Mellow billowy-headed sienna-hued strong ale with uniformly fading circular bubbles retains bittersweet raisin-plum-fig tenacity, dried apricot-cherry penchant, and tannic red-purple grape tartness. Dry grape-skinned Muscat-wined burgundy-port illusions pop up above capacious apple-spiced wheat spine. Ginger and orange peel make veiled cameos augmenting plumed yeast intricacy. With its puissant 9.9% alcohol content, why take Nyquil?

Brewed in malt whisky casks, busy black-hued maroon-highlighted relaxant sits well next to Marston’s dryer Oyster Stout. Sticky molasses-soured plum-raisin upsurge, syrupy whisky malting, and juicy orange-berry thew receive dry-smoked oaken parch. Sweet tobacco-leafed black cherry and chocolate rum cake illusions soothe ashy mocha residue.

Hearty brown ale with brawny mocha aroma, moderate grain appeal, syrupy malt texture, and slightest spiced fruit hints. Though lacking sufficient overall character (its flavor flattens by finish), delicate chocolate notes enliven bland aftertaste. Brewery defunct: 2006.

Heavily carbonated, Scotch-wafted, bottle conditioned ale (a.k.a. Norfolk Nog) with foamy tan head creating web-like Brussels lace above amber body. Sourdough breading, toasted barley, earthen wild oats and bittersweet chocolate somehow form creamy soda-like consistency. Mild prune-fig coarsening settles above buttery bottom, countering fizzy flow. Problem: none of the assorted flavors maintain to informal finish.

Sour mashed cherry-orange-berry tang expands above off dry toasted hops, dusky pale malts, and burnt wood urging. Receding finish picks up tar and black licorice illusions.

Enjoyable burgundy-hued, mocha-scented Scot with carbolic soda-like opening gaining earthy grain prominence prior to sweet ‘n sour tingly-spiced cherry-grape innuendo decorates robust wood burnt finish. Musty roasted coffee bottom maintains stability.

Wavering honey sourness drapes dry hop bitterness and complacent chocolate sweetness of moderate body. Ascending mocha malt creaminess resonates to finish, but melts away by mushy aftertaste.

Generic honey-browned ruby-tinged German-styled altbier from Vietnam tosses soured chocolate malt astringency across rice-sweetened powdery cocoa parch. Metallic cardboard ridge depletes mild raisin-date snip and raw molasses acridity. Frisky 5% alcohol range, relatively high for Asian brew, never impinges.

Sweet chocolate malt opening pervades pallid dry hop sedation and mineral grain backbone. Ashy mocha-chalked mushroom earthiness furnishes casual barley-roasted finish with mellow resonance.

Middling opaquely russet, musty barnyard-scented medium body pits initial honeyed candi sugar rush against tart cherry esters, cork-y grape-skin parch, and soured prune uprising. Oncoming metallic pecan astringency mires faint barleywine finish, drenching oaken-dried backdrop.

Along with Guinness, Ayinger, Sam Smith, Rogue, and a host of Belgian breweries, Ipswich remains one of the finest beer and ale producers in the world. This burnt sienna (or thick cider) hued dark ale enjoins sweet burgundy essence, lingered candied yeast consistency, spicy hop tingle, and bitter cocoa-espresso confluence for fervent opening. Frisky barley-hopped strength, fluctuant almond-walnut-chicory dab, and prune-port undertones combine with rich maple-butterscotch succulence to complete fantastic full-bodied finish. Difficult to pigeonhole; continuously rewarding.

Unassuming khaki-hued strong ale (8.5% alcohol) lacks definition and depth. Parched fig-date astringency mildly embitters dank chocolate malt souring and roasted nut coarsening. Meager charcoal-singed black licorice recess hinders earthen grain lag.