Tuesday 29th May 2012

Bob Thompson

This brew pub was one of the first to open in California, way back in 1983. I arrived outside the pub after a short walk from the Hayward BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station.

I thought about sitting on the terrace outside but I wanted to see the brewery, so I went inside.

I took a stool near to the bar and admired the bison head above it. It's probably one caught by Bill himself! I could see that the stainless steel brewery was a back of the room, close to the rest rooms, which are apparently, clean, according to the sign at the entrance. If you like poster art you'll enjoy the many on display here, all promoting the various beers on offer.

Possibly because it was the day after a holiday there wasn't the full range available. Yet, there were still five available, so I ordered a sampler set, and I tried them all. This is what I thought:

Buffalo Beer (4.0%). This is a light lager and I thought it was very good with a good refreshing hop taste.
Hayward Hefe (5.5%). This Wheat beer was a fair replica of the Southern German style.
Tasmanian Devil (6.5%). Surprisingly this beer in the English style was not as hoppy as I thought it would be. It had a medium malt / hop balance and there was some bitterness in the finish.
Ricochet Red (6.7%). I quite liked this one. It was a smooth taste with only a hint of the malty Red Ale flavour.

Strawberry Ginger Ale (5.6%). This was a seasonal beer that I probably would not have ordered if there was more choice. It was interesting, if nothing else, with the flavours of both the additives coming through. It will appeal to some.

In fact, all of their seasonal beers have fruit added with Orange Blossom, Pumpkin and Blueberry being available at various times of the year.

The two other regular beers that were not available were Johnny Midnite Oatmeal Stout (7.5%) and Alimony Ale (6.0%). I'd like to come back one day and taste the whole range.

Important Information:

Buffalo Bill's Brewing, 1082 B Street, Hayward, California. Tel: 01 510 886 9823

Open: Sunday-Thursday 10.30 to 22.45; Friday-Saturday 10.30 to 23.45

Emerging from the BART station you will find yourself in B Street. Walk along this road and there should be some City administration buildings on the right. Continue for about four blocks and you'll find the pub on the left.
Hayward station is on the BART Green and Orange lines which will take you to and from many places in the Bay area including San Francisco and Oakland.