Ambiguous ‘Dusseldorf- style brown ale’ places musty raw-honeyed rye malting above dry black tea and orange pekoe bittering. Harsh nut-grained slipstream loses caramelized whir in a hurry. Indistinct medium-full-bodied altbier derivative just never catches fire.

Nicking aggressive roasted nut coarseness from brewers’ similarly-styled Bolita brand, dense hop-enriched malt-smoked ‘Oatmeal Rye India-Style Brown Ale’ retains creamy chocolate-y cocoa bean richness above ashen cedar tone to murky pine-sapped rye bottom. Dry port, burgundy, and fig illusions waver through sharp nuttiness.

Viscous 12th anniversary ale utilizes one dozen hops and malts to anchor concealed 12% alcohol luster. Syrupy sweet brown chocolate malting and maple-sapped molasses-dipped toffee fudging receive cinnamon-toasted hop-spiced raisin-prune souring. Oaken vanilla subsidy pervades lilting bourbon, barleywine, cherry wine, and dark rum warmth. Boozy brown ale makes superb dessert treat.

Fizzy hop frisk picks up faintest mocha-caramel insinuation as dry wheat contour builds to smooth nutty finish.

Candied toffee-butterscotch sweetness and vanilla malt cusp validate burnt caramel theme. Earthy peat finish picks up maple ash, chalky mocha, and dried raisin.

Dank citrus aroma, fizzy carbonation, and prune undertones peculiar for frothy brown ale. Somewhat reminiscent of copper ales due to rustic fruitiness, hop-grained dryness, and firm water-based crispness, though banal toasted caramel finish and weak nut backing fail at providing sufficient support. Brewery defunct: 2003.

Note: Estimable Richmond brewpub bottles these next few entries for local distribution. Coppery English-styled medium-bodied Brown Ale brings red fruited insinuation to casual caramel malt spine, but minor mocha-nut resolve and tea-like nuance retreat hastily.

Ruby amber translucence paler than toasted malt dryness, sour cocoa-chocolate astringency, and lemon-limed bottom would indicate. Variable honeyed butterscotch finish nearly rescues capricious appeal.

Honeyed butterscotch frontage loses some distinction by dry bitter finish, but chocolate-toffee malts and collateral tangerine-peach-apple mediation deepen earthy bottom of rust orange-hued medium body. No longer brewed as of 2006.

Pleasant mocha-raisin waft and glancing quince quip acquaint auburn-mahogany medium-bodied triviality. Sour candied malt dryness, insufficient chocolate-vanilla creaminess, and misplaced orange backdrop foil minor toasted hop sedation before diacetyl finish wearily terminates.

Dark amber-hued ale counters cereal grain serenade with soft hop toasting and dry cocoa bittering. Mid-palate, flattened smoked wood-tobacco snippet enlivens juicy red apple, black grape, raspberry, and tangerine ripeness. Brewery defunct: 2007.

Firm tan-headed prune-hued lollipop-scented artisan prods sinewy yeast with earthen peated grains and dried fruit resin, retaining clustered Brussels lace. Rich red-wined burgundy illusions inform citric-spiced raisin puree richness. Subtle barleywine-like double fermentation soothes cherry coughdrop finish of outstanding Scottish themed Belgian farm ale.