Our Head Brewer Grace wanted to release something special for our first ‘Small Batch’ branding and has been working away on the pilot system to perfect something new. The result is something unique. This week, Reckless Brewing will be releasing our Hazy XPA. As a style, there can be plenty of debate on this, both XPA and Hazy have no set definition. So what is a Hazy XPA?
As our head brewer, Grace, explains, “To me, an XPA is on the lighter side of a Pale Ale, with lower bitterness and more fruity hop aromas. On the other hand, a Hazy beer to me is a version of a New England IPA (NEIPA), a big beer with little to no bitterness, hop forward, with huge juicy tropical fruity hop aroma and flavours. The Haze should be natural - no artificials or nasties to haze it up.”
“I love NEIPA’s, but I can often only drink one at a time, before switching to something more sessionable. So I wanted to bring the Haze Craze to a smaller beer, but keep everything else I love about it. I chose an XPA style over a Pale Ale, because I believe the hops used and low bitterness compliment the hazy style.”
“Because I wanted to keep the hop forward style of a NEIPA, the difficult part was creating a solid malt base and flavour, with a creamier mouthfeel, at a lower alcohol volume, while not massively unbalancing the beer towards the hops. I’ve added some salts that are in the natural waterways of the New England region to make the water harder. By replicating the waters of New England, it’s a great way of bringing out the hop flavours without disturbing the balance.”
“When it comes to the hops, I have gone with Azacca and Galaxy. These hops impart the flavours and aromas that will bring it all together. While they both bring big tropical and juicy notes, Azacca adds a hint of tangerine (citrus) and Galaxy brings passionfruit to the table. Together, this
gives my Hazy XPA that juicy, fruity aroma that I love.”
“The end result is a 4.2% Hazy XPA that gives me everything I want in a Hazy beer - low bitterness, huge hops and juicy aromas - while still being easy to drink, sessionable, and appealing to all beer drinkers. This is a beer I will be bringing to a BBQ as my opening salvo.”
Our Hazy XPA will be getting canned and kegged this week and will soon be available at leading independent bottle shops and bars in NSW. We also ship nationwide, so jump on to our website to check where we are stocked, or to order directly online. Grace is already back at the pilot system working on her next creation… stay tuned.
Comments