Beer # 299 Pouch Envy Refined Fool Brewing Company

#299 Pouch Envy Australian Pale Ale

Refined Fool Brewing Company

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Independent Nanobrewery Established: 2014
Australian Pale Ale
5.0 % ABV IBU: 20
650 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$5.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @refinedfool

Onto another new brewery for me. I do have to admit (and I'm a little embarrassed) I often will just grab a bottle I have never seen before as I cruise through the craft beer section of my local LCBO. This was one of those bottles. The name was familiar but didn't really ring any bells. I looked at the label briefly and noted the name and the fact it was an "Australian Pale Ale." Ah, Australian beer. Haven't done one in forever that will be great. I get it home and slide it into the Fridge of Fame, and that is when I realise that it's from Sarnia Ontario, Canada. In Fact Refined Fool is the first brewery in Sarnia in over 100 years. Ok even better. Refined Fool began operations in 2014 and according to their press release:

Refined Fool is a group of group of teachers, creatives, blue collars, entrepreneurs, musicians and pastors who care about beer, business, Sarnia and each other. They started by brewing at the corner of College Ave S and Davis St in January of last year with propane burners and frozen hoses and have since grown into the nano­brewery a few blocks away. 

Now tonight's beer is called an Australian Pale Ale. I had not heard of this style but I looked it up and it seems to only be a classification in Australia. It is characterised by a softer fruity hopstyle.

Let's see how this one does.

Pours a dun gold colour with a massive white head made up of small and medium bubbles. Nose is a little  off. Some some flat chemical, and nutty notes. First sip gives us lots of nuts and some grassy clover. I keep getting a Labatt 50 or Molson Export feel about the beer. Mouthfeel is thin and watery. Flavours are muted and flat. There is nothing about this beer that says IPA. Aeration gives a herbal bitter green notes. like garden weeds or tansy.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 0/6  FAIL
Re-Order:  0/6  FAIL
Experience: 2/6 SO-SO


Final Thoughts:

This beer tastes nothing like an IPA or what an "Australian Pale Ale" is purportedly supposed to taste like. If this bottle was not fresh from the LCBO I would suspect light or age damage, but that is not the case. While there are no distinct off flavours I can't help wonder if this bottle left the brewery spoiled. I can not imagine a brew-master being happy calling this a pale ale of any sort. It however is the beer I received from the LCBO 4 days ago. It is the only product I can assess. It gets the no-so coveted #DrainAward. Avoid at all costs.

Cheers

CJT

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