Alcohol-soaked amber retains superb head, bitterly hopped mineral grain authority and rich caramel finish. Cracked wheat, toasted barley, and cereal grain sweetness trumps sugared cocoa-butterscotch illusions. Definitely for strong ale lovers.

Barely benign ‘American-styled’ amber lacks punch. Piney lemon-peeled orange rind, grapefruit and currant bittering mildly counters crystal-malted barley toasting to alcohol-burnt finish, where grassy hop moderation, bark-dried wood acridity and earthen vegetal tinge sneaks in.

Smoothly carbolic berry-scented amber with crisp mineral-watered citric zest. Zippy blueberry-blackberry snip and slipping mocha nip initially captivate the senses. Sweet caramel malting frames sharp-hopped barley-roasted wild oats and candied mint stint at busy midst.

Musty fruit-wafted amber ale overlaid by roasted wheat, toasted oats, and biscuit-y barley. Dry-hopped floral citrus midst depleted by carbolic intensity. A simple, effective crossover lagerheads could appreciate.

Unassuming floral aroma, pleasant citric hop bite, and vague caramel malt sweetness become indistinct. Not a serious contender, but inoffensive.

Thick up-front maple malting gains hop-spiced bitterness by sour fruited finish. Oak bark hint resonates below vigorous caramel creaminess. Serve to dark ale fanatics. Brewery defunct: 2007.

Pleasantly mild brown ale-like mocha-nut ambiance consumes sharp-grained honey malting. Decent alternative for amateurs scared of richer, creamier porters, but a tad watery.

Billowy tan-headed copper amber too fizzy and soft-bodied to finish strong. Still, despite dank grains, lack of holiday spices, and inert chocolate flirt, it goes down easy. Dos Equis version is better.

Named after homebrew Godfather Charlie Papazian, this far-out full-bodied ruby-amber ale pits grapefruit-peeled lemon rind sourness, perfumed spruce-hopped linger, and pine needle recess against sweet granulated barleymalts. Extremely prickly carbolic tongue-tingle and rising bitter finish may scare off lightweights.

Seriously heady sunset-hued barleywine-spiced ale awakens senses with moldy tangerine nose, gin-soaked juniper embrace, and silken Chardonnay-Cognac-Courvoisier subsidy. Alcohol-soaked syrupy malt setting invites fig-prune affluence to saturate rum raisin contour, overripe banana illusion, vanilla offing, and creamy caramel catapult. Medicinal finish picks up dense sour apple and bruised peach nip.

Brown-sugared caramel malt sweetness parlays mineral-grained hop-smoked light-bodied ale to above average status. Vinous ester-y grape sourness simmers beneath metallic Scotch-soaked alcohol burn.

Slim malt capacity, wispy honeyed biscuit trifle, and sedate barley roast gather soft wheat bed, but phenol cocoa bean-soured coffee tangent and plain grain finish wilt.