Chris St. Mary gets up close and personal with a Flying Bison...
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Flying Bison Brewing review
Submitted
by Chris
St. Mary
Tim Herzog is just the man that can
tell you dreams can come
true.
While having a few cold ones with a
good friend, the late
Larry "Red" Mrozak, Tim and Harry got to talking back in 1990
about
making a trip across the pond to England to sample some of the
local
products.
While on the trip, they started to come up
with the idea of starting
their own brewery. It was just a fantasy at the time, but the Flying Bison Brewing Company
became
reality once
they returned to the Buffalo,
New York area.
Sadly, Red was lost in a motorcycle accident before the dream really came to be. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten.
Flying Bison was started with their flagship brew, Aviator Red. Let me take a couple steps back, for a moment.
The "Flying" part of Flying Bison is in honor of the Curtis-Wright factory and the aviation industry as a whole that was a major part of Western New York's contribution to the World War II effort back in the early 1940s. A lot of the planes that flew in the war were designed and manufactured in the Buffalo area.
Now, Aviator Red is in honor of that
and a good friend to
beer lovers everywhere. It is a bit darker than most Irish Red ales
that I
have seen but don't let that stop you. There is some chocolate malt in
the
recipe that contributes to the color and flavor and at 5.2% abv it
isn't your
usual session beer, although once you taste it, you will want more.
They also brew Buffalo Lager which comes in at 4.0% abv and has the kind of taste that harks back to the American lagers of the 50s and 60s. Clean, crisp and refreshing.
Barnstormer American Pale ale (also 4.0% ABV) is their version of the style mentioned in its name. Hopheads should like the bitterness, but it should appeal to most good beer drinkers as an excellent example of the style and a very good thirst quencher, to boot.
For darker beer fans, Blackbird Oatmeal Stout completes the year-round menu of beers at 5.5% abv.
There are also 5 seasonals that they make with three released to the general market as draft only (Baron Von Bisonfest, Barrelroll Maibock and Dawn Patrol Gold, which is their version of a Kolsch). The other two (Skye Pilot Scotch Ale and Bird of Prey IPA) are only available at the brewery.
They also have Herc C-130
Barleywine-style ale (named in
honor of the planes flown by the local Air National Guard unit at
Niagara
Falls, NY)
that is only
available in bottles at the brewery.
Flying Bison's 7000 square foot brewery is the only distributing brewery in a city that had over 70 at the time of the Civil War. Tim told me that last year they produced over 2000 barrels on their 20 barrel system. Not bad for something that started as a conversation between two friends over a few brews.
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