Since the turn of the century much of the beer landscape has been dominated by significant developments in hop varieties and flavour, from ‘traditional’ hop flavours of woody, herbal, and grassy through to newer flavours of pine, resin, citrus, stone fruit, passionfruit, sherbet, strawberry and coconut amongst countless others. At a basic level this has characterised the emergence of modern pale ales (along with a good dose of marketing and brewer creativity!) where often hop presence is elevated and highlighted more so than in traditional Pale Ale.
These beers are often less malty than traditional pale ales and may have a low to high bitterness depending on the sub-style. A key acronym in Australia for Modern Pale Ales has been XPA (Extra Pale Ale) which may refer to a pale ale with extra hops, extra malt, extra alcohol, or extra pale colour (or any combination of these).
If you’re looking for a flavour step up along with great flavour balance in your Pale Ale game these beers are a terrific launching pad.
Words & Styles to Look For: XPA, Pacific Ale, New Zealand-Style Pale Ale, American Style Pale Ale, Hoppy Pale Ale.
