Sassy sarsaparilla-styled suds sustains stickily sugared soda syruping over casual vanilla, licorice and birch adjuncts. Light medicinal astringency girds dainty black cherry sweetness and mild ginger spicing of heavily creamed ‘hard’ root beer. More filling and dynamic (though arguably less palatable) than viable competitor, Not Your Fathers Root Beer.

Olden-styled sarsaparilla provides a “taste of nostalgia” to 21st century beer snobs. Flavored like cola-derived Muggs Root Beer, this ‘ale with the taste of spices’ perfectly re-creates cane sugared styling (with only a hint of alcohol). Creamy vanilla extract drips lightly atop sticky sugar syruping. Light herbal hops barely dent the surface while anise-derived red licorice, cardamom and ginger undertones spice up the sweet-toothed root beer finish.

Smooth summertime soda alternative (with potent 7.8% ABV) tastes like sugary ginger ale with honey-spiced malt kick. Perfumed citrus subsidy and candied pineapple snip add fruity nicety.

Mild roasted green chili peppering and light jalapeno wisp waft thru cloy palate-shifting corn syruping. Sweet ginger-leafed lemon candy remant stays recessive.

On tap at Poor Henry’s, crisp lightweight dry body semi-successfully brings uncommon herbal spiced adjuncts together. Light jalapeno-chili pepper heat and cilantro-leafed coriander spicing receive brisk lime tartness, retaining mineral-watered freshness at the bark-dried lime-soured finish.   

Adventurous autumnal ale utilizes fresh-ground coriander to sweeten its lemon-candied pineapple, orange and tangerine tang as well as kiwi-like prickly pear cactus neutrality. For contrast, herbal green tea bittering, sage-like minting and shaving cream-cologned perfuming prove worthy. Tertiary boysenberry-blackberry-blueberry-raspberry illusions gain gin-like juniper berry nip way below the busy mix.

On tap at Ambulance, lovely herb-spiced farmhouse ale drapes spring-meadowed ‘heather, chamomile, lavender and dandelion’ botanicals above dewy peat malts and grassy citric hops. Lemony grapefruit, orange, pineapple, peach, pear and tangerine tang brightens subsidiary honeysuckle, rose petal and hibiscus illusions as sweet cinnamon apple, bruised banana and honeydew undertones add further luster.      

Nondescript Seltzer-watered frontage fades slowly to subtle beechwood-smoked jalapeno peppering (with slight ‘spicy burn’). Roasted jalapeno jag ultimately contrasts corn syrupy sweetness, but its light-bodied aridity and lack of backbone debunk dour Mexican lager-like spice ale.

Persuasively well-balanced herbal spiced moderation sprinkles Old Bay seasoning (bay-leafed paprika, clove, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger) inside lively candi-sugared citrus splendor. Perfumed grapefruit-peeled lemon rind bittering brightens ancillary lime-juiced tartness, coalescing above light rye-honeyed white wheat spine (and wispy sunflower-oiled sage hints).

Admirable golden-bronzed moderation boasts hot jalapeno chili peppering over subtle pilsner-like pale malts and delicate carbolic hop fizz. Constant peppery burn gives ‘beer with bite’ an aggressive edge, contrasting black peppercorn, cayenne and chipotle spicing against green bell pepper sweetness. But its clean-watered minerality lightens the mood despite the pleasingly throat-scorching heat.