Fixation Squish Citrus IPA
Fixation Brewing Co.

Poured out of can into standard 375ml glass, one finger of head. Bright orange, hazy, not opaque. On the nose, strong notes of Mandarin and sweet citrus fruits. Taste was lacking the citrus bite I was hoping for, however the aroma held enough to carry through the taste. Sharp and highly carbonated mouth feel. The smell of this beer is definitely the strong point, as it counterpoints the bitter and piney taste, typical of an IPA made in Australia.

 

 

All of a sudden Fixation, which previously only brewed an IPA, have exploded two new beers onto the scene with The Fix Double IPA, now this: Fixation Squish Citrus IPA... OMG Slow down guys!!! Squish is infused with grapefruit and blood orange as well, so it’s going head to head with my favourite grapefruit-infused beer: BrewDog Elvi... wait, I can’t call it that anymore... let’s just call it “E-Juice”, which is pretty stiff competition indeed. If it comes anywhere near old mate E-Juice I’m going to start stocking my fridge as it’s slightly cheaper, however - as always - I’m not holding my breath... Citra, Amarillo and Mosaic hops - that is one stellar selection of hops though.

Poured from a 330ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Hazed and reasonably pale amber/golden body with a decent lashing of a 2 centimetre white head that bubbles away with some solid carbonation action - looks alright, inviting me in to sip. 8/10.

S: The citrus is there but more subtle than expected - it gives off a grapefruity/orangey edge to what are fairly standard, and fresh I might add, hop aromas: Piney, floral and grassy touches. Smells the part of a non-infused IPA for better or worse (I’m nonplussed if it tastes good). 7/10.

T: Borderline NEIPA (New England IPA) with a real juiciness to it - orange more than grapefruit dominates the palate, then throws in a couple piney/floral/grassy notes, dry cracker mid to finish and a grapefruit bitterness to cap it off. It’s a bit discordant with the fruit flavours not coming through fully-infused (which I’ve noticed before with fruit-infused beers), for some reason the flavours don’t integrate properly and there’s a lack of harmony. In some fruit-infused beers this lack of harmony becomes cacophony, in Squish it’s just a bit off. 7/10.

M: Mid to light bodied, bit of hop (or is it fruit?) slickness, and a waifish carbonation... to the point of lacking, which is interesting because I’ve noticed in beers sometimes the more active the carbonation looks the less active it actually is when you taste it... CO2 for thought. 6/10.

D: It’s alright, there’s a few niggles with this brew, but it is otherwise a solid brew. Aftertaste lingers with a little bit of bitterness, nothing that can’t be solved with more beer (what problem can’t be?). Overall this was a pleasant brew, but no E-Juice. Cheers Fixation! 7/10.

Food match: Probs go with something chickeny and salad... y.