If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve enjoyed maybe a few cans of XPA, our latest seasonal brew.
We’ve been riding high on what we’re calling a cold bit of liquid gold since we first cracked it open back in the early Spring. And it turns out, many other folks have been enjoying sippin’ it too.
Including our friends at Hop Culture, who recently took a deep dive into this unique, delicious beer style. There’s a lot covered, from XPA’s original emergence in Australia (thanks to our brewing friends at Balter) to its recent growth in the United States and beyond. We highly recommend you take the time to read it, not only because you might learn a thing or two about this future iconic beer style, but also because it features quotes from our Matt Brynildson and a few other recurring characters from the expanded Firestone Walker Brewing Company universe.
We’ll let Hop Culture do most of the talking here, but enjoy a few pull quotes below as a primer. And if you want to learn more about XPA, you can keep on scrolling below, or read our breakdown on this new beer style, and one of our favorite, crushable, go-to beers this summer.
The Brewmaster on XPA: “That’s probably the beer I’m going to drink the most of in 2024 next to Pivo.”
The Brewmaster on falling in love with XPAs: “We were drinking so much XPA and fell in love with the style. We were just scratching our heads asking why XPA had not become a thing (in the U.S.)”
The Brewmaster on XPA’s style: “If I were asked how to define XPA, a true Australian XPA should have an ABV of five or less, really light in body, like an American pale ale. It should be somewhere on the lighter end, but probably not a lot of speciality malt. It should be pretty dry.”
“XPA is the number one craft beer style in Australia and it’s something we’re excited to champion here in the U.S.,” said Matt when we initially released XPA. “The appeal of XPAs is obvious–they offer everything you love in a good pale ale at a crushable ABV. We fell in love with the style during our travels to hop farms across Australia and New Zealand and we were inspired to make our own.”
Some other fun facts for you: XPA is a popular term for light-colored pale ales in Australia and New Zealand, and those same XPAs may have been a reference here. Maybe… who’s to say though. Also, the first batch of this beer (sold in our taprooms as “I’m sorry Pete Jackson”) won the bronze medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the international pale ale category.
“XPA is the predominant beer style in Australia for a reason,” says Firestone Walker Brand Director, Hannah Barnett. “I think it has the potential to take the U.S. by storm at some point, or at the very least become a fixture in the American pale ale landscape. We’d like to be part of making that happen.”
Considering how many people have been enjoying XPA both in our taprooms and at home, we’d say Hannah is on to something there.
A next-generation extra pale ale brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style, Firestone XPA (5% ABV) is out to all Firestone Walker markets in 12-oz six packs and limited draft formats for the duration of winter and through the spring season into June. Worried about needing help spotting it on the fridge shelf? You shouldn’t because we’re accepting only the gold standard here, as in each can is wrapped in gold. It’s easy to spot, easier to drink, and very easy to love.
You can find the nearest case of, uh, tinnies, as they say down under, by you with our Beer Finder now.