1) I’m of two minds when it comes to Fixation Brewing’s IPA-only strategy. On the one hand, the IPA and its seemingly endless permutations are so hot right now, as the kids say (or, more likely, don’t say. By the time I’ve heard something “the kids” say, it’s probably not cool any more). So it does make sense to set up a brewery where they only brew what the cool kids like.

2) And yet on the other hand, I wonder if the brewers would eventually tire of making nothing but IPAs – even with the permutations the style brings. Perhaps they might feel a yen to make a stout, or a clean, light lager or even a hefeweizen. If that’s the case, does that mean they have to leave Fixation? I don’t know … maybe.

3) At the end of the day, maybe it’s best to focus on the beer. I have been impressed with the Fixation beers I’ve had so far – they may only make one style, but they’re pretty good at it. The Obsession IPA occupies that cloudy, never-neverland between “pale ale” and “IPA”. It’s much the same as an XPA. Maybe they’re a hoppier pale ale or a not-so-hoppy IPA. It’s so confusing; I’m a simple man, I like clear demarcations.

4) And don’t get me started on “session” beers (which is what this beer is tagged). I’ve always understood them to mean that you can drink a few without getting squiffy. To me, what defines a session beer is up to the constitution and/or stupidity of the drinker. The best bet is to check the alcohol count and then work out for yourself whether a few will get you stonkered.

5) I’m calling this an IPA. Not a session IPA, just an IPA (FYI it’s a 4.6 per cent alcohol count, so your average beer geek should be able to handle a few in a row). I found it not as juicy as some of their other efforts, though I guess that’s kind of the point. There are some piney and grassy notes in the aroma, and some of those characters carry through into the flavour as well. There’s enough bitterness at the back end to make you go, “yep, that’s an IPA” but not so much that it overbalances the lighter character of the beer.

Free or paid for: Tom at Fixation sent me a whole six-pack of Obsession – along with a handwritten note. Which was really rather nice of him.