Flimsy pearly-headed straw-hued light body remains astringent and lacks grit. Earthen pale malt sterility, minor citric candied tartness, slight vanilla-banana wisp, and barren herbaceous mist deride arid floral hop spicing.

Complex dry Irish-styled red ale musters busy bock-like chocolate-y raisin impulse atop woody hop bittering and high-spirited carbonation. Berry notes dot heavily grained malt finish.

Pleasantly carbolic boozy-scented medium body maintains chewy caramel malting. Sweet honeyed modesty and delicate English India Pale Ale characteristics (dry hops, smoked barley) provide depth. Brewery defunct: 2009.

Roasted barley richness and bitter hop pungency entangle heavy caramel malting to firm lager-grained finish. Not as sweet-spiced as archetypal red ales, but frothy and bold enough for wide-ranging drinkers. Brewery defunct: 1998.

Spiced candy tongue tingles trite peppery hop bitterness and barren grain tease before acidic alcohol acridity disrupts citric quince stint. Mainstream bowling league fodder.

Deep amber Irish-styled ale opens with raspy fruited hop bitterness, but weak grain foundation and soapy finish obstruct buttery malt seduction.

So-so sunset red medium body counters roasted barley-oats frontage with woody Cascade hop bittering, mild brown chocolate variance, and blanched honey nut dab. Sweet caramel malting usurps flimsy spicing ’til metallic finish drains backend appeal.

Well-hopped full body with refreshing Minnesota spring water, malt-thickened richness, and placid grain bitterness barely provides enough momentum to make it a bargain over mass-produced American ales.

Puffy beige-headed bottle-conditioned red ale remains creamy, buttery, and robust as floral-hopped raisin-plum conflux fills out earthen wood backdrop. At lusty finish, pleasant rosé and  barleywine sweetness appears, quelling French wine expectancy.

From its kaleidoscopic bright red label to its refreshingly robust gusto, smooth medium body satisfies both novice and professional tastes. Bittersweet grains pleat maple malts and toasted hops. Only quibble: indistinct finish. Brewery defunct: 1997.

Peat-y mahogany-hazed Irish-styled red ale with unique peppercorn bittering, roasted coffee siding, black cherry tang, and dry plum finish better defined as a stylish brown ale (or nutty Copper Ale). Dewy molasses creeps through sedately spice-hopped wood bleaching and tertiary orange peel nuance.

Probably an early version of Oasis Scarab Red, this fine cloudy-hued moderate-bodied ale resonates with thick chocolate malting. But unlike Killian’s (on the cheap, superficial side) and Watney’s (on the expensive, worthwhile side), creamy mocha richness and nutty reminder defy usual red ale luster. A convincing argument could be made for brown ale classification.