Frosted Tips
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

 

650 mL bottle from the brewery; no discernible packaging date, and served barely chilled. Those with shellfish allergies will probably want to avoid this one, as it actually includes oysters as an ingredient (unlike some so-called oyster stouts).

Pours an opaque black-brown colour with burgundy red highlights, producing nearly an inch of foamy, creamy beige head that seeps off within several minutes' time. Its remains include a bubbly collar of frothy suds and a thin, filmy cap; not much in the way of lace, but it looks fine otherwise. Roasted malts on the nose - I'm getting coffee grounds, cocoa and burnt grains, with suggestions of chocolate-covered berries and a very faint hint of brine.

A serviceable, run-of-the-mill stout. There are a few notes of dark fruits at the forefront (plum and black cherry, perhaps), but it's the roasted malt flavours that do most of the heavy lifting. Cocoa, coffee and caramelized sugars all come through clearly, with bitter coffee grounds and earthiness rounding out the back end; subtle hints of saltiness and dark fruits linger into the aftertaste, but are outlasted by the coffee grounds. Not exactly boozy, but it is just a little warming. Medium in body, with low carbonation that weakly nudges the surface of the palate, resulting in a soft, smooth mouthfeel that works just fine for this sort of brew. Reasonably drinkable - this bomber is more than enough for me, but I shouldn't have any trouble polishing it off.

Final Grade: 3.64, a B grade. Refined Fool's Frosted Tips is a flavourful, moderately strong English-style stout - the oysters don't seem to add much, but I figure that's most likely a good thing. I'd have preferred a little more roastiness and a little less sweetness, but it works out well enough. At $9 per bottle, this is too expensive for my blood... but given that this was a small batch beer with an odd ingredient, the price tag is at least justifiable. Worth a try if you can find it.