Buckbean Brewing‘s Original Orange Blossom Ale was the first of the beers I opened from what they sent me in mid-December. If you recall (and looking at my picture makes it quite obvious), Buckbean is one of those (few) craft brewers that can their beer; and they host an annual Canfest celebrating canned craft beer.

Their Original Orange Blossom Ale is at its heart a Pale Ale, brewed with orange blossom water (according to the text on the can). It’s 5.8% alcohol by volume and here is the description from their website:

Inspired by the rich fragnance of blooming orange groves, this copper colored ale combines the flavor and aroma of real orange tree flowers with a well balanced, full flavored ale to produce a real treat for the senses. Munich and light Caramel malts produce a smooth, creamy malt complexity, and American hops give the beer a bright, refreshing bitterness and dry finish. The orange blossom aroma blends superbly with the other beer flavors, providing a unique dimension that is the perfect complement to tangy, herbal or spicy foods, soft cheeses or pastries.

Appearance: Hazy amber-orange in color, with a thin white head that fell quickly. (There was in fact not much carbonation.)

Smell: “Beery” with a touch of green hops and a fruity, flowery note—which does have an orange-y character. Reminds me a bit of a witbier.

Taste: Light and somewhat flowery—honey malt and definite orange blossom character—bitter like orange peel but “green” and herbal. Some of the bitterness comes from the orange blossoms, which give it a nice crisp, biting edge.

Mouthfeel: Lightly medium-bodied with a clean, crisp bitterness.

Overall: Pretty good; more bitter than I expected but a nice floral-fruity character to it.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of C+. On RateBeer, it scores 2.68 out of 5 and is in their 21st percentile.