Review: Mybeerbuzz .com Highlights the 2025 Firestone Walker Mixed Pack

Just last week I brought you the launch news for the 2025 FW Mixed Pack from Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California. This new-for-2025 Mixed Pack will include twelve 12oz cans with three each of Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion, California IPA, Union Jack IPA and XPA Extra Pale Ale.

As Firestone Walker puts it, “The 2025 Firestone Mixed Pack is a hand-picked lineup of award-winning, style-defining beers, all brewed with Firestone Walker’s signature dedication to craftsmanship and flavor. No weak links—just four beers that stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a box built for true hop heads. The Firestone Mixed Pack is now rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets. This pack tells the evolving story of the West Coast style through our eyes,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It’s a celebration of where we started, what we’ve learned, and where we’re headed next as a California brewery. The 2025 Firestone Mixed Pack is a reflection of who we are at our core,” said Hannah Barnett, Firestone Walker Brand Director. “It honors our legacy as a California craft brewery while showcasing the creativity and innovation that drive us forward. As we look ahead to our 30th anniversary year in 2026, we remain committed to the quality and character that have defined us since the beginning.”

This new pack is definitely hop-forward in a really good way and as Fireston Walker says, there is no “weak link” in the pack, Luponic Distortion has to be one of my favorite beers, and to this day, I fondly remember when I first tasted a Union Jack IPA many years ago. Here are the full details for the four beers in the pack:

Firestone IPA: West Coast IPA | 6.5% ABV
Firestone IPA is a future-forward beer born of West Coast roots and Firestone Walker flair. This is a beer that draws from the brewery’s nearly 20 years of experience with the ever-evolving West Coast IPA style. Various tricks learned from brewing Union Jack, Luponic Distortion and Hopnosis have been incorporated into a single beer that rings all of the bells of a modern West Coast IPA. Liberally dry-hopped with Mosaic and Strata hops, Firestone IPA is loaded with fresh passionfruit, pineapple and citrus flavors that keep you coming back for more. A Gold Medal winner at the 2024 European Beer Star Award and a Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive.

Luponic Distortion: Experimental IPA | 5.9% ABV
Luponic Distortion is the Firestone Walker trailblazer that continues to break the rules. The classic Luponic Distortion base recipe returns with an all-new hop blend to deliver a fresh blast from the past. Brewed with a secret blend of new-age hops, the 2025 edition of Luponic Distortion turns up the volume with mind-bending flavors of mango and peach. A Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive.

Union Jack: West Coast IPA | 7% ABV
Union Jack is the original Firestone West Coast IPA, brewed on the Central Coast since 2006. Union Jack is the IPA that helped blaze the trail for the revolutionary West Coast style. Named for the British Lion who co-founded the brewery, Union Jack is intensely hoppy yet eminently drinkable from start to finish. A fad-proof IPA for any hop head, and a Gold Medal winner at the 2025 World Beer Cup. 

Firestone XPA: Extra Pale Ale | 5% ABV
First introduced last year, Firestone XPA returns as a next-generation extra pale ale brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style. “XPA is the number one craft beer style in Australia and it’s something we’re excited to champion it here in the U.S.,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It’s everything you want in a hoppy pale ale at a crushable ABV. We fell in love with the style during our travels to hop farms across Australia and New Zealand and we were inspired to make our own.” Firestone XPA took home a Bronze at GABF in 2023 and after a successful run as a seasonal in 2024 it returns as a Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive. 

I’ve already reviewed Luponic Distortion and Union Jack IPA, so today we’ll be just enjoying those two and sampling/writing about California IPA & XPA…so off we go.

Firestone Walker California IPA

Brewery Desctiption:
The all-new Firestone California IPA is a future-forward beer born of West Coast roots and Firestone Walker flair.
ABV:  6.5%
IBU: 44
Style:  West Coast IPA
Packaging:  12oz cans
Appearance:  Bright golden
Aroma:   Citrus, tropical fruits, & pineapple
Mouthfeel:   Medium
Taste:   Tropical fruits, pineapple & fresh citrus
Overall:  Firestone Walker California IPA carries the heritage of Union Jack, Hopnosis & Luponic Distortion in a nice package of hop-forward and fruit-forward flavors. I really loved the pineapple and citrus flavors coming from the Strata and Mosaic hops and overall, I thought the beer was really drinkable and an instant classic where IPAs are concerned.

Firestone Walker XPA:

Brewery Description: A next-generation Pale Ale brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style.
ABV:  5%
IBU: 37
Style:  Extra Pale Ale
Packaging:  12oz cans
Appearance:  Cloudy golden orange
Aroma:   Biscuit malt, citrus & lemon
Mouthfeel:   Medium
Taste:   Citrus, lemon and slightly sweet malt
Overall:  Firestone Walker XPA is loaded with flavor combinations that I really liked. I tasted lemon, biscuit malt, lime, stone fruit, and some grassy Southern Hemisphere hops. Overall the beer is well balanced, inifinitely drinkable and it finishes crisp and clean. This is a beer that you’ll find both hoppy, bitter and sweet all in one mix of great flavors so be sure to try it out and see if you like it as much as I did.

Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion, XPA, Union Jack and California IPA are available now in this 12oz canned variety pack so get out there and try them all for yourself…and when you do try them, be sure to let us know what YOU think.

About Firestone Walker Brewing:

Founded in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker, Firestone Walker is a second-generation, family-led brewery based on California’s Central Coast. Helmed by highly decorated Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker’s main brewery in Paso Robles produces a diverse portfolio including 805, California’s #1 craft beer brand; Mind Haze, a top 5 national hazy IPA; and Cali Squeeze, one of the nation’s fastest-growing beer brands.

The Firestone brand family also includes iconic beers such as DBA, Union Jack, and Pivo Pils, as well as the storied Vintage Series of barrel-aged strong ales led by Parabola. As a California beer company, Firestone Walker also has two additional locations: the Barrelworks wild ale cellar in Santa Barbara County and the Propagator R&D brewhouse in Venice. Firestone Walker was recently named “Best American Brewery of the Decade” by Paste Magazine.

More at 805beer.com and FirestoneWalker.com

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a California craft brewery that produces a variety of beers, including pale ales, IPAs, and barrel-aged beers. The brewery was founded in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker.

History:
The first brewery was located on a family vineyard in Los Olivos, California.
The first beer, Double Barrel Ale, was made in 2001 using a patented variation of the Burton union system.
In 2015, Firestone Walker combined with Duvel Moortgat, a Belgian brewery.
Firestone Walker is California’s second largest craft brewery.

Breweries:
The main brewery is in Paso Robles, California.
There are also breweries in Buellton and Venice, California.

Beers:
805: A bestselling beer brewed on California’s Central Coast
Mind Haze: A bestselling beer
Firestone Lager: A pale lager that was ranked one of VinePair’s best beers of 2018
Venice Propagator Series: Limited-release beers
Vintage Series: Premium barrel-aged beers
Barrelworks: Imaginative beers dedicated to all things wild

Sustainability:
Firestone Walker is committed to sustainability, reduction, recycling, and reuse.