Caught Behind A School Bus On Lakeshore
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

Bomber from the brewery, no packaging date and served barely chilled.

Pours foggy golden-amber with sediment flecks floating throughout its body; it's crowned with an inch of creamy, foamy, glorious white head that melts away slowly within four or five minutes' time. It leaves behind a half-inch curtain of even lace, in addition to a creamy collar and sudsy cap - lookin' fine so far. The aroma is fruity and enticing: vaguely woodsy and floral, with tangerine, d'Anjou pear and hints of fresh pineapple.

It's pretty flavourful for what is functionally a session IPA, and I'm really loving these Topaz hop flavours. Clementine at the forefront, with hints of pear and pineapple amidst a gritty, grainy pale malt backbone. Something berry-like mixed in there (blackcurrant?), with piney hops and big grapefruit juiciness at the finish - pithy, a little astringent, yet not especially bitter, with piney, woodsy hops lingering on briefly. Light in body, with fairly assertive carbonation that feels crisp, frothing up a little bit on the surface of the tongue; satisfying to gulp back, and not at all a challenge to do so.

Final Grade: 3.87, a B+. Here's a Sarnia pro-tip: don't drive up Lakeshore during mid-afternoon unless you absolutely have to. And if you absolutely have to, you probably live on Lakeshore, in which case, boo-hoo Mr. Moneybags. In all seriousness, Refined Fool has churned out more than a dozen small batch IPAs over the past year or so, and Lakeshore is one of their better such efforts to date. I must admit I'm doubly impressed, as this is only 5% and I am traditionally not real big on light IPAs - but this one holds its own fairly well, with juicy citrus and tropical fruit flavours carrying the day. Strong candidate for a follow-up batch.