XPA (Extra Pale Ale) - High & Mighty Beer Co.

Cavery

California

3.3/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz given as an extra by AleLovinRuskie; cheers! The bottle was split into taster tulips with Klym.

A: Soft very foggy burnt orange body with some extremely white foam, basically ivory bubbles. A respectable finger and a half head rose like hot biscuits, and left small islands of lacing. Looks standard for the style, with nothing really sticking out.

S: Sugary malt crystals with some fairly bright but ambiguous berry notes. I want to say strawberry, but it comes off more like an artificial strawberry. Some orange juice marinated malts, heavy on the crystallized sugars. Really an ephemeral nose at best, where sweetness dominates before it disappears.

T: Big malts up front with a bit milder sugar than I thought there would be considering the nose. The flavor is two-tone with the sweetness and the seed-like creamy flavors. A late presence of hops makes this drink like a reverse IPA. the notes actually come in with a soft whoosh, instead of transitioning straight into a linger. They eventually disappear behind a fairly palate cleansing beverage. Wish there was more here, but not bad.

M: Very light in the mouth, and it does go down very easy. That said the body feels underdeveloped. There seems to be an initial sensation of prickly bubbles that then complete disappear into a very watery body. It's not horrid, and it still has some fairly smooth/silky textures, but I think the flavor dies off with the carbonation.

O: I honestly found myself getting bored really fast with this one. At first I thought there might be a malt forward theme to this beer, but ultimately the malt didn't provide enough depth of flavor to make this interesting. Furthermore, the weaker/thin body compounded upon the flavor problem. I wouldn't ever complain about having this in my glass, I just wouldn't take it as a favorite in style. Enough decency to be good, but nothing to rave about.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 00:43:57 | More by Cavery

oso

Illinois

3/5  rDev -13%

05-20-2013 06:42:55 | More by oso

Snellgg5

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev +1.4%

05-11-2013 23:06:47 | More by Snellgg5

milkbone_underwear

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +23.2%

05-04-2013 05:58:37 | More by milkbone_underwear

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

2.5/5  rDev -27.5%

04-29-2013 02:13:21 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

CanisMajor

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -5.8%

02-06-2013 23:16:28 | More by CanisMajor

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.28/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Finally found some that is not expired (why for the past year what I've found was expired boggles my mind):

Into a pint glass:

A: hazy golden body that leaves a one finger white foamy head. The head dies to a half finger to leave some nice spiderweb foamy lacing that clings to the sides of the glass. It looks like there are hops floating around inside the beer and light carbonation is seen bouncing off trying to get to the surface.

S: predominantly hops with a slight malt background more so as the beer warms.

T: predominantly bitter. It seems like malts try to kick in, but actually stay mostly subdued for the most part.

M: medium with a moderate amount of harshness on the tongue. It leaves a dry and bitter aftertaste and finish.

O: this is an average APA that tries its hardest to standout, however, in my opinion, it is average to me. Appearance is the best thing about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 01:32:23 | More by kangarooAdam59

Matchews

California

4.25/5  rDev +23.2%

12-09-2012 21:45:41 | More by Matchews

barczar

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a murky golden color with a dense one inch eggy head that dissipates slowly, leaving spotty lacing.

Grain, grapefruit, and tangerine comprise the initial aroma. Reminiscent of fruity pebbles.

The flavor has a fairly citrusy base, with lime and tangerine underlying a somewhat stake, bready malt body. There's a grain character at the finish, which is slightly dry and bitter and tinny. Alcohol is evident.

Body is moderate, with moderate carbonation and a touch of harsh astringency.

Overall, a pretty citrusy version of the style, but there are some offputting flavors that detract from the experience.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 01:56:22 | More by barczar

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Malty-sweet, bitterly hopped, medium bodied, somewhat English and somewhat American... and at five percent, High & Mighty's XPA wants to be all things to all beer lovers.

Starting with its bright straw appearance, the beer showcases a non-filtered hazy appearance with creamy white foam to cap the liquid and with light speckled lace left behind.

Aromas of fresh barley, light caramel, and honey rise first, but then is balanced by earthy and citrus hop notes. Background starch and leafy matter round out the sweeter than expected scent. Fruit jammy scents only amplify the impressions of sweetness.

The sweeter and fruitier notes that point toward English ales govern the early taste. Complementary orange and honey notes weave in earthy tea flavors that later lead to bitterness. Balancing hops rise at mid palate and give a citrusy snap to its taste before developing into smooth balanced bitterness to finish.

Medium bodied throughout, the beer's light carbonation gives more texture and richness than higher carbonated versions would. But the malt trails slightly in finish and allows for the mild alcohol warmth and mild broad bitterness to close the beer semi-sweetly.

Where the beer tries to do it all, and all while remaining highly drinkable- it falls in the domain where it lacks identity, or a signature, or a thumbprint that would otherwise keep it from falling into obscurity. But as a nondescript ale, the beer is drinkable enough.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 02:47:09 | More by BEERchitect

Nordicsk8er

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +8.7%

07-31-2012 02:55:52 | More by Nordicsk8er

ahbaggins

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -27.5%

07-01-2012 17:39:56 | More by ahbaggins

grannaniwa

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -20.3%

05-29-2012 01:01:25 | More by grannaniwa

roboticem

3.75/5  rDev +8.7%

04-30-2012 22:55:19 | More by roboticem

davewlfpckfan29

Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev +5.8%
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.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 17:14:31 | More by davewlfpckfan29

champ103

Texas

2.88/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a clear orange/red color. A large white head forms with good retention. Sticky lace clings to the glass.
S: Toasted malt, caramel sweetness up front. A simple grassy hop aroma lingers.
T: Tastes like unfermented wort. Dirty malt, caramel sweetness. A generic bitterness lingers on forever.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Very dirty, and way to thin. This needs to be much cleaner. Not hard to drink if I had no other options.

Not a fan of this one. Tastes like it is not finished fermenting and a little green. Maybe I got a bad bottle, but I doubt I will revisit.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 02:46:05 | More by champ103

rinhaak

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -13%

04-04-2012 03:35:31 | More by rinhaak

DonFrap

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +1.4%

03-31-2012 21:23:15 | More by DonFrap

Sailracer

1.5/5  rDev -56.5%

03-24-2012 14:04:31 | More by Sailracer

dontdropthebeat

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +30.4%

03-08-2012 00:47:49 | More by dontdropthebeat

TonyC

3.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Anther local offering, that I was truly hoping to love, but it fell way short of love. High & Mighty boast a mixture of American and English profiles, but to me, the ingredients just do not work together.

A: This gets the highest marks from me, I poured this one into a traditional pint glass and got a hazy orange/gold body with an excellent white head, that left subtle lacing.

S: A sweet aroma that did not elude to a high hopped offering.

T: I was looking for an awesome hops flavor, but was let down because of a hops conflict (in my opinion as a home brewer). The clash of hops did not allow me to truly enjoy this offering.

M: Decent carbonation, but again, too much of a hops/malt conflict.

O: I was "one and done" with this one. One sixer was enough. I found this a conflict of profiles and tastes. Sorry High & Mighty.

My thoughts for the brewer would be to tweak this one to work. Stick with only Maris Otter for the malt. It rises above American 2 row in flavor and paired with US hops, would be a true winner. East Kent Goldings is an awesome hop (let me repeat, an AWESOME hop) but does not work well with Simcoe and Palisade. These two Yakima hops are way too over powering to be paired with such a subtle and flavorful hop. So drop the 2 Row and East Kent Golding, and pair the UK malt with the US hops and brew us a winner.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 06:14:36 | More by TonyC

jongullotti

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +15.9%

02-19-2012 21:02:04 | More by jongullotti

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Hazy orange with a two finger mixed bubbly head.
S- A lot of pine in this one and Dark fruits? Raisins and plums are not what I was expecting but. Brown sugar and a bitter dry finish.
T- Interesting hop variety in this hoppy pale. Im getting a lot of pine, A lot of grapefruit citrus and darker fruits flavors. Some dry breaddy notes, kinds reminds me of a Belgian IPA. Taste seems to change with every sip. Not much of a malt presence. Something different every time.
M- very carbonated, Feels alive, A lot of mouth numbing feeling from this one but at the same time, not too bitter.
O- This is a good, unique Pale ale, Worth checking out. I wish this brewery was more available in my area.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 11:16:32 | More by TwelveOunces

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
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.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 02:34:10 | More by BeerAdvocate

trisweb

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +44.9%

11-27-2011 07:12:01 | More by trisweb