Congenial coppery amber-glowed winter brew finds initial smoked wood seduction settling to barley roast pleasantry overlaying chestnut-butternut lilt and tobacco hint. But seasonal spicing is suspect.

Arguably more prune-y, raisin-y, and mainstream than same-named follow-up seasonals. Cracked wheat spine and biscuit-y cereal graining disguise soft spicing. Caramel-crystal malts create candied subtlety.

Bold bourbon-barreled mahogany-hued seasonal may lack advertised elderberry influence, but smoked molasses malting,  Belgian-styled candied yeast, and restrained medicinal warmth pick up slack alongside compelling chocolate liqueur creaminess. Beneath, earthen peat saturates dry fig-date surge, black licorice splurge, and purple grape-wined swerve to resonant burgundy finish. Burnt toast murk coarsens latent fruitcake whim.

Tinny winter warmer lacks seasonal hop spicing, proper chocolate-crystal malting, and decent body. Slick metallic drear.

Pink elephants front Santa’s sleigh on snowy X-mas label of creamy prune-hued 10% ABV holiday treat. Acute dried fruited clove-nutmeg seasoning sprinkled by Belgian candi sugar and gaining spiced rum swirl (as well as dry burgundy wining, tart apple spree and bruised orange tang). In the midst, caramelized raisin, sugar plum and fig luster plus dried-out citrus spurt and subtle chestnut roast pick up slight smoked cedar sweetness. On tap, smoked cedar mouthfeel, burnt nuttiness, and drier citric spurt increase depth and clarity.

Jaunty prune-hued tan-headed seasonal treat with sweet yeast waft, chewy plum flavoring and spicy clove backdrop brightened by oncoming berry brightness to efficient malted barley finish.

Ambiguous ruby amber solstice seasonal (better brewed under 2011-initiated ‘Belgian Freeze’ tag) receives maple-sugared roasted caramel facade aided promptly by heady alcoholic acidity, moldy orange souring, and earthy oak-dried black cherry finish. Drawback: lack of specific ‘Belgian’ eccentricities and unwanted tinniness.

Wimpy seasonal falters. Honeyed green tea bite provides herbaceous scurry amidst dewy chocolate malting, dry char-hopped raisin-banana spec, and delinquent coriander-clove notch. Sneaky walnut-Brazilian nut oiliness maunders through dank mildewed mustiness, burnt timber haze, and earthen grain faze.

Under-whelming light-bodied bum-out deserves dissenting holiday moniker as sullen metallic-hopped cinnamon-gingerbread-vanilla vagary disrupts astringent nuttiness, skimpy fruitcake whimper, and styptic pumpkin-banana snipe. On tap, candi-sugared fig-plum vibe grows stronger above peppered hops.

Though lacking spicy seasonal expectancy, honeyed vanilla malts invite marzipan, pecan, and biscuit-y wheat illusions to come and go. Phenol dry-hopped astringency undermines stone fruit nicety, but macadamia-almond nuttiness makes up ground.

Long neck-bottled holiday amber with strong-grained malt thickness and raisin serenity serious-minded microbrew snobs won’t disparage even if it’s made by a macrobrew giant. Though barley finish quits early, perfect for novice drinkers and OK by connoisseurs.

Musty sweet malt aroma, calm candied whiskey template, and elegant cereal grain backbone counter off-dry hop bittering. Lack of expectant seasonal herbs-spices lowers wintry resilience.