Though many Belgian brews rely on stone-fruited effervescence, this musty lager suffices blue collar American tastes with its taut citric hop bitterness and dry honeyed malt insinuation. Simple mineral water stream filters pungent yeast timbre, moderate barley-rye resonation, and earthen barnyard waft.

Australian for beer, mates! In 25.4-ounce oilcan (where it tastes best), this fairly distinct hop-roasted mineral-grained corn-sugared moderation soothes to delicately sweet malt finish. Prickly carbolic briskness ensues. Rates a full star lower in 12-ounce bottle.

Sugary malt-sweetened waft amplifies expected burnt wood chip spicing, toning down prematurely as wheat-chaffed husked grain dryness seeps through sharp black-peppered earthiness to light corn sugared finish, leaving trails of white lace along glass sides.

Coppery amber complexion much deeper and darker than chintzy washed-out moderate-bodied fizzy predilection. Barren barley roast and toasted nuttiness dissipate by soapy citric finish, leaving nary a trace of chalky malted hop dryness.

Mainstream green-bottled straw-hued fodder maintains pungent yeast odor, sour malt swag and dry wheat backbone enhanced by peppy hop fizz. Durable corn nicety sweetens crystal water flow.

Creamy corn-sweetened Vienna-styled lager with roasted barley and honeyed caramel mildness. Subtle mocha-grain backdrop, orange peel tang, and honeysuckle fragrance give artesian water-textured sienna brew a dry ale-like essence.

Unfortunately, Frio’s green lizard-labeled marketing concept is more interesting than the gluten-free product itself. Munich helles-styled barleymalts hit quick, then dissipate. Though lacking distinction and too close to mass-produced beer, there’s nothing offensive about its relaxing flow. Perfect for amateurs. Brewery defunct: 2005.

Roasted malt-based amber ruined by murky soft-toned hops and swill grain finish. Just barely beats Bud and Miller in the macrobrew ‘cheapstakes.’ Probably defunct a few months after 2006 imbibing.

Gentle Cascade hop vibrancy lingers through roasted caramel malt pleasantry and faint fruitiness, appealing to mainstream tastes as well as slumming critics. 2010 re-tasting: Phenol vegetal astringency reduces chocolate-cocoa influence and wavering orange-dried apple-candied cherry tartness.

Plain, settling middleweight weaves aromatic sweet malt caress around minimal grain exposure. Smooth buttery finish needs assertion.

Peculiar pale-toned light-medium body turnabout finds initial acrid burnt wood sourness, smoked salami mouthfeel, and malted maize sharpness overtaken by increasing herbal-spiced pepper-hopped lemon tartness.

Up-front barley-oats graining softens soda pop flow as cloying corn syrup dredge overrides flagging hops. Starch-y butterscotch permanence creases wheat-honeyed finish.