Rusty Chain - Flying Bison Brewing Company

    Rusty Chain Vienna Style Beer is an Amber Ale created by Flying Bison Brewing Company which is located in Buffalo, New York. The beer was created in an attempt to promote bicycle culture in Buffalo, and to celebrate life on two wheels. As someone who hasn't been on a bicycle since middle-school, I'm a little worried that this beer won't like me very much...

    Rusty Chain pours a rusty red-amber color with a small off-white head with low retention.

    The beer smells very malty-sweet, toasty and lightly spicy. There is a small bit of a citrus hops presence as well.

    Rusty Chain is light-bodied though the carbonation level is quite high, making the mouthfeel seem larger at swallowing. It's not quite such a high level of carbonation that you feel as though you are just swallowing foam, but it's close. There seems to be a bit of alcohol warmth to the beer, even though it has a low alcohol content of 5% ABV.

The only beer that can give you Tetanus.

    This Vienna Style Beer is dominated by sweet, toasty malt flavors. This has to be one of the sweetest beers I have ever tasted. The aftertaste reminds me of brown sugar, though there is a bit of a nuttyness to it as well. Only the tiniest hops bitterness can be perceived in the beer's flavor.

    I've heard from friends that craft beer culture and bicycle culture overlap in many cities. The unfortunate truth of the majority of my city's "bicycle culture" involves most of the population swerving to hit bicyclists for being hippies (ok not really, but it's close). The only overlap between beer and bicycle culture here is  DUI offenders having to ride to work after losing their license. As the rustychainbeer.com website for promoting bicycle culture in Buffalo now routes to some random Chinese language blog, I'm assuming Flying Bison had little luck with championing their cause.

    Overall, Rusty Chain is an extremely sweet Amber Ale. I'd almost call this a brown ale, except for its red/amber color and light body. The beer is drinkable, though the sweetness gets to be overbearing after many sips of the beer.

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Buffalo Kolsch 716 - Flying Bison Brewing Company

    Buffalo Kolsch 716 is a Kolsch brewed by the Flying Bison Brewing Company which is located in Buffalo, New York. 716 is Flying Bison's summer seasonal beer which has previously been called Dawn Patrol Gold as well as Flying Bison Summer Beer.

    The beer pours a golden straw color with one finger of white head which quickly fades. The beer appears very bubbly and energetic.

    Buffalo Kolsch 716 smells lightly of cereal grains and a tiny bit of hops citrus.

    The beer is light bodied with a medium level of carbonation. The beer is extremely crisp and refreshing.

    The Kolsch's taste is light, yet still full of flavor. Sweet grainy malts make up the majority of the beer's flavor, though there is a fair amount of hops citrus flavor as well. The beer reminds me of other German style beers in a good way. The beer finishes clean and semi-dry with an alcohol content of 5.40% ABV.

The Legend Lives On!

    I realize that 716 is likely the area code for Buffalo, New York, but imagine for a minute that there was once a legendary flying buffalo. This buffalo was magnificent in many ways, not the least of which was the fact that he could out-drink any man. A wise Indian shaman decided to trick the buffalo into teaching him the secret of flight. His plan went like this: While the buffalo drank full strength alcohol, the shaman would slyly be drinking only water. In order to pull off the illusion, the Shaman would have to call upon the wisdom of his ancestors. When the buffalo came into the village for the contest, the old shaman convinced the great beast that he was old, and as such, was very cold all of the time. In order to stay warm, the shaman insisted that his drinks be warmed over the fire before he drank them. The buffalo agreed, not being aware of the evaporative characteristics of alcohol when heated to boiling. While the shaman appeared to simply be drinking warmed alcohol, he was actually drinking something closer to water. Legend tells that it took 716 drinks to finally drop the great flying buffalo. Suffering nothing more than a full bladder, the shaman and his people rejoiced in their victory. Three days later, the buffalo awoke and fulfilled his end of the promise. With their newly acquired ability to fly, the Indian tribe set off to make a new home for themselves in the clouds.

    I was pleasantly surprised by Buffalo Kolsch 716. The beer is extremely refreshing and flavorful while still managing to be light. This is the perfect summertime beer. I could imagine drinking this beer while lounging outside by the grill, at the beach, or even while I'm doing some outdoors work.

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