XPA (Extra Pale Ale) | High & Mighty Beer Co.
Brewed by:
High & Mighty Beer Co.
Massachusetts, United States
highandmightybeer.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
None provided.
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 83 | Reviews: 49
Reviews by davewlfpckfan29:
3.69/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
I mostly drink this beer out of the bottles.
Its widely available all over Western Mass.
XPA pours a dark orange, and tends to always be fresh because you are getting it local.
It smells great! I love the bitterness smell, and the hops that stand out.
The taste is nothing too crazy, it really is a basic pale ale. It is kind of bitter though.
High and Mighty puts out some good stuff. I really like the fundementals and backbone of this brewry and what they do.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
I mostly drink this beer out of the bottles.
Its widely available all over Western Mass.
XPA pours a dark orange, and tends to always be fresh because you are getting it local.
It smells great! I love the bitterness smell, and the hops that stand out.
The taste is nothing too crazy, it really is a basic pale ale. It is kind of bitter though.
High and Mighty puts out some good stuff. I really like the fundementals and backbone of this brewry and what they do.
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More User Reviews:
3.63/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pored well an extra pale dull light golden wit a touch of peach colored hue a tight,clingy well formed white head holds well for quite awhile.Mainly citrus fruit in the nose with faint toasty malt underneath maybe a hint of herb imparted from the hop.Mild but pleasant flavors subtly piney hop profile along with some fruity esters like that of tangerine and pineapple,toasted malt holds thru out keeping everything in balance.This is a subtle pale ale a quaffing type brew not intended to knock your socks off just keep you company all night.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pored well an extra pale dull light golden wit a touch of peach colored hue a tight,clingy well formed white head holds well for quite awhile.Mainly citrus fruit in the nose with faint toasty malt underneath maybe a hint of herb imparted from the hop.Mild but pleasant flavors subtly piney hop profile along with some fruity esters like that of tangerine and pineapple,toasted malt holds thru out keeping everything in balance.This is a subtle pale ale a quaffing type brew not intended to knock your socks off just keep you company all night.
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3.53/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #54 (July 2011):
Their hoppiest beer, though we’re still expecting balance and drinkability, as High & Mighty aims for flavor rather than strength. Pale golden yellow color, faint haze and a white head. A tad fruity and leafy, with blond tobacco, nutty yeast and a hay-like maltiness, making for a mouthwatering aroma. Smoothness has depth with a dry palate; hop bitterness and flavor are broad with a long linger. A tad yeasty with some fruit in tow. Hop flavor stays through the finish and ends up helping with the drinkability. While XPAs might not be as straightforward as most Pale Ales, this one certainly packs the flavor in.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #54 (July 2011):
Their hoppiest beer, though we’re still expecting balance and drinkability, as High & Mighty aims for flavor rather than strength. Pale golden yellow color, faint haze and a white head. A tad fruity and leafy, with blond tobacco, nutty yeast and a hay-like maltiness, making for a mouthwatering aroma. Smoothness has depth with a dry palate; hop bitterness and flavor are broad with a long linger. A tad yeasty with some fruit in tow. Hop flavor stays through the finish and ends up helping with the drinkability. While XPAs might not be as straightforward as most Pale Ales, this one certainly packs the flavor in.
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3.77/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
New brewery being carried by Premier Gourmet. Foaming head on light golden colour. Hoppy aroma. Smooth drinking and very drinkable pale, without lingering bitterness, a bit of flavour other than bitterness is nice. Good session ale.Decent carbonation and mouthfeel. I think an underrated beer.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
New brewery being carried by Premier Gourmet. Foaming head on light golden colour. Hoppy aroma. Smooth drinking and very drinkable pale, without lingering bitterness, a bit of flavour other than bitterness is nice. Good session ale.Decent carbonation and mouthfeel. I think an underrated beer.
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3.97/5 rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. Pours a honey, dark golden color. About an inch of foam that took a while to fade.
Smell: Smells really good. Hints of fruit, citrus, and hops.
Taste: Definitely noticed more fruit after tasting it. Almost tasted like apricots. The brew was definitely hoppier than I expected. And surprisingly bitter upfront. But the fruit makes up for the bitterness at the end. Not really sure if I would call this beer an extra pale ale.
Mouthfeel: Nothing to complain about. Went down smooth.
Overall: Not a bad beer. The name XPA was definitely misleading, but once I got over that, it was actually quite enjoyable.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. Pours a honey, dark golden color. About an inch of foam that took a while to fade.
Smell: Smells really good. Hints of fruit, citrus, and hops.
Taste: Definitely noticed more fruit after tasting it. Almost tasted like apricots. The brew was definitely hoppier than I expected. And surprisingly bitter upfront. But the fruit makes up for the bitterness at the end. Not really sure if I would call this beer an extra pale ale.
Mouthfeel: Nothing to complain about. Went down smooth.
Overall: Not a bad beer. The name XPA was definitely misleading, but once I got over that, it was actually quite enjoyable.
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4/5 rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a cloudy light copper hue with a thin layer of white lace on top. Being that this beer is bottle conditioned, there was good sediment as well.
The smell featured an oily citrus hop with a good pepper element.
The taste consisted of a solid grapefruit and sweet orange flavor with a hint of white pepper. There was a doughy malt with a bit of a yeast character. The unfiltered character was detectable in the flavor profile.
The mouthfeel was clean and slightly chewy.
Overall a very drinkable and unique APA. I very much enjoyed the bottle conditioning.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a cloudy light copper hue with a thin layer of white lace on top. Being that this beer is bottle conditioned, there was good sediment as well.
The smell featured an oily citrus hop with a good pepper element.
The taste consisted of a solid grapefruit and sweet orange flavor with a hint of white pepper. There was a doughy malt with a bit of a yeast character. The unfiltered character was detectable in the flavor profile.
The mouthfeel was clean and slightly chewy.
Overall a very drinkable and unique APA. I very much enjoyed the bottle conditioning.
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4.93/5 rDev +43.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
High & Mighty XPA has been my go-to, every day all-purpose beer for a couple of years now. It is currently my favorite pale ale, perfectly mixing hops and malt for an absolutely smooth, delicious combination that's neither too sweet nor too bitter, neither too light nor too heavy, and neither too weak nor too strong (in terms of ABV). In an unusual twist of fate (for better or worse), they are building a brewery right next to my house :)
-TS
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look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
High & Mighty XPA has been my go-to, every day all-purpose beer for a couple of years now. It is currently my favorite pale ale, perfectly mixing hops and malt for an absolutely smooth, delicious combination that's neither too sweet nor too bitter, neither too light nor too heavy, and neither too weak nor too strong (in terms of ABV). In an unusual twist of fate (for better or worse), they are building a brewery right next to my house :)
-TS
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3.37/5 rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sampled through sinstaineddemon and Secret Bunny '08 BIF.
Chill hazed gold colored ale with a small white head.
Smell is malt and honey on toast with a mild herbal hop aroma.
The taste is malty and woody at the start. Little bit of vanilla and candy here, and not any citrus or pine. Woody after taste, this gets more bitter as you drink it.
Mouthfeel is OK.
Pretty much your run of the mill Pale in really a more British style. OK but no reason to travel for a taste.
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look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Sampled through sinstaineddemon and Secret Bunny '08 BIF.
Chill hazed gold colored ale with a small white head.
Smell is malt and honey on toast with a mild herbal hop aroma.
The taste is malty and woody at the start. Little bit of vanilla and candy here, and not any citrus or pine. Woody after taste, this gets more bitter as you drink it.
Mouthfeel is OK.
Pretty much your run of the mill Pale in really a more British style. OK but no reason to travel for a taste.
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4.25/5 rDev +23.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I had this beer out of a 12 ounce bottle. Say and smell appraisal was done through a small plastic glass just a sample size. Served cool
Pours a decent white foam head and a yellow orange body old gold
Smells of grain cereal with a distinctive British hop aroma
The green flavor certainly in front with the medicinal herbal hop flavor pervading the rest of the way
Medium to high carbonation
Overall not a bad beer at all I would certainly drink this again the choice of which seems like mostly British house feels a bit one dimensional though. This is a great beer for anyone who likes British hops
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I had this beer out of a 12 ounce bottle. Say and smell appraisal was done through a small plastic glass just a sample size. Served cool
Pours a decent white foam head and a yellow orange body old gold
Smells of grain cereal with a distinctive British hop aroma
The green flavor certainly in front with the medicinal herbal hop flavor pervading the rest of the way
Medium to high carbonation
Overall not a bad beer at all I would certainly drink this again the choice of which seems like mostly British house feels a bit one dimensional though. This is a great beer for anyone who likes British hops
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3.36/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A- Golden orange with a foamy white head that builds to a nice size and retains well. Lots of sticky suds and a few nice spots of lace.
S- Grassy, floral and citrus zest hops with light caramel malt backbone.
T- Grassy, fruit, citrus and floral hops notes atop a faint sweet caramel malt backbone and some yeast bread hints, grainy as well. Has a very sharp Euro hop bitterness in the finish.
MF- Creamy light body with nice foamy carbonation. Bitterness is a bit too pronounced in the finish for me.
Sort of reminds me of a pilsner or German style mixed with an APA. A very sharp Euro hop bitterness and flavor profile.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A- Golden orange with a foamy white head that builds to a nice size and retains well. Lots of sticky suds and a few nice spots of lace.
S- Grassy, floral and citrus zest hops with light caramel malt backbone.
T- Grassy, fruit, citrus and floral hops notes atop a faint sweet caramel malt backbone and some yeast bread hints, grainy as well. Has a very sharp Euro hop bitterness in the finish.
MF- Creamy light body with nice foamy carbonation. Bitterness is a bit too pronounced in the finish for me.
Sort of reminds me of a pilsner or German style mixed with an APA. A very sharp Euro hop bitterness and flavor profile.
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3.36/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This beer is only marginally better than the so-called "Beer of the Gods." Pours to a much more hazy color, still light golden yellow. Carbonation is decent, supporting a nice fluffy white head. Lacing is decent as well.
The smell is not very good. Has a light DMS aroma, as well as a huge cereal aroma. Doesn't smell too hoppy at all. The taste is much better. The hops seem to hide any off flavors. Sweet and lightly bitter. Still a bit grainy.
The body is light with a decent bitterness. Could definitely be better, but has a decent drinkability.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This beer is only marginally better than the so-called "Beer of the Gods." Pours to a much more hazy color, still light golden yellow. Carbonation is decent, supporting a nice fluffy white head. Lacing is decent as well.
The smell is not very good. Has a light DMS aroma, as well as a huge cereal aroma. Doesn't smell too hoppy at all. The taste is much better. The hops seem to hide any off flavors. Sweet and lightly bitter. Still a bit grainy.
The body is light with a decent bitterness. Could definitely be better, but has a decent drinkability.
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3.77/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got on tap and poured out nicely, leaving some lacing on the glass. Floral and fruity aroma and taste from the hops made it easy drinking. Very smooth, but wouldn't be able to drink more than one or two at a time.
Color was golden and pretty clear. Not much foam when poured, but it did stay and as stated left lacing.
Overall, would recommend as it was very drinkable and had a light taste.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got on tap and poured out nicely, leaving some lacing on the glass. Floral and fruity aroma and taste from the hops made it easy drinking. Very smooth, but wouldn't be able to drink more than one or two at a time.
Color was golden and pretty clear. Not much foam when poured, but it did stay and as stated left lacing.
Overall, would recommend as it was very drinkable and had a light taste.
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3.67/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle bought as part of a mixed High & Mighty 6-pack from Ryan & Casey's, Greenfield, MA.
Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" eggshell head over the slightly cloudy dark golden brew. Head fades at a reasonable pace, with plenty of sticky lacing decorating the glass. Aroma is sweet pale malts, with a fruity hop essence. Taste follows the nose, with the citrus fruits outweighing the pale grains. Mouthfeel is creamy smooth, and drinkability is slightly limited by the possibly excess fruitiness.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle bought as part of a mixed High & Mighty 6-pack from Ryan & Casey's, Greenfield, MA.
Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" eggshell head over the slightly cloudy dark golden brew. Head fades at a reasonable pace, with plenty of sticky lacing decorating the glass. Aroma is sweet pale malts, with a fruity hop essence. Taste follows the nose, with the citrus fruits outweighing the pale grains. Mouthfeel is creamy smooth, and drinkability is slightly limited by the possibly excess fruitiness.
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3.53/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Hazy golden colour, decent and lasting head. Hoppy aroma, notes of marmelade too, hints of yeast. Spritzy mouthfeel. Spicy flavour with some less pleasant hints of stale marmelade, hoppy bitter finish and aftertaste. Not great, not bad, quite interesting.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 fl. oz bottle, thanks to BA richgo6. Hazy golden colour, decent and lasting head. Hoppy aroma, notes of marmelade too, hints of yeast. Spritzy mouthfeel. Spicy flavour with some less pleasant hints of stale marmelade, hoppy bitter finish and aftertaste. Not great, not bad, quite interesting.
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XPA (Extra Pale Ale) from High & Mighty Beer Co.
Beer rating:
3.44 out of
5 with
83 ratings
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