origin: Paso Robles, CA
price: $8/6 pack
ABV: 4.9% (?)
NSP: 13.4
website
I've said time and time again XP is the best american pale ale, and I don't think I was wrong until now -- I hadn't tried this.
It was hot as balls, I needed some maximum refreshment, and this looks and sounds so appealing. Given how generally good Firestone is and how relatively cheap this was (consider that Stone Levitation is upwards of $12 for the same amount) I had to give it a shot.
Crap, my beloved XP has been dethroned! The aromas are not subtle, and give off wondrous, sense-awakening hop character. But the bittering is not overly oppressive, so it remains just a really pleasant-to-drink, light bodied ale with lots of character. It's perfectly carbonated which means that it drinks similar to Calistoga (And I fucking LOVE Calistoga). And according to this page, it has won at least a bronze every year since 2002. Jesus, where was I when all that was happening?!
I'm completely sold, but also completely disappointed it's taken me so long to appreciate Firestone as a major player in California beer-making. I attribute that to my brain confusing their name with the Firehouse Brewery here in SD (which should be named Shithouse Brewery), and that meathead/twat-factory called the Firehouse in Pacific Beach. Fuck, I need a Pale 31 to cleanse my palate of the thought of those monstrosities.
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