Say g’day to our WA XPA! Subheading
With WA Day right around the corner, we teamed up with Beerfarm for a joint beer venture as a tribute to our old mates and new…resulting in a fresh, hoppy and locally made brew! Packed with 100% local ingredients, WA XPA was made for all the Independent Spirits, local business owners, sandgropers and hard-working battlers across our urban, regional and rural WA communities.
Brewed using the freshest hand-picked Nugget, Victoria and Beedelup hops from Karridale Hop Farm, Barley and 100% Pale Malt from WA, this beer is a true blue celebration of this big, beautiful state that we’re lucky enough to call home.
We even got our hands dirty in the hop harvest alongside Beerfarm and Trey and Olivia from Karridale Hop Farm and WA Hop Growers Association (Karridale Hop Farm, Preston Valley Hops and Great Southern Hops), who are expert hop growers and all-around legends.
Read on as we spill the beans on all things WA XPA, from talking shop about hops with Trey and Olivia, to finding out from our very own store owners Nathan (Liquor Barons Marmion) and Byron (Liquor Barons Hillarys) about their experience in helping to bring this brew to life.
“From the ingredients that are grown in WA the soil, to the local crew selling it through the only WA Liquor Co-Op, WA XPA is 100% local and made for the people of WA to enjoy. Local crew, making local brew!” Byron Boys, Liquor Barons Hillarys.
Q&A with Liquor Barons
Tell us about the hop varietals used in this brew and why they’re so unique to WA?
Trey and Olivia: All three varieties of hops that have gone into this beer were all grown in 2023, on small hop farms in the southwest of Western Australia. These include Nugget, Victoria and Beedelup varieties.
Nugget is known for its clean bittering and here in WA we routinely get beautiful fresh citrus/lemon and mint, with a spicey resinous backbone. WA Nugget is like no other Nugget on earth! A true testament to terroir and regionality.
Victoria is one of our favourite hops to grow and smells of beautiful clean citrus fruit and a piney resin that is uniquely Australian. Victoria is slowly becoming a favourite of local brewers as well. Large, dense cones filled with gold lupulin bursting at the seams.
Beedelup is a unique hop without a common name in Australia but after some deliberation the hop was named Beedelup, in honour of WA’s historical hop growing area around Pemberton. Water from Beedelup Falls (Beedelup meaning place of rest) was used to irrigate those early hops over 70 yrs ago. Beedelup has intense tropical and stone-fruit aromas with a healthy dose of resin and spice. A truly modern hop, for modern brewing!
Why is it so important for consumers to support local producers like Karridale Hop Farm, Beerfarm and of course, Liquor Barons? What kind of positive impact can it have on the community?
Nathan: Supporting local producers supports the WA economy, which ultimately supports WA families and provides opportunities for so many people in WA community.
Byron: We love WA!! Could you get any more WA than this beer? Supporting local helps to contribute to a sustainable and thriving local industry. Be it big or small, it all helps. It also gets you right in the feels!
How do different seasons throughout WA affect hop growth, and what’s an ideal climate?
Trey and Olivia: The biggest seasonal impact is our Spring. We need to have a strong, sunny and warm spring in order for our crop to hit the desired height before they set pre cone flowers.
A slow, grey spring will have impacts on yield and as we don’t have a super cold winter, our plants do not properly go dormant. Hence a little less vigorous in spring, compared to regions that will have snow cover during winter!
What was the most interesting or special part of working with other local businesses to bring WA XPA to life?
Byron: From the ingredients that are grown in WA the soil, to the local crew selling it through the only WA Liquor Co-Op, WA XPA is 100% local and made for the people of WA to enjoy. Local crew, making local brew!
Trey and Olivia: I believe the connection to the product from all the producers was clearly evident. Unlike many products that get brewed by Beerfarm and stocked by Liquor Barons, this beer was filled with ingredients that were hand selected and picked by the community of people that are producing the beer.
Connecting with the land in which the ingredients came from and honouring the season and region with such a special beer is so important. Harvesting with people from so many different aspects of commercial brewing was also a real buzz!
Nathan: Teaming up with other 100% WA owned and operated businesses like Beerfarm and Karridale Hop Farm is so important to us, as we’re all about supporting local businesses and the people within these communities.
How will you be enjoying WA XPA?
Trey and Olivia: We will be enjoying WA XPA with family and friends that helped make this whole thing possible. This is kind of a dream come true in a way as we rely heavily on family, friends and the brewers we work with to make our little hop farms work. This beer embodies all of these attributes, and we can’t wait to crack a can of WA XPA!
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From our fridges to yours, WA XPA is our own celebration of supporting local and showcasing why we think the West is simply the best. This beer was brewed just in time for WA Day, so get down to your local Liquor Barons store from 22 May to get your hands on some of this extra special release beer! Available exclusively to Liquor Barons, so click HERE to find a fridge near you.