You'd think giving the people of Bathurst a brewery to call their own would be enough of a gift, but the kind-hearted souls at Reckless clearly decided they should lavish their new locals with a little more as soon as they'd thrown open the doors. Bearing the tagline "The beer of Bathurst" comes BX Lager, which feels very much like a softener to win over newcomers to their operation in a city best known for an event at which the craftiest thing you're likely to find is the Reckless sponsorship of one of the cars.
Their means of making a good first impression is to knock out a clear, pale golden lager in which soft bready / cereal malts do the lion's share of the work, with the Saaz hops contributing more of a light lemony touch and gentle bitterness than anything too spicy. Definitely more in the "knock-em-back lager" category than the sort of punchy pilsner said hops typically inhabit.
It's not the only gift on offer either, with Hazy Mango XPA much more in head brewer Grace's wheelhouse when you consider she doubled up as an Akasha brewer before heading to Bathurst. The fleshy mango is unmistakable, leaving little room for much else on the nose, while texturally it cleans up after itself more quickly than you might expect from its appearance – just as an XPA should, in fact. Nicely judged with just a clip of fruit juice grippiness and some citrus flavours joining the mango on the palate.
BX might have been made for the locals, but surely a few will be won over by its companion piece, too.
James Smith
Published October 5, 2022 2022-10-05 00:00:00
