Do Reckless have my best interest at heart?
You want to say yes. You want to believe it. They seem so friendly. But at the end of the day… you have to wonder.
To celebrate two years since they opened their brewery and taproom in Bathurst, they’ve brought out Central West Double IPA. And it’s hard not to describe it as insidious.
It pours with a phat head, and shines the deep gold of Smaug’s eye in flickering firelight. There’s a heap of dankness, alongside grapefruit zest and overripe mango and pawpaw. But the elements that would slow you down are dialled right down: just a prickle of carbonation, a touch of spice, a hint of alcohol warmth. Sure, there’s a nice bitterness in there, but with everything else that’s going on, it barely registers that there’s an attack happening. It’s like there’s a dragonfly repeatedly headbutting your leg, or you’ve touched the needle of a very small cactus. But before you can say: “Awww, buddy, you're doing your best,” you’ve polished off 440ml of an 8.2 percent ABV double IPA. That’s dangerous.
It’s not like Reckless don’t know what they’re doing. They picked up the trophy for Champion Modern IPA at the 2024 AIBAs. Anything that comes out of that brewery has got to be intentional.
When they released Central West IPA early on in their time at Bathurst, it went down all too easily… but I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
But now that they’ve put out this even more dangerous beer? I have to wonder…
Mick Wüst
Published September 9, 2024 2024-09-09 00:00:00
