Where the Buffalo Roam

Sorry for the temporary hiatus- grad school seems to get in the way of beer drinking, especially this time in the semester. As upset as I am that my boyfriend is in the Virgin Islands right now without me, being apart for nine days gave me an excuse to go out and get beer with him on the eve of his departure. As per his suggestion, we went to Buffalo Brewing Company.

There was an event at the Chaifetz Arena, so the place was packed, and a little understaffed.  The owner's wife, who was busing tables and seating people, also ended up being our waitress.  She did a fine job considering the circumstances.

Buffalo Brewing Company is within walking distance of Urban Chestnut Brewing Company and the Schlafly Tap Room- perfect for a microbrewery pub crawl.  This place is a slice of the Old West in Mid Town St. Louis, taxidermy armadillo and all.  They serve up real buffalo burgers, buffalo sausage, and a host of traditional pub dishes.  The bar usually rotates six different freshly brewed beers, though when I went there were only five. The brewmaster is Dave Johnson, who is also the brewmaster at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, which is interesting because I find Buffalo's beers to be much better than Kirkwood Station's. 

Without further ado, here's what I had:

Gold: I honestly wasn't expecting much, but this beer was surprisingly flavorful for such a light lager.  There was an unexpected hop bite to it going down. It was very drinkable-- I had another.  I think I would drink lagers more often if they all had as much flavor as this one.

Pumpkin Ale: I like pumpkin beers, but usually not in March.  This pumpkin ale, though, was quite unlike any other I've tasted.  It had the strongest pumpkin flavor of any pumpkin beer I have tried.  It was also overwhelmingly sweet, like pumpkin pie.  I would rename it to "Pumpkin Pie Ale."  I like sweeter, maltier beers, but the boyfriend thought it was excessively sweet.  I waited until I finished my dinner and drank it for dessert.

American Red Ale: This one was bitter right off the bat, but the bitterness did not linger.  I'm no expert in beer-food pairings, but I thought it went nicely with my pizza.

Chili: I have heard so much talk about this beer from other craft beer enthusiasts, so I was most excited to try this one.  It's definitely unique, but I was not a fan.  I didn't think it had any flavor other than the spiciness.  I hear other people love it, though, so don't be afraid to try it if you are looking for something different.

Belgian Black IPA:  As I mentioned above, I like sweeter, maltier beers, so I wouldn't typically choose an IPA.  Black IPA is not technically a style (it's just a porter amped up on hops), but it is becoming pretty popular.  Traditional IPAs are not very balanced because they are so heavy on the hops, but a black IPA has the best of both worlds.  It has the malt of a porter and the hops of a pale ale, so it is strong and balanced.  I dig it.

Oddly enough, Buffalo also serves macros.  I caught someone in the corner booth drinking a Budweiser.