After a brief hiatus from special releases, Vale Brewing and Fox Hat are back with two new summery brews.

You wouldn’t normally see a dual-release from Bickford’s-owned sister brewery labels Vale Brewing and Fox Hat, but head brewer Jeff Wright has been itching to get new beers into punters hands – the first since Fox Hat’s strawberry wheat ale 2018 GABS release.

Officially launched at an event at 23^rd on Melbourne on Monday, 14 January, the release sees the Vale Tropic Ale and Fox Hat XPA join the breweries’ lineups.

“They’re both beers that have been in my head for a couple of years, to be honest,” Jeff says.

The Tropic Ale is designed to fit in the session ale category, sitting at 4.2 per cent ABV – lower than the standard Vale Range, but above their Mid Coast Bright Ale.

“It’s, for that range, one of those beers where you can knock quite a few back – responsibly of course – on a hot day like today, and not come unstuck,” Jeff says.

Lupulin powder, a yellow powder found in hop flowers, infuses the brew with “a melody of yellow tropical and summer stone fruits,” placing it in line with the current trend of flavour-forward beer releases.

The Fox Hat XPA sits at a higher ABV than its co-release, but still lower than the traditional Fox Hat range, at 5.6 per cent, with a golden tone in the glass belying its heft.

“A lot of people talk about XPAs but there’s not really a style guide for XPA, it’s more of a marketer’s style,” Jeff explains. “We are calling it an ‘extra pale’, which is what XPA is short for. It’s sort of a cross between that pale ale and an IPA category, so bigger than a pale ale but not as big as an IPA.”

Both beers are available now on tap at 23^rd Street Distillery (along with the aforementioned strawberry wheat ale), and Tropic Ale will be rolling out into bars and bottle shops this week, with the XPA set for a later can release.

“We’ll get a bit of feedback from punters out there, see what people are thinking, a couple of tweaks until that one is finished,” Jeff says.

With the dust now settled after the Bickford’s buy out in late 2017, fans of the brewery can expect a steadier roll out of special releases.

“We’re looking at, between the ranges, we should be bringing out a new beer probably three or four times a year,” Jeff says.

“We’ve got a fairly diverse beer style knowledge, so it’s a matter of having a bit of a brainstorming session – which usually involves a few pints – and talking about what direction we want to be heading in for the next one.”

valebrewing.com.au