Dogzone 2
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

473 mL can from the brewery; no packaging date. Served slightly chilled.

Pours hazy and turbid, its golden yellow-hued body capped with an inch of foamy, soapy white head that seeps off at a casual pace. Just over five minutes later, it has been reduced to a generous collar of froth encircling a few filmy wisps on the surface; a narrow band of thick lace sticks to the glass. It smells pretty boozy, but I'm also getting orange, lemon, grapefruit and stone fruit, with powdered sugar and a verdantly grassy, floral hop character.

It's tasty, and that 10% is impressively well-integrated. Flavours of peach, orange, passion fruit, honeydew melon and mango intermingle, supported by a bready, wheaty malt backbone and some hop acidity. Finishes juicy; stone fruit, orange juice, grapefruit and berries dissipate into a moderately boozy aftertaste. Full bodied, with relatively light carbonation that brushes gently across the palate, resulting in a smooth, fluffy mouthfeel that I found satisfying. More drinkable than it should be.

Final Grade: 3.75, eking out a B+. Dogzone 2 isn't explicitly marketed as a triple IPA, but let's be honest, that's exactly what this is. While I do think this is a serious step up from the other triple IPAs I've had from this brewery, at the end of the day there's nothing exceptional or novel here - it's just a serviceable hazy IPA with lots of extra alcohol. Personally, I don't have much interest in ultra-strong IPAs, but those who do should appreciate this as a step in the right direction for Refined Fool, and hopefully a harbinger of even better triple IPAs to come.