Dry prune-hued 8% alcohol ‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’ opens with cork-y plum-prune thicket. Smooth aging allows alcohol to dissolve nicely into sweet Cordial warmth as honeyed yeast sediment subsides. Carbonation flattens a tad, but dusty allspice-nutmeg seasoning integrates holiday splendor with moist basement dankness and expressive grape tannin tenure.

At 7.5% alcohol range, this fine spiced-up raisin-kissed barleywine-styled elixir serenades syrupy Scotch malt sweetness with buttery port nuances to sticky medicinal finish.

Brewed since 1654, this full-bodied strong ale has a certain grain-malt thickness, honey nut lucidity, and complacent chocolate quip. Spicy hops preserve hearty caramel-cocoa finish, remaining uncommonly consistent from head to body.

Over-inflated connoisseur’s version of award-winning Sawtooth Ale, ‘designed to befuddle silly generalizations about life’ lacks depth. Rich bronze-bodied strong ale counters sweet brown chocolate, butterscotch, and toffee parch with piney hop bittering as well as hastened walnut-hazelnut-chestnut waver. But toasted almond reticence casts astringent shadow.

Boozy chestnut ruby-hued barleywine richer and creamier than less spruce-hopped Arrogant Bastard. Thick yeast sinew, chewy butterscotch goo, and caramel-chocolate malts encounter ripe raisin-plum-date splurge informing strong rum-brandy-port finish. Fresh-squeezed orange, grapefruit rind, dried cherry, and bruised banana compensate roasted walnut, sticky pine tar, and earthy wood tones. In recess, vanilla wafer illusion emerges atop vinous green grape-apple esters. Phenomenally complex.

Expansive carbonation overwhelms orange peel dissipation and buttery creaminess of unobtrusive amber-hazed 8.5% alcohol libation. Closer to elegant white ale than ditzy blonde ale due to floral citric nature, tannic grape tartness, and dark spiced tingle, but soapy carbolic fizz cheapens expectations.

Magnificently bold Belgian-styled ruby red ale offers syrupy molasses-butterscotch sweetness to honeyed brandy-rum warmth, completely overriding initial vinous oak-aged cherry waft. Poised orange-bruised cherry puree mellifluence and subordinate fig-date souring infiltrate capacious sugared malt incursion of brain-twisting barleywine-finishing 14.9% alcohol knockout.

Caramel-hued frothy-headed chocolate-scented vintage ale (microbrew # 82,378 out of 85,000 made) places aggressive grain bitterness above dark mocha malt sweetness and fig-date wisp, creating silken alcohol-strengthened barleywine illusion. But soft watery finish depletes long-lasting syrupy thickness, precluding further distinction.

Sweet barleywine persistence and musty alcohol-fueled berry fruitiness frame full-bodied roasted grain thickness. Sweet n’ sour candy finish rounds out extremely busy ale.

Released September ’05, this 7.8% alcohol specialty features a soft ‘n fuzzy lemon meringue theme abetted by peach-nectarine-orange tang. Sturdy cracked wheat spine gains honeyed nut illusion. Liquor-stained aftertaste embitters over time.

Dull rust-clouded witchy brew (check cool label) with hovering sediment brings aromatic floral yeast surge and maize-dried alcohol astringency to askew sugar-spiced finish at expense of blanched cherry-apricot-quince tartness. Cinnamon, coriander, and clove nuances pushed way back due to unwanted diacetyl buttering. Lacks depth of better Belgian strong ales (though posing as less illustrious amber ale).

Coppery strong ale layers sour honeyed malts above perfumed orange-peeled lemon rind bitterness. Green raisin illusion lingers below sweet wheat base. Spicier hop pep and sulfuric nose only true contrasts from Boreale Blonde.