Sampler at RBY. Pours brown, letting just a little bit of light through. Hearty dark malt smell, with a bit of plums in the back. Taste brings hop spiciness up front. Good dark crystal malt with no harshness or roastiness. Settles in very nicely. A good, slightly different beer. Now just one beer away from matching Nov. 07 as my Best Beer Month Ever!™ ( 63 in one month.)

Snifter at RBY. Creamy dark chocolate color with a thin ring of brown foam. Sweet chocolate and cocoa liquer smell. Taste opens with a layer of chocolate, then the slight sourness of the stout gives it a cherry cordial character I sometimes look for. Behind that is a little bit of anise and oak. The bourbon barrel is more of an impression than a presence here, does not feel overly alcoholic. Some more bitter roast further down, but still balanced by chocolate sweetness, with an impression of citrus zest. A sweet, easy dessert beer.

Mug Club Draft. Brownish black color with a brown stoutie head. Mocha roast coffee in the nose, quite nice. Taste brings in the coffee notes with plenty of roastiness and unsweetened chocolate. A bit of ale fruitiness and light spice from the Belgian yeast. Background of mostly noble hop bitterness. Very drinkable and enjoyable. My 400th Illinois beer rating!

Mug Club draught. Not a lot of light summer ales get the oatmeal brew, let alone a nitro dispense, so this is a nice change of pace at a good time of year. Hazy golden body with a head resembling whipped egg whites. Light golden malt smell with a bit of peppery hop. Creamy taste, just as smooth as any oatmeal stout. Oatmeal certainly lends a fine texture to this, though I think the recipe is not quite up to it, despite my favorable ratings. Can’t say why, maybe it’s just because I’ve never really had this kind of beer before. Maybe I’ll go have another and see if it grows on me.

Mug Club draft. Solid yellow pils color. Head is a bit thinner than I usually see in a light lager draft. Clean, basic lager smell. Taste is nice and smooth. I don’t get to many beers in this style, so it’s nice to find an all-grain light lager that fits in nicely as the summer days arrive. Hop bite is a nicely done bit of Saaz pepper.

Mug Club draft. Slightly hazy copper color indeed, with a thin white head. Light malty smell, with a hint of hops. The "On Tap" chalkboard had this as an "American Amber Ale," but the online description calls it a "Copper IPA," so I’ll go with that. Big hoppy taste right at the start. Full red caramel and crystal malt base. Hops bring in mostly pine flavors, but with an earthy English backup. A big hunka’ beer all around.

Taster at RBY. This is the name the server said brewmaster Tim gave it just this morning. It’s likely this will change once it actually gets posted to the menu. But here’s one of their special pours for American Craft Beer Week. Cloudy pinkish color with a thin lacy head. Smell is still a nice, yeasty wit, with fruit to the background. Taste is the same thing, too. No overwhelming fruit syrup in this one. The Belgian wit character is up front, with blueberry in the rear. It does a bit of a dry note toward the finish.

Draft. Brown in the goblet, with red highlights and a thin ring of foam. Heady bourbon smell with some oak and vanilla, and a trace of cherries. I call this "frisky" tasting, with lighter roast malts than most barrel-aged beers. Not as >choke!< >gasp!< ’Smo-o-o-oth’ as a whiskey, but malty and warming, with good hops in balance. Like a drinkable sherry.

Draft. Creamy-looking orange body. Short whitish head in a tall pilsener glass (apparently it’s a tad too strong to be served in a Mug Club mug, but this glass was almost as big anyway). Honey malt which is accentuated by sipping it while there’s mashing at the brewhouse. Taste is thick and malty, with nice alcohol warmth. Lots of honey flavor balanced by an earthy and peppery German hop note. We need to see more of the lighter bocks in the brewpub tap lists!

Sampled, then home in a growler. Murky brown beer with a thick, bubbly brown head. Sweet malt smell. Taste shows some light wheat spices, much more in common with a weizenbock than a wit, what with its dark toffee taste and all. Some stoutlike astringency in the roast malts. Light alcohol warmth. A nice beer all around.