Everyday Vacay
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

650 mL bottle from the brewery; no packaging date and served slightly chilled. This 'tiny batch' beer was brewed with apple juice and fresh cranberries, so I'm expecting something cider-like.

Pours a relatively clear golden-yellow colour with a faintly pinkish tinge; seated atop is half a finger of soapy, bubbly head that vanishes within ninety seconds or so. It's reduced to a wide collar of sudsy froth and a thin band of lace - it does look kind of like a rosé cider, at least once the head fizzles off. Smells of sweet, slightly tart apples and cranberry juice, with suggestions of green apple candy and graininess.

Not bad at all - definitely not too sweet, which is usually my main worry with fruit beers, but this one is nicely balanced. Hints of slightly sweet apple flesh come through at first, with hints of tangy apple juice and graininess not far behind. Hints of doughy malt sweetness on the back end, which also features relatively mild notes of cranberry; very faint suggestions of cranberry astringency and bubblegum linger into a light aftertaste of apple juice from concentrate. Light-medium in body, with moderately aggressive carbonation that feels spritzy and prickly on the tongue, lending a very crisp, refreshing feel to this ale.

[Updated Jul 25 2023]

A tall can this time, with a new label and listed at a significantly more svelte 4.5% (the summer '21 batch was over 6%). Huge pinkish-tinged head with gobs of messy lace; muted aroma of fruits and grains. Much lighter flavour profile that favours cranberry dryness over apple sweetness, and the end result is a lot like a semi-dry cider. This is clearly a different beer from the original, but I think most of the changes are for the better.

Final Grade: 3.78, a B+