Firestone Walker Adds Firestone XPA to its 2024 Seasonal Lineup
One beer style that has seemed to vanish from brewery offerings has been the classic Pale Ale. Firestone Walker Brewing is no exception as its Pale 31 went to the wayside a few years back and made a limited comeback last year. Now the Paso Robles, California based brewer has just released Firestone XPA, its first of three seasonal offerings slated for 2024. The all-new Firestone XPA is an extra pale ale that’s brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and a California influence.
“XPA is the number one craft beer style in Australia and it’s something we’re excited to champion it here in the U.S.,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson in a statement. “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.”
The sessionable Firestone XPA, at just 5% ABV, is rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets in 12-oz six packs sharp looking gold cans and limited draft formats for the duration of winter and through the spring season into June. An early batch of Firestone XPA earned a Bronze Medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the International Pale Ale category!
Firestone XPA is built around New Zealand’s Nelson hop with its grapefruit and tropical Sauvignon Blanc qualities, all backed up with a dollop of classic Mosaic hops. The resulting beer offers a trifecta of drinkability: crisp, hoppy and crushable.
Firestone XPA also taps into Firestone Walker’s roots as a heritage brewer of California pale ales.
“Creating this beer brought a lot of joy to our production team, there was definitely some pent-up enthusiasm for pale ale brewing,” Brynildson said. “We went all in to fine-tune several test batches and nail what we were after with this beer.”
He added, “We wanted to lead with the punchy tropical qualities of the Nelson hop, and we found that adding just the right amount of Mosaic makes the fruit flavors all the more lush and expansive.”
“XPA is the predominant beer style in Australia for a reason,” said Firestone Walker Brand Director Hannah Barnett, in a statement. “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.”
To locate the new Firestone XPA, use the Firestone Walker Beer Finder.
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.