Roaring Table’s Circle 9 is something new I’ve never tried before. Period. A West Coast Amber Ale. That sentence alone feels strange to type—like a contradiction or a lost style pulled from the future. And yet here I am, days later, still thinking about that first sip.
Let’s be clear: I’m not easily impressed. Beer menus have become wild playgrounds—triple hazies, dessert stouts, dry-hopped lagers with yuzu zest and fermented sea fog. I’ve tried a lot. But Circle 9 hits different.
It pours a deep, burnished copper, the kind of rich amber that makes you pause mid-pour and stare a little too long. There’s a faint pine edge in the aroma, tucked behind roasted caramel, citrus peel, and something nutty and warm—like fresh bread cooling on a windowsill. And then the taste… oh man.
Circle 9 doesn’t scream for attention. It commands it. The malt character is confident and layered—nutty, toasty, a little sweet—but then the hops come in like a West Coast wave: crisp, slightly resinous, with that grapefruity, floral snap that defined a generation of IPAs. Except this isn’t just a throwback—it’s a remix. There’s balance, depth, swagger. It makes you rethink what an Amber Ale can be.
This might be the best beer made this year. Or maybe just the most original. Either way, it deserves your attention.
Whoever’s brewing at Roaring Tables isn’t just making beer—they’re telling stories. Circle 9 feels like Chapter One of something big.
And your ears shall hear... 
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