X marks the spot

What does the X in XPA stand for? Xcellent question, says Michel Donaldson.

What the heck, asked a friend the other day, is an XPA? Xcellent question, I said. Xtremely hard to answer. Navigating your way towards this relatively new beer nomenclature is a bit like understanding one of those old pirate maps where X marks the spot but you have to take 20 paces north, 37 east, 24 south and 18 west and start digging in the sand hoping to hit a treasure chest.

The X in XPA is something of an X-factor… we know it’s shorthand for “extra” but extra what? The PA bit is OK – that’s pale ale, typically riffing off an American Pale Ale, or a tropical fruity New Zealand Pale Ale.

For some brewers the X is linked to the pale, as in “extra pale” – so a lighter colour, less body. For others it’s linked to the entire “pale ale” as in “here’s a bit extra” which implies it lies somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA. Until you know what the X stands for you don’t really know what you’re buying.

The best XPAs I’ve had recently all lean towards “extra pale”. A normal American Pale Ale, for instance, has some mid-palate sweetness and mouthfeel from the use of caramel malts. These darken the beer and provide some substance by way of residual sugar for the hoppy bitterness to work with. Classic examples are Epic Pale Ale, Liberty Yakima Monster and Panhead Supercharger. These all weigh-in around the 5.4-6.0 per cent ABV range.

XPA takes the best part of these hoppy beers but strips back the sweeter, chewier malts to create a beer that looks more like a lager – all bright, light gold – with a bantamweight, as opposed to middleweight, body. The best clock in under 5 per cent. Without the alcohol weight and residual sugar, brewers need to dial back in the bitterness otherwise the beer would be too grippy and dry. Instead they go for a gentler, smoother bitterness and pack in the hop flavour and aroma.

XPA is not a style of beer as such – more a descriptor – but you should expect an easy-drinking, hoppy but not overly bitter, beer that won’t knock you around on the alcohol front.

Here are four – and one eXception – that deliver the X-Factor.

Good George XPA (5 per cent)

A sunny combo of New Zealand, Australian and US hops create a tropical fruit bowl with some lime and grapefruit. A little wheat helps fill the palate weight.

Panhead Quickchange XPA (4.6 per cent)

Just as Supercharger was a market leader in the APA range, so Quickchange is the business here. Lush but light. Mango, pineapple and guava from American and Aussie hops.

Sawmill eXtra Pale (4.9 per cent)

Vibrant aromas and apricot, peach and sweet orange zest. There’s a gentle bitterness to match the firm but lean base making it great quaffer.

Liberty Elixir (4.6 per cent)

One of my favourite beers of the summer. Underneath the stonefruit and fresh cut grass there’s an earthy hop character that gives great depth and dryness.

Brave Brewing Extra Pale Ale (5.7 per cent)

This is the exception that proves the rule with the extra (no big X here) referring to a ramped up pale ale which is 5.7 per cent and poised nicely between an APA and an IPA.