Brewery: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Beer: Fixed Gear
Serving: 12 oz bottle
Glassware: Lakefront imperial pint
Information: 6.5% ABV, 34 IBUs, Bottled during May Wk4 (2012) notched on the label.
Style: American Amber / Red Ale
Price: $8.99 / 6-pack
Availability: Year-round
Cellaring: Not recommended for extended aging.
Pairings: Lil’ Smokies in Fixed Gear, Pepperoni Pizza with crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese.
Appearance
Fixed Gear pours a very cloudy dirty brown-amber with orange-hued highlights. White the beer itself isn’t particularly attractive, the tall pour gave the beer a large, sparkling ivory head with good retention and thick webbing-like lace all over the glass.
Smell
Floral and lightly herbal with some grassy notes and timid citrus explode into the air from this beer! Thinly sliced, honey-smeared toasted bread appears in the background with caramel malt sweetness. It’s a bold, rather straight-forward aroma with nice, subtle nuances.
Taste
The amber and caramel malts hold the fort well with a low caramel and honey drizzled bread sweetness but ultimately the hops win out big here. A bold mixture gives off a lot of citrus, floral hints, and grass. Again, it’s rather in-your-face as opposed to refined, but judging by the design, it certainly seems to be brewed that way.
Mouthfeel
The thick, dense head gives Fixed Gear a nice creamy smooth feel while the cloudy body makes it ever-so-slightly chewy. Medium-full in body and smooth with a moderate carbonation finish and balanced hop bitterness, Fixed Gear keeps the playing field level and drinkable.
Overall
Fixed Gear is a bold red with raw power in aroma and flavor, focusing in on a strong blend of hops with a solid malty backbone. Moderately bitter, it packs a punch down to the last drop, and this is a beer where every drop counts.
Score: 86 / 100 - Wonderful
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Cheers,
-Andy
Great review. Easily one of my favorite reds.
Thanks RJ! They just won a silver medal at the GABF for it!