I consider it sacrilege to drink and rate this beer in October, but I am weak, and I fell prey to my curiosity. Poured a clear copper color, with an off-white creamy head. Pine and earthy hops aroma was somewhat harsh. Flavor was very piney and bitter with grapefruit and other citrus involved as the beer warmed. I didn't detect the sweet, cherry-like tanginess I noted in the aftertaste of the 2002 version. This year's batch could stand to rest for awhile! Still, Celebration Ale is, IMO, the best widespread beer this brewer produces. Update: I was lucky enough to find the 2000 edition today, and was amazed at how this beer has evolved. The 2000 edition was copper-colored but loaded with yeast sediment, unlike the clear 2003 version. Toast, bread, and caramel dominated the nose and the flavor. Hops were smoothed out and evident in the aftertaste, where they left a floral but only slightly bitter aftertaste. Truly a different beer when fresh.

Very dark color, short brown frothy head. Aroma is bready, licorice, roasted malts, rye, strawberry. Taste is roasted malts, bready. Sirupy texture. Watery palate, with a rye taste in the back of the throat, slight alcohol burn.

Dark golden/light amber in colour with a nice dense off-white head. Aroma of caramel, strong malt and earthy hops. Medium-bodied; Strong earthy hop flavour with a superb malt balance. Aftertaste shows a caramel addition along with a subtle spice. Overall, good but not great. I had this pint on draught at the Pizza Plant in Buffalo, New York.

Great floral aroma with fruit and hops. Light brown color. Flavor of hops, bitter. A good American pa.

Dark brown in colour with ruby highlights and a thick tan head comprised of small bubbles. Nice aroma of roasted malt, raisins and chocolate. Full-bodied; Strong maltiness with adequate complexity and some sweetness. Some hops are detectable very early in the aftertaste, but none of the other characteristics. Overall, a decent beer, not great for the style, but not bad either. I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Total Wine in Chantilly, Virginia and sampled it on 29-September-2003.

The smell of cascade hops and the citrusy/floral smell we’ve all come to admire in an American Pale Ale. It no longer has quite the freshly baked bread flavor that I used to associate in the malt of this beer, but it’s still worth a buy. In our blind taste tests of pale ales, it usually come in the top half, but is no longer a challenger for the top spot.

Black coloured with nice head. Rosty/ toasted flavour. A good porter but nothing out of the ordinary.

Amber coloured, medium head, good lacing. Citrus-hoppy aroma. Nice hoppy bitterness. Somewhat thin.

I was really not too impressed with this one. Pours a rich golden color with a medium and fizzy off-white head. Very bubbly with thin lacing. Aroma is mild hops with a pinch of citrus. Light and crisp but ultimately uninspiring in the flavor department. It tasted about a 1/2 step better than the rest of the bland Lagers out there. The finish is decent but I honestly found my interest waning way before the end of the glass.