Caramelized hops and roasted barley overtaken by spoiled citric fruiting and chalky cocoa astringency at dull watery finish. Brewery defunct: 2008.

Creamy amber-clouded medium body comes across as a less filling, watered down Watney’s Red Barrel. In need of better cereal grain assertion and bitterer hops to strengthen resolve.

Sugared Scotch malting drapes roasted barley and dry powdered cocoa, impacting cracked wheat spine. Dim molasses-honey tinge peters out. Toss to amber ale fans. Brewery defunct: circa 2004.

Macho “White Buffalo” moniker probably taken from guitar rocker Ted Nugent, who may imbibe this when hunting season is over. Lackluster hops and faintly sweet grains need better briskness for that cool assumption, instead of staying watery, foamy, and indistinguishable. Brewery defunct: 2007.

Unbound copper-toned medium-bodied Scottish ale frustratingly wobbles. Peculiarly funky raw-honeyed glutinous wheat souring displaces preferred maple-sugared caramel malting abating mildly embittered lemony peach-tangerine tang and acrid chestnut-walnut roast. Harshly metallic, dankly vegetal finish cloaks nutty respite and herbaceous hint.

Dubious traditional English styled ale receives timidly orange-soured lemon-wedged citric tartness barely advanced by skeptical roasted barley-toasted hop seduction.  Doubt this Carolina brewer’s still in business. (All that’s left is the empty glass in photo.)

Seductive soft-toned winner allows luscious cherry overtones to sway sweet nuttiness above gentle hop sass. Its chewy caramel center picks up a mild fruited warmth, caressing minimal bittering by honey-glazed malt finish of well-established, yellow-headed, golden red-clouded Rocky Mountain mainstay. Quite possibly Colorado and Arizona’s best selling microbrew.

Masked 10.5% alcohol flow underscores lively floral yeast tongue, sweet butterscotch sequel, and gin-spiced Grand Marnier waft of tan-headed rust-hued amber ale. Salty bottom counters subordinate coriander-clove-banana cluster, red licorice affixation, and cork-y register. Sticky candi-sugared malt finish dilutes lemony dry-hopped affinity and residual blueberry-peach-nectarine lag.

Nearly vapid in its dryly diacetyl light-bodied appeal and closer to a daintily citric White Ale, opaque burnt sienna-hued sedation hides muted orange-bruised apricot-grapefruit subtlety beneath oncoming prune-fig prominence. Confounding carbolic fizz reduces floral hop tenacity and prickly white-peppered holiday spicing (coriander-allspice-cinnamon) as enormous head and cake-like Brussels lace coat glass.

Simple barley hopped amber gains wheat biscuit and burnt caramel sweetness as carbonation subsides, but acrid oxidation stumps moderate cereal grain roast.

One-pint champagne-bottled premium microbrew with cork set up honoring now-deceased bohemian Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia. Highly carbonated, citrus-scented, opaque gold, fluffy-headed draught maintains tart yellow fruiting, dewy watercrescent lightness, and pleated cider-like souring. Only produced for limited time (circa ’97), each bottle numbered and signed by brewer.

Spicy amber-hazed English-styled bitter retains warm grain restraint and mild herbal assist, but negligible fruited malt souring and passive finish lack firmness. Brewery closed due to fire 2004.