Frenchies Little Sunray XPA (RETIRED)

Style
XPA
ABV
4.5%

There’s something slightly illicit about drinking a beer named Little Sunray as a TGIF afternoon bevvy when it’s an overcast 13 degrees. I’d love to say it’s a warming beam of light but the fact my drinking hand ends up being absolute Kelvin before I’ve had three sips is hard to ignore. Sure, this lovely little light-bodied, hop forward pale ale is actively making me colder, but in the best possible way!

There’s no denying XPAs are rapidly establishing themselves as de riguer in the craft beer sector. Granted the bigger, boozier beers are more prevalent than ever, but so are the lagers and XPAs at the other end of the scale. We seem to be in this sort of strange time where most of the more popular beers are either more than 6.5 or less than 5 percent ABV. The most popular craft styles of a decade or so ago now sit, largely unloved, in a sort of no man’s land.

Anyway, enough of that. Frenchies have described their Little Sunray XPA as fruity, light and breezy and it’s pretty hard to disagree. As a double dry hopped pale, obviously the key component here is the use of 100 percent Idaho 7 hops. Idaho 7 has only been available for a couple of years and has found many fans through its prominent use in soft, fruity NEIPAs. In this XPA, it leads with pineapple, orange and melon on the nose and more of the same on the palate but with a distinct resinous note to finish.

Judd Owen

Published July 10, 2020

Name
Frenchies Bistro & Brewery
Address

The Cannery
6 / 61-71 Mentmore Avenue
Rosebery
NSW 2018

Phone
02 8964 3171
Open Hours

Tues to Wed: midday to 10pm
Thurs to Sat: midday to 11pm
Sunday: midday to 4pm

Regular events

Tuesday from 6pm Burger & beer for $26
Wednesday from 6pm
Pasta & wine night for $35
Thursday from 6pm Steak frites & beer for $39

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