Beer Alert – New Extra Pale Ales And German Schwarzbiers

(Courtesy Firestone Walker)

2024 is ON and American craft brewers are addressing February with an intriguing roster of beers you’re gonna want to have around.

Southern Hemisphere Punch Meets California Style (Paso Robles, Ca) – Firestone Walker Brewing just debuted the first of three new seasonals scheduled for 2024 and an early batch of this newbie racked up a prestigious award. A Bronze Medal winner at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the “International Pale Ale” category, Firestone XPA is a 5% ABV “next generation” Extra Pale Ale, brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style.

“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.”

(Courtesy Firesstone Walker)

“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,” Brynildson added. “We went all in to fine-tune several test batches and nail what we were after with this beer.”

Eclipse Bier (East Aurora, NY) – On Monday, April 8, 2024, a once-in-a-lifetime event will occur in the skies above Cleveland, Buffalo, and Rochester as these regions fall within the ‘path of totality’ for a historic eclipse. And 42 North Brewing is celebrating things with something dark and special that will be available at select retailers in Northeast Ohio and Western New York.

(Courtesy 42 North Brewing)

Crafted with specially curated Pilsner, Munich, and de-husked roasted malts, 42 North Nocturnus is a 4.8% ABV German-style Schwarzbier with subtle notes of chocolate and coffee and a name derived from Roman mythology. As legend has it, Nocturnus was an immensely powerful being that has existed prior to the beginning of time and is able to manipulate darkness with ease.

Juicy Oasis (Littleton, CO) – Breckenridge Brewery is upping its “juicy” game with a fruit-forward addition to its growing family of IPAs. Kicking things up aggressively in both temperament and octane, Breckenridge Juicy Oasis is a 9.6% ABV Fruited Hazy IPA that brewed with agave nectar.

“We’ve had several very successful Hazy IPAs over the years, but we’re excited to combine hints of agave nectar – an ingredient derived from our popular Agave Wheat – alongside tropical fruits, making an IPA that is really sensational,” explained Carl Heinz, brewmaster of Breckenridge Brewery. “With the growing demand for high ABV IPAs across the country, we felt like we had a winning liquid on our hands that needed its own name – hence Juicy Oasis.”