Quaffed at sunny West Indies Mexican-Italian joint, Hey Jose’s Caribbean Cantina, then Geckos Restaurant, May ’04. Sweet crystal malt nose drifts into sharp spiced hop fruitiness (berry-melon-orange) as peppery snippet tingles soft wheat base.

Blasé stump-bottled amber ale with lamest Vienna lager lineage coats thinning caramel malting with skittish mineral-grained earthiness, wispy yellow-orange fruiting, and grassy dry-hopped fling. Watery finish kills off any remaining flavor.

Corn sugar sweetness and dark fruit fragrance counter heavily bitter-hopped midst. Sly nuttiness adds restrained nuance to abject sour-bitter finish.

Bock-like deep amber hue and mild turbidity enrich perky barleymalt incentive as sinewy yeast sweetness countering spiced hop bittering enlivens overall oeuvre for medium-bodied bliss. Brewery defunct: 2006.

Like another fine Boston amber ale (Sam Adams), Harpoon has distinguishing matchstick head aroma and mouthfeel. Judicious grain blend, pasty malt overtones, delicate floral sweetness, and tangy citric pinch blanket fizzy hop slurp. Would’ve scored even higher if caramelized finish had more gusto.

Unconventional ‘barleymalt amber’ gives expected roasted grain frontage lithe floral yeast contour, durable bruised orange souring, and dry cork dissonance.

Eye-catching butterscotch-almond hue beats plain barley drear, dull candy sweetness, and metallic finish conclusively.

Perfect for cold winter’s eve, this marvelously complex Cascade hop-fused chestnut amber exerts dark chocolate bitterness underscored by roasted barleymalt simmer and caramelized yeast glimmer. Syrupy black cherry fruitiness lingers to superbly creamy dessert finish. Under Sea Otter pseudonym in ’07, chewy cookie dough tether, honey-glazed citric surfeit, and woody alcohol burn beckoned. Under Jazz Guy Ale nom de plume, biscuit-y cardboard-candied Pacman yeast influences honey-roasted caramel malting, blanched cocoa-chocolate nicety, and wattle-seeded caraway nuances.

Fizzy soft-grained hop-charred opaque amber retains clumsy puffy tan head. Humble buttery yeast sweetness, earthen pine easement, and sleek pale malt mildness enhance winsome spicing to toasted caramel finish. Pecan, almond, and hazelnut illusions waver.

Smoothly carbolic berry-scented amber with crisp mineral-watered citric zest. Zippy blueberry-blackberry snip and slipping mocha nip initially captivate the senses. Sweet caramel malting frames sharp-hopped barley-roasted wild oats and candied mint stint at busy midst.

Musty fruit-wafted amber ale overlaid by roasted wheat, toasted oats, and biscuit-y barley. Dry-hopped floral citrus midst depleted by carbolic intensity. A simple, effective crossover lagerheads could appreciate.

Unassuming floral aroma, pleasant citric hop bite, and vague caramel malt sweetness become indistinct. Not a serious contender, but inoffensive.