07 Dec Buffalo Bayou Buzz Nutz by Tam

Buzz Nutz

Buffalo Bayou Brewery

Houston, TX (Nolda)

American Porter

ABV: 7.3%

IBUs: 27

Packaging: 22oz Bottles

Coffee and the formation of this great country have had a long history, from the Boston Tea Party to the foxholes of Bastogne during WWII. It was originally used for medicinal purposes to aid the body in cleansing one of illnesses or decreasing fevers, but one day someone had the great idea of throwing it in with yeast and brown hops to create a rich smooth porter.

Let’s be honest, what’s more American than mixing two completely different cultures and seeing the result? Hence that whole “’Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

If you read my review from last week on Saigon Sunset (mmmm Saigon Sunset), you’ll know that it’s difficult for someone like me to find coffee-based beers that I can genuinely enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I can always throw back a pint of Guinness or any “gut rot” swill to satisfy the beer monster within me, but from time to time I like to treat myself.

So being in the good mood I was, I decided to continue my Buffalo Bayou rock tour and move on from East Asia and back into the good ole US of A. That brought me onto a bottle of Buzz Nutz. It was sitting in the middle of a small sea of other Buffalo Bayou beers like a little yellow golden beacon (you’ll understand the golden part further down the review). It was the only 22oz bottle of its kind on the shelf – it looked so lonely, so of course I snatched it.

This American Porter is a seasonal beer that has a foundation of brown malt hop mixed with Hazelnut Coffee and Honey. The label did not lie because when you first open that bottle, the aroma of hazelnut coffee immediately fills your nostrils. The liquid is dark as black coffee, which gives you an idea of how many hazelnut-flavored coffee beans were added to the batch, and the pour is fine with a thin head of foam that seems to get thicker as the beer is drizzled from the bottle.

That first taste of Buzz Nutz immediately has you imagining an espresso or perhaps, for you caffeine fiends, a straight black coffee. The strong bitter start settles into a smooth finish. Unfortunately, I didn’t taste any honey notes though, but it didn’t really matter to me at that point. I always enjoy pairing my drinks with foods or the occasional cigar, and this is a strong cigar beer. Depending on the tobacco flavoring, the Cuban seed based tobacco smoke mixes well with the robust kick of Buzz Nutz. I had to give this beer a 3.5 just because it’s so hard to find a coffee beer that I personally enjoy, but as I mentioned earlier these styles aren’t my go to.

I found this particular bottle back at my local HEB. I always make a point to travel past the craft beer area (which seems to get smaller and smaller with each passing week) just to see if anything catches my eye, and man was I happy that I did. Buffalo Bayou has always been creative, but this takes the cake! The golden wax seal that dribbles over the bottle to resemble bees wax is just the perfect addition to the name “Buzz Nutz.”

Buffalo Bayou is pitching damn near perfect brews, and I must say this one makes me even more excited about my next Buff Brew adventure. So did Buzz Nutz make you a BEEliever or are you saying to yourself “Wasp he talking about?” (See what I did there?)

Let us know in the comments below, and as always beers to you Houston!