Whoa Gavin, Let the Tannins Breathe
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

Bomber from the brewery; no packaging date. Served barely chilled.

Pours a hazy golden-blonde colour, fitted with two fingers of lumpy, foamy white head that melts away within the next five minutes or so. It leaves behind a messy swath of lovely lace as it is reduced to a soapy collar and patchy cap - looks pretty darn enticing to me. Not especially aromatic - smells a little sweet, with graininess, doughy bread, and maybe a faint whiff of booze.

It's not 'bad' per se, but it does taste fairly dull: mostly just grainy, with some bready wheat and dough flavours tossed in for good measure. Not a whole lot else - maybe a twinge of citrus peel, with suggestions of grassy hay and then a very dry finish. You can tell it's strong, but it's not boozy, which is noteworthy for a beer of its strength. Medium in body, with moderately low carbonation that gently tickles the surface of the tongue; feels smooth, soft and a little fluffy on the palate. It's shockingly drinkable for the style, but again, you'd never guess it was 9% without looking at the label.

Final Grade: 3.5, a hard-earned B grade. Whoa Gavin, Let the Tannins Breathe made for a fairly plain glass of wheatwine. The best comparison I can come up with is an imperial version of an American pale wheat ale - not very interesting, as you'd expect, but at least the booze is well-hidden, and the dry back end does give it a more-ish quality, not unlike some drier white wines. The most impressive aspect of this beer is how well it manages to hide 9% with such a thin flavour profile - I mean Busch Ice is practically boozier than this, and that's only like 5.5. Not really worth its small batch price tag, but if you like the sounds of something strong, malty/wheaty and dry, then this might be worth a spin.