Red Hook Stout
Fixed Gear Brewing Co

very nice value beer option! too carbonated, i want a dry beer. Not flavourful. very bitter. Not heavy enough with coffee and chocolate flavours...

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jan 13 2022 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a deep mahogany brown colour with ruby red highlights, producing one finger of creamy, beige-coloured head that wilts within three or four minutes' time. A tight collar is the only remnant of note, other than a few flecks of lace - looks like your typical stout. Roasted malts on the nose: medium-roast coffee and burnt bread, with hints of molasses, ashiness and cocoa powder.

It's serviceable, but pretty straightforward, with roasted malt flavours of cocoa powder, dark chocolate and coffee grounds at the forefront. Fairly sweet for a (pure, unadulterated) stout, with molasses and caramelized sugars; finishes with earthy hops, more cocoa and an ashy bitterness that helps counter the sweetness. Medium-light in body, with relatively low carbonation that gently brushes against the surface of the tongue, lending a soft bite to this brew's otherwise smooth, slick mouthfeel. Easy to toss back; I could drink a few of these in a row, but I'd prefer to move on to something else instead.

Final Grade: 3.63, a B grade. Red Hook Stout served as my introduction to Fixed Gear Brewing, and I can't say I didn't like it. Leans heavy on the roasted malt (cocoa/chocolate) flavours, but overall it's reasonably balanced and a totally unobjectionable no-frills stout. That being said, it's really nothing special, and not at all a stand-out amongst Ontario stouts - but if I were a Guelph local, I'm sure I'd pick it up again once in a while, and I wouldn't discourage others from trying this.

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A one finger bubbly light brown head on a reddish black. the head diminished to a thin layer.
Coffee and chocolate smells.
Coffee up front. Chocolate graham cracker. Chocolate finish with a very mild hop bite.
Medium body and carbonation.
A very nice, fairly light chocolate stout.

 

473 ml can served cold into a chalice. LCBO purchase for $3.35 CDN or so.

Appearance - Dark chestnut brown, a finger plus of light tan head. Good staying power and cuts an imposing enough figure.

Smell - Lots of chocolate, hints of ocffee and roasted malts but more of a chocolate bomb than anything else.

Taste - More chocolate, milk and dark and borders on being too sweet, although this just leans a little more flavored like a milk stout. Good richness and depth of flavor. Enough bitterness to be mostly balanced.

Mouthfeel - Rich and velvety good medium-heavy body and slick. Carbonation is modest.

Overall - A very solid stout with good flavor and great body especially for those with an affinity for chocolate. It's definitely on the sweeter side, but don't let that detract you from trying a solid brew. Easily enjoyed my two.

 

Can - pours a dark opaque mahogany color with a tight pored 2 finger mocha cap...aroma of coffee grains and musty earthy grassiness...flavor is well balanced, malty, roasty, hints of dark dried fruit with enough hop balance to tame any remnant sweetness...long wet roasty finish with good body and a satisfying silky mouth feel...decent oatmeal stout.. clean, malty and chocolaty.

Look: Dark brown to black with a hint of amber in the beige head. Head pours at 1 1/2 fingers, but disapates to small lacing at 5 minutes.

Smell: Very rich dark chocolate and roasted malts. A touch of caramel in the mix.

Taste: Semi sweet chocolate. Burnt coffee taste on the back end like a pot that you should have dumped after that last cup.

Feel: Lighter body than I expected. with a bit of slick oily feel.

Not a bad sweet American type stout. I give it a strong B.

Far too watery and thin-bodied for a stout, let alone one one with a 5.5 abv. An almost curious lack of body. Drinks more like a bland dark lager. Not as good as comparable beers like Waterloo Dark or Hockley Dark, and that's a pretty low bar.

March 16 2025