Yacht Beer
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

Bomber from the brewery; no date, served barely chilled.

Pours a foggy golden orange colour, topped with more than an inch of soapy, bubbly white head that coats the glass with a sponge print pattern of lace as it recedes. After five minutes, a frothy collar and filmy cap are all that remain; looks downright enticing, and the same can be said of the aroma. I'm getting papaya, apricot, pineapple and ruby red grapefruit, as well as hints of pear, melon and piney, resiny hops; just a touch of boozy sweetness, too.

The flavours are along the same lines - pear, red grapefruit and melon at the forefront, with notes of pineapple and stone fruit developing by mid-sip. Tropical fruit continues into the finish, joined by piney, resiny hops and a hint of over-steeped black tea bitterness; suggestions of pineapple and grapefruit dissipate into a fruity-sweet, slightly boozy aftertaste that lingers briefly. Medium in body, with low carbonation that brushes weakly against the surface of the palate, giving this beer a smooth, soft mouthfeel. One bomber was about right for me, but you might want to split it with your first mate.

Final Grade: 3.99, on the high end of a B+. What better way to celebrate coming home from work to find several inches of water in your basement? Live the high life in damp squalor with Refined Fool's Yacht Beer, a strikingly solid, strong, hazy IPA that I'd rank above the bulk of their other hoppy pale ales. The combination of Sultana, Idaho 7 and El Dorado hops provides an interesting, unique array of fruity hop notes that I found most enjoyable even in the midst of profoundly annoying circumstances. Cheers!