They’re a relatively new style in beer-world terms, with their origins tracing back only to around 2008 and Oregon in America.
While the X in XPA originally denoted experimental hops as well as extra pale malt, this has evolved over time and generally the X is now solely used to describe the beer itself as being extra pale in colour.
In the UK, you can expect an Extra Pale Ale to be generally between 3.5 and 5.5% ABV, pale in both colour and malt flavour, and using aromatic New World hops.
Supremely refreshing and drinkable, it’s a style that is similar to Session IPA (but a little lighter in colour) and appeals to drinkers looking for the flavour of a hoppy pale ale but the lightness and freshness of a lager.
A style that works really well on cask or keg, Extra Pale Ale is a real crowd pleaser and a style that I think will sell really well in most pubs thanks to the mid-range ABV, great flavour and big drinkability. Here’s a few picks from across the UK:
Five Points – XPA (4% ABV)
A core range staple, Five Points XPA is a firm favourite in their pubs and taprooms; light in body, but with big aromas of mango and passionfruit before an assertive hop bitterness in the finish.
Disruption IS Brewing – Twisted Apparition XPA (5.5% ABV)
A touch stronger than many XPAs, Twisted Apparition uses an absolutely classic trio of American hops – Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic – to deliver waves of tropical hop flavour on top of a light malt base. A beer that really lets the hops shine.
Dorking Brewery – Surrey XPA (3.8% ABV)
A local favourite for me, Dorking makes pale ales with really great bitterness and clean, dry flavours. For me, its XPA shines best on cask and delivers a punch way above its ABV, a great example of the style worth seeking out.
Cold Town Beer – XPA Nitro (5.3% ABV)
This nitro version of Cold Town Beer’s XPA is super smooth, soft and rounded. The pale malt, oats, and nitro pour increase the creaminess and texture of the beer, while the mango, pineapple and tangerine hop flavours give sweet aromatics.
Moonwake – XPA (3.4% ABV)
At the lighter end of the abv scale for the style, Moonwake’s XPA is small but punchy. Brewed with extra pale malt, oats and wheat, as well as Rakau and El Dorado hops expect orange pith and passionfruit flavours on top of a pillowy mouthfeel.
- Neil Walker is a beer sommelier and Head of Communications at SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, who recently launched the much-heralded Indie Beer campaign. The campaign seeks to make it easier for customers to discover beer from genuine independent breweries and you can find out more via www.indiebeer.uk