The new beers (well, IPAs) continue to hit the taps at Fixation's Incubator home thick (well, often hazy, at least) and fast, so much so it can be hard to keep tabs. Newcomers for spring 2019 include a melon milkshake IPA and the brewery's biggest beer to date, an 11 percent-plus triple IPA.
The first of those is the punsome Dew Respect, brewed with new German hop variety Huell Melon, lactose, juiced honeydew and rockmelon, and Lallemand's New England yeast strain. While it might sound like a recipe for a voluptuous, sweet chewer – and the use of Golden Crystal Oats does lend the beer a malt character that hints at strong Belgian golden ales – it appears the lactose has been added judiciously, to soften rather than overwhelm, so you're left with a smooth, rounded, easy-drinking (and melony) IPA with a bitterness that balances rather than bites.
Talking of beers that might overwhelm, Max Volume's 11.2 percent ABV – significantly higher than the brewery's much-fancied DIPA, The Fix – would seem an ideal candidate. Unlike Dew Respect, it's a beer that focuses on Fixation's favoured US hops, including Mosaic and Simcoe in Cryo Hop form (a relatively new development designed to give brewers plenty of hop character without the astringent side), and comes across remarkably dry and lean all things considered. More dank than fruity, it hides its booze well; little wonder the team at the Incubator advise: "Drink responsibly."
James Smith
Published April 2, 2019 2019-04-02 00:00:00