caramel. Little smoke.

 

I am not so much a sour ale kind of guy & this ale has sour yeast in it, but man does this beer makes sense. The sour note goes so well with the caramel malt & the hint of smoke.

Appearance-Light tan quarter-inch Head of foam. Sexy hue of amber/dark red, ranges from orangey pekoe tea to rich mohogany to dark ruby red.

Smell-man, an interesting tart apple aroma! Sweet smoke, mild peat, sweet malt.

Taste-tart, sweet red apple, sweet toasted malts, slightly dry smoke aftertaste.

Mouthfeel-slightly sticky, medium body.

Overall-a truly sexy, light scotch/ red ale with a fun tart twist!