Hat Day Is Cancelled
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, from their IPA Fun Box #8 at my favourite LCBO at The Roundhouse Centre in nearby Windsor. My fourth beer from the Sarnia, ON brewery.

Jan 26 2025

 

 

473 mL can from the brewery; dated Jul 15 2024 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy goldenrod colour, fitted with 1.5 fingers of dense, foamy white head that settles off within the next five minutes. A half-inch band of even lace coats the glass afterwards, with a creamy collar and sudsy cap holding steady. Grapefruit and minty, herbal hops on the nose, with hints of orchard fruit, apricot and green mango; suggestions of wheaty malts underneath.

Not bad - flavours of tropical fruit are prominent, including mango and pineapple, with additional notes of grapefruit, Asian pear and apricot. Mango and melon on the back end, with a fruity-sweet finish; orchard & tropical fruits fade into a slightly warming, somewhat acidic aftertaste that betrays the presence of its 6.8% abv. Medium-full in body, with low carbonation that brushes gently across the palate, contributing to this brew's smooth, juicy mouthfeel. Not an especially drinkable IPA - one can per night is plenty for me, thanks.

Final Grade: 3.71, a B grade. Refined Fool has brewed better IPAs than Hat Day Is Cancelled, which I found to be a relatively middling effort, at least within the perimeter of their prolific portfolio of pale ales, past and present. The orchard fruit and mango notes are nice, and do a decent job of differentiating Hat Day from the rabble of other countless hazy IPAs you can find at the LCBO these days. Overall, it's a serviceable brew - certainly worth a shot, though I don't expect it to knock many socks (or hats) off.