Wolf Shirt
Refined Fool Brewing Co.

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

Pours a hazy golden-yellow colour, fitted with two fingers of soapy, bubbly white head that recedes within three or four minutes. It leaves behind a couple of rings of messy lace in the process, which reduces it to a frothy collar and thin, sudsy cap - looks normal enough to me. Hints of ruby red grapefruit and papaya on the nose, with notes of mandarin orange, nectarine, and maybe a hint of earl grey tea. Intriguing and inviting.

This is a solid NEIPA. Hints of bready, wheaty malts provide background support for flavours of orange, stone fruit, grapefruit and lemon, with minor hints of tropical fruits, e.g. papaya and pineapple. Finishes with stone fruit, sweet citrus and floral hops that dissipate into a mildly fruity aftertaste that lingers for a moment or two; very low, basically inconsequential bitterness, with low-ish acidity. Medium in body, with restrained carbonation that meekly agitates the palate, resulting in a smooth, soft mouthfeel that suits this style well. Super quaffable; a little too strong to be a session option, but I'd go for another glass.

Final Grade: 3.99, a very good B+. Refined Fool's Wolf Shirt is a stylish classic that I'm sure all of the cool kids will appreciate. The flavour profile is very appealing - describing it as 'juicy' might be a bit of a stretch, but it's at least tilting in that direction. I look forward to trying their upcoming Three Wolf Moon Shirt triple IPA - just kidding, I made that up, but let's be honest, that's clearly the logical progression to take from here.