The mid-strength challenge is one faced by many breweries, especially those with a venue that requires visitors to drive there – or have a designated driver on hand. How do you make a flavourful, low ABV option that retains your brewery's ethos and then avoid diluting its uniqueness by giving it a mainstream, or macro, beer name? This is assuming you’re a smaller brewery, of course.
King Road’s original solution was a hybrid mid, one that landed somewhere between an English bitter and American session IPA. The once draught-only option has now won over enough fans to warrant a packaged release, with that hybrid mid now the mid-strength pale King Road XPA.
The recipe has also evolved slightly and now features First Gold and Mosaic hops, although the light tropical and citrus character remains, as does the firm-for-style bitterness.
Guy Southern
Published October 9, 2024 2024-10-09 00:00:00
