Delightful fruit cocktail theme underscored by sharp floral-spiced grassy-hopped orange peel bittering and rich caramel malt creaminess. Wheat-honeyed red cherry, purple grape, pineapple, tangerine, peach, mango, and melon illusions brighten maple-sapped pine-combed spruce-tipped viscosity to lusty 8.3% alcohol reminder. A rejuvenating IPA-like specialty brewed in conjunction with lauded beer experts Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhardt.

Tentative creamed corn lead-in of light-bodied helles lager cannot escape astringent phenol hop sabotage and soapy flow. White-breaded sourdough yeast informs oats-flaked wheat-dried biscuit-y nuance.

Casual moderate-bodied amber-hued German-styled blond lacks overall distinction and fruity pizzazz. Buttery pale-malted honey-roasted barley graining enjoins basic floral-hopped orange-peach-cherry tang and pastry-like sugar cookie sweetness. Vanilla, iced tea, and wet paper illusions receive tertiary whiskey-zapped ransom.

Uncommon light-bodied pale lager brings aromatic charred wood impetus to complementary cedar-burnt smoked meat scheme. Dry-hopped sour lemon fizz tickles tongue, absorbing black pepper tease and ash-singed firewood peculiarities.

Crisp, silky smooth, light-bodied Helles lager with papery Eastern Euro-like white bread malting loses dry-grained sturdiness by dankly phenol cardboard finish. Lemony hop setting consumes corn syrup sweetness.

Malted barley-wheat palate sweetens polite hop bitterness in a straightforward manner, remaining light-bodied, smooth, and watery, but lacking discernible character. Musk-y yeast aroma typical of German brews. Drink ice cold for true briskness.

Unique translucent blue bottle contains middling oats-flaked wheat-chaffed dry malt lager with prissy barley roasted sweetness stifling soft-textured yellow-paled moderate-bodied triviality.

Brewed by Stone Creek since ‘04, light-bodied, yellow-bellied, cumulous-headed German-styled ‘helles’ retains off-dry white ale spicing, sour malt skulk, herbal hop stint, and minor floral waft. Grassy hay earthiness and doughy yeast nearly salvage thin finish where soft wheat bed weakens.

Creamy pale-toned ‘Munich Helles’ brings subtle peppery hop-spiced bittering to vague malt-candied cocoa powdering informing lemony banana bread midst. But lazy yellow-fruiting and polite peach marmalade frailty are never sweet, raspy, bitter, or brazen enough to compare with Ayinger’s better efforts.

Rust-hued Bavarian suffers from blandness. White grape aroma and chaffed wheat earthiness evaporate in a sea of bittersweet mediocrity before barren floral yeast finish gets anemic. Serve to softhearted novices as fizzy alternative to predictable pilsners.

Labeled as “German style,” but bubbly white-headed pale amber remains too inconsequential to make effective distinction. Musty toasted grains get sedately cardboard-like as soft hop fizz annuls Scotch malt souring.

After yeast particles settle, turbid yellow-gold glowed summery Helles lager brings acidic lemon tartness to grassy hop bittering, staying lightheartedly fizzy. Metallic clink negates citrus-y wildflower souring, cork-y dryness, and floral outline, but crisp, clean finish welcomes softer palates.