I’m not going to pretend to know more about chardonnay than I do. I know it’s a white wine, it’s oaky, and its pronunciation is the subject of a Kath & Kim joke. That’s about it. So while I know this Chardonnay Sour is co-fermented on grapes from Renzaglia Wines, I’m not going to try to guess whether these grapes were grown on an east-facing hillside or picked while the morning dew was still sparkling on their skin.
But I do know this beer looks like a chardonnay where the wine glass has fogged up.* I do know it smells like chardy, with just an edge of malt sweetness. And I do know a punchy acidity shows up the second it touches your tongue, softened with a slightly oaky creaminess; presumably the lactose is playing a role alongside the oak there, too.**
When I saw on socials that Reckless call Hazy Galaxy IPA their first hazy IPA, I thought: “Surely that can’t be right.” But sure enough, I did a bit of internet stalking, and while they’ve done a few hazy XPAs before, they haven’t done a hazy IPA. Whaddaya know...
They’ve hit the ground running with darling Galaxy, which here brings a huge thwack of peach confectionery on the nose. The beer’s less sweet once you get to the sipping, with orange juice and a soft, earthy bitterness balancing out that initial stonefruit punch.
Mick Wüst
*Yes I did wipe the condensation on my beer glass away before I made this assessment.
**If you’re thinking: “Beer-wine hybrids are supposed to be fancy, so why does this contain lactose?” you can take your naysaying elsewhere.
Published July 1, 2024 2024-07-01 00:00:00
