332 weeks is a very long time to have a drinkin' streak and I am going strong!
Being The Blockchain Beerologist definitely has its perks, including but not limited to getting paid to tour breweries and sample new beers! When I am not globetrotting and chugging pints, my fridge looks like a colourful mosaic of regional craft beer I enjoy sharing with the #beersaturday alliance of #beer bloggers on #hive.
This week, I discover an IPA tasters pack that might seem familiar to long time followers of #beersaturday!
IPA Fun Box! 7th Edition!
When I am at the beer store, I know my responsibility to legions of followers is to find and sample the newest and wildest beers. When I find a taster's pack, variety pack or gift pack of varied beers, that makes it easy! When it is all IPA (which is my preference) then that is a bonus. When it is part of a series that I have enjoyed and shared before, doesn't get much better than that! Here we are back again with Refined Fool Brewing and another IPA FUN BOX!
This is the 7th Edition of the IPA Fun Box and, as with the others I have sampled, there are some familiar and repeat brews like Van Full of Weirdos which has been in all of them. I will skip those and get into the new ones for this review.
Tracksuit
A tracksuit is nostalgically ironic so I am wondering about its relatability to the actual beer. The website describes it as "5% SMaSH IPA: This pale, creamy, slightly hazy crusher brewed with Nectaron hops provides a welcoming face punch of passion fruit, peach, grapefruit and pineapple with almost zero bitterness." Alright, so just some random name.
But look at this pose! Is he just trying to distract me from the fact there is no such thing as a Smash IPA? 5% ABV makes it seem like more of a session ale but I guess I have to give it a taste.
Well, I suited up and crushed this pint pretty quickly. Nothing too special except its mediocrity when you expect a Smash IPA. As far as a session ale goes, not bad at all! Possibly a gateway to IPA from smooth clean beer because of the extra taste without being bitter. Underwhelming bit but a little creamy, smooth, unfiltered and smashable! I don't hate this beer.
Darren's Internet Search History
Yes you read that right. The branding geniuses at Refined Fool had either completely run out of ideas for a beer name, or are straight fucking with us and not even trying anymore. At this point, I don't even care who Darren is and assume his browsing history is as screwed as the rest our ours is. And we are talking about a Melon IPA. This is not a thing either. You can foul a beer with anything and it becomes something besides a beer by some purists and these guys chose melon. What the hell is going on in Sarnia?
When you consider the beer, get lost in the label and peel back the layers of the weirdness, you almost get in the right mindset to enjoy a "7% Melon IPA: Brewed with Belma, Cashmere and Enigma hops, this IPA is bursting with flavours of sweet fruit and melon." Solid hops and a reasonable smoothness to a fairly strong, hazy beer. I pick these variety packs in hopes of finding something good and different. Once again I have and must chuckle along with the brewers on the adventure I keep accompanying them on. Not a damn bad beer and I think I should grab one if I see it solo on the shelf. Flippantly branded or not.
Thanks again for a change of pace and proving that you are as adventurous if not quite great at what you do.
I AM a better dancer after a few beers! Dance your way into golden deliciousness with @detlev and instantly become a beer blogger [here](https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/beersaturday-332)
This week for #BeerSaturday, I would like to invite @ramon2024 as I KNOW they like beer in Valencia Spain. Take a few pictures, tag #beersaturday and raise a glass with us on Hive! Beer = retirement fund!
@detlev and instantly become a beer blogger [here](https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/beersaturday-332)
@ramon2024 as I KNOW they like beer in Valencia Spain. Take a few pictures, tag #beersaturday and raise a glass with us on Hive! Beer = retirement fund!
