BALLISTIC BREWING CO OAKED XPA
Dory taught us an important lesson in the face of adversity. Yet never giving up can be easier said than done. Grab this beer to share with a mate over a chat about how you can help him to ‘just keep swimming’.
Origin – Salisbury, Queensland
ABV – 5.5%
Size – 375mL can
Style – Extra Pale Ale
They're not a crack commando unit that was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. They certainly didn't escape from a maximum-security stockade to the Brisbane underground. Furthermore, I very much doubt that David Kitchen or Lachy Crothers could be categorised as soldiers of fortune, let alone wanted by the government! But together they are the A-team that is behind the highly successful brewing company that was named in tribute to the southern suburb of Brisbane that secretly produced much of the munitions used by the Australian Army during WWII. And similar to Murdock, Hannibal, Templeton and B.A. Baracus, if you have a problem and one no else can help, you can hire one of their amazing beers and bend one of their listening ears.
Though that may sound as fictitious as the blockbuster TV show it was, in fact, one of the founding principles of Ballistic Brewing Co from the moment the brew pub doors opened in 2017. As Kitchen puts it 'in a world where loneliness is our greatest sickness, we believe that building communities where people can come together and enjoy each other's company is a wonderful thing'. The other foundation stone was a commitment to making great beer.
Having cut his teeth brewing for Gage Roads in WA for five years, it's something Crothers is unquestionably well-versed at. Aside from an explosive range (pardon the pun!) of specialty beers such as the El Calavera Mexican Stout, they serve up an excellent core range, all of which have been recently given a facelift, including this XPA. What started almost by accident with Crothers experimenting with the harmonious balance of oak and hops went on to be one of Ballistic’s most loved and awarded. It’s a beer that melds the soft woody and vanilla characters of the toasted American oak with that of the familiar livelier fruity Citra hop-driven characters of mango, grapefruit and citrus. It then wraps it all up with light bitterness and pleasing smooth finish.
I pity the fool that turns a nose up at this XPA!
