Firestone Walker releases new XPA
Limited-release Firestone XPA, ‘packs southern hemisphere punch with California style’
– Firestone Walker this week unveiled its first of three seasonal offerings slated for 2024—the all-new Firestone XPA, a next-generation extra pale ale brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style, available now in all Firestone Walker markets. Find it with the FW Beer Finder.
“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. “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.”
Firestone XPA (5% ABV) is rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets in can (12-oz six packs) 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.
Crisp, hoppy and crushable
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. “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.”
