Millennial Passion
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

Bomber purchased at the brewery store; no packaging date and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright, clear, sunny golden-yellow colour, briefly topped with half a finger of loose, soapy white head that sizzles within ninety seconds or so. Its remnants include a creamy collar and filmy cap, but almost no lace whatsoever - also, its body looks quite still, with little sign of carbonation. Not especially aromatic, either - doughy pale malts, apple skins, and maybe a touch of stone fruit. Underwhelming thus far.

It's mild for a sour, yet also complex - I'm getting some low level lactic acidity and funkiness at the forefront, with notes of red apple, pear and apricot not far behind. Hints of tart green apple and pineapple after that, with mild barnyard funk, grassy hay, stone fruit and sour apple through the finish and into the aftertaste, which dries off quickly. Light in body, with low carbonation that weakly brushes against the tongue, resulting in a smooth mouthfeel; a little on the flat side, perhaps, but quaffable nonetheless.

Final Grade: 3.90, a B+. I don't believe Millennial Passion is a fruited sour - I mean, the label would advertise something like that, right? So I'm left to assume that the fruit character here is derived from the hops and yeast alone, which is believable, especially given the presence of an interesting wild yeast strain (Philly Sour). It's mellow and understated, but I came to appreciate this beer over the course of the bottle, and it's certainly in the running for the Fools' best sour so far. Who knows - put this beer in a more affordable format, ship it out to retail shelves and it could catch on, as its unique combo of restrained sourness and funk has definite appeal.