Buzzards Bay Olde Buzzard Lager
Buzzards Bay Brewing

 

 

 

Great tastng beer, sad to see them retire it. My bottle was named Gold Medal Lager. Someone gave me this as an extra in a trade, don't remember who, so if you read this please let me know so I can credit you accordingly.

A - Clear golden color, slight head, minimal lacing. Pretty normal looking beer, not bad, not good.

S - Nice grainy backbone with some mild malts and grassy finish. Smells clean, light, and a touch sweet.

T - Very very good tasting. Light and grassy with a slight bitter taste that balances out some sweetness nicely. Touch of malts make this a simple, yet somehow complexly blended beer. On of the better ones of this type i've ever had.

M - Clean, carbonated, light, refreshing.

D - Easy to get down, really like this beer, wish I could get more.

Renamed Gold Medal Lager

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a modest head that leaves a vague pattern of lace

Smell: Fresh, with hints of toffee and grain

Taste: Fruit and toffee, up front, with a building grainy character that is joined by a floral hop character at mid-palate; after the swallow, the grainy flavor continues to persist and brings balance to the sweeter fruity elements

Mouthfeel: Medium body with crisp carbonation

Drinkability: One of the best Dortmunders I have encountered, if not the best; a real shame it is being discontinued

Pours a medium gold with a 1 finger foamy white head. Lots of bubbles in the clear liquid; tons of lacing.

Smells light and grassy, some green leafiness and some tart malt aromas.

Light grassy flavors, then a good hit of hop bitterness. No pine/citrus distinction, just bitter bite. Then the light grassy malt is back and clean in the finish. Very nice.

Lighter bodied, but more on the medium-light side. Decent carbonation.

Overall, very easy drinking. Sadly, I know a recommendation of trying this is in vain -- as this beer (and all others under the Buzzards Bay label) is being discontinued by the brewers, this very well might be the last 6 I buy (and the very reason, when I saw it on closeout, I grabbed it). Shame -- a very decent beer that I would have bought again.

Renamed Gold Medal Lager....
A) Golden in color with light orange hues. Visible upward CO2. Pours with a two finger head then settles to a creamy thin head. Lacing follows suit.
S) Grainy. Subtle citrus notes. Orange. Lemon. Yeast.
T) Malty nose - caramel. Butter. Mellow hop bite in the finish. Lingering hop zing in the aftertaste.
M) Creamy and lightly crisp. Fizzy. Light bodied. Mild gritty-ness.
D) On a hot summer day? Yup. Otherwise... meh.

12oz bottle acquired in trade.

Poured a medium and clear golden color with an averaged sized white head. Aromas of grass, citrus, and I get some spiciness. Tastes of citrus and grass. Like the tastes, the body was a litte on the weak and watery side. Lively body as well.

Notes from: 1/27/06

Summer sunshine gold with crystalline clarity. A vigorous pour produced three fingers of cream colored frothiness that looks pretty good both right out of the gate and as it starts to melt. An impressive amount of frost-on-a-windowpane lace is attractive as well.

Like the appearance, the nose is fresh, bright and clean. Pale cereal grains (with little to no toast) are wonderfully complemented by grassy-herbal-spicy hops. Magnum (bittering) and Hallertau (flavor/aroma) if you're keeping score. This should be one tasty little lager.

Buzzards Bay Brewing must be proud of their flagship beer because they've renamed it Gold Medal Lager, in honor of numerous such awards earned over the years. I'm guessing it was a recent change because this bottle tastes as fresh as this morning. That is, if this morning was June 3rd instead of December 3rd. And sunny instead of snowing.

Simple beer expertly brewed (like GML) is almost as good as complex beer expertly brewed. The malt profile is now a little toasted and earthy, thanks to both Munich and Vienna. There's a surprising amount of herbal-spicy German hoppiness tickling my tongue. Surprising because the stated IBUs are only 18. I would have guessed double that. Still, beautiful balance.

The mouthfeel is slightly bigger than expected, which is almost always a good thing. The beer actually gives back a little attitude when it's rolled around in the mouth. Expertly calibrated carbonation adds energy without annoying; not an easy tightrope to walk.

Every single one of the four BBB offerings that I've had to date have been solid. Gold Medal Lager might be the best of the bunch. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold's crown is safe, but this is a more than worthy version that more than deserves its name. Thanks to TheManiacalOne for the bottle.

Golden in color with a small bubbly head. A little cloudy.Floral citrus aroma a bit like green tea with lemon. Bitter hoppy taste with a floral citrus finish. Smooth drinking. A little full in the mouth but still crsip with bit of carbonation. Good beer bought in a sampler 6 pack would like to try a full sixer.

Served in a flute. Poured a beautiful, translucent honey-gold with a column of tiny bubbles effervescing from the bottom of the glass. Half inch, tight white head reduced its volume by half in about one minute before settling into a fairly consistent skim with a heavy dollop of white concentrated in the center. Some strands of lacing present during the session. Nose is biscuity and sweet; not much complexity, but well defined. Taste follows nose will a mild, floral hops presence. Biscuity character becomes somewhat prounced at the finish (a little grainy as noted in other reviews). Mouthfeel is light-bodied with a bit of carbonation burn across the roof of the mouth that culiminates in a dry finish. Nicely drinkable brew. Not a lot of complexity, but well-balanced and refreshing.

Initially sampled on tap at Harlow's Pub in Peterborough, NH. Golden in color and pours out with very little head. Very smooth, crisp, clean and refreshing with a little bit of a fruity taste to it. Not complex at all but it definitely has a purpose.

Presentation: 12 oz. brown bottle, there's a spot for a bottling number on the back label but it's blank, poured into a pilsner glass.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden yellow, lots of carbonation bubbles rising inside. The head formed about 2 fingers thick and faded slowly.

Aroma: Grainy malts and some floral hops.

Taste: Grainy malts with a light floral hoppiness in the background. The finish was dry grains, with the hops remaining in the background but lingering nicely.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and refreshing. Light to medium bodied, smooth and creamy but a little watery at the end. The carbonation balanced well.

Overall: Tastes good on a hot summer day, but nothing spectacular. Probably a good one to bring to a party, as it looks similar to the macros, but tastes much better. In that regard it has potential to be a good gateway beer.

Received as an extra in trade from paulthebeerguru. Poured from a 12oz. bottle into Sam Adams perfect pint glass. Beer was gold straw in color with a two finger, rocky, white head. Heavy carbonation and moderate lacing around the glass.

Aroma was crisp and fruity. Nice and clean.

Taste was crisp and pleasant. Notes of biscuit, lightly bitter hops and light fruits such as apple and pear.

Very crisp, clean and refreshing. This would make for a decent session beer at a party or cookout. Thanks again to paulthebeerguru for the opportunity to try this one!

They used to carry this brand at a store across the street from me, but lately, I haven't been able to find it anywhere close by. Pours a clear gold color, with a moderately large white head. Very clean in the aroma, with some biscuit and green hop burst. Taste follows the smell, with biscuit taste, cooked vegetables, and a pleasant hop bight. Body is on the light side, and extremely drinkable. This makes for a nice session beer, and is an overall enjoyable experience. I don;t get to taste this style very often, which may have been why I liked this one to the extent that I did. Great lager.

Poured a bright golden color with sparse white head. Little retention and slight lacing.
Smell is light with a light malt note.
Taste is sweet upfront but a strong bitterness comes in at the backend.
The bitterness is a bit too strong and overpowers the malt.
One of these is enough for me.

appearance – Golden color with carbonation. Nice white head, and left some lace too.

smell – Sweet and some hop smell to it.

taste – Has a sweet taste to it and then a slight hop taste at the end, but not too much.

mouthfeel – Medium body and carbonated.

drinkability – Ahhh, didn't do much for me. Was an ok beer, nothing that made me go wow.

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color with a thin white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is very straight-forward and contains mostly light malts, hops and a little bit of fruit.

T: The taste is very well-balanced with flavors of bready malts, hops bitterness and fruity sweetness. It’s simple but very effective. The after-taste is slightly bready, slightly sweet and slightly hoppy, retaining the balance all the way through.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, dry and very clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not very filling, good representation of style, this is a quality easy-drinking lighter beer to stick with for a whole evening.

First in a series of fine brews consumed on-site at the brewery in Westport, MA.

A: A golden, transparent straw color with a decent foamy head. Maintained good retention and nice lacing along the sides of the glass. Appealing.

S: Clean and hoppy aromas, somewhat of a natural or floral-like scent in there as well. Malt notes present, too.

T: Very indicative of the Dortmunder style. A hoppy crispness that was balanced well with an even malt body. Hints of citrus with a wheaty taste in the finish. Dry and refreshing.

M: Carbonation low, but easy on the palate. Again, a dryness to the finish with the best notes lingering.

D: Due to its balance, I'd definitely go for another. The flavors here aren't too overpowering, which makes for a very nice brew all around.

12oz. brown bottle, no freshness date. Pours a clear gold with a nice thick white head. Lots of lacing stuck to my glass. Plenty of carbonation. Aroma of malts with a big hint scent of yeast. Spicy, floral highlights in there. Mild on the palate, the fizzy bubbles tingle the tongue. Sweet tastes of malted wheat, caramel, very yeasty, hints of clove, a touch of coriander. Lightly bittered, leaving a grassy dryness behind. Decent brew.

Cheers!