Thursday, August 21, 2008

21st Amendment Brewery: 21st Amendment IPA

Goodbye to San Francisco for now. On my way out I had to pick up a souvenir. So naturally I went with a local brew. I snagged a sixpack from 21st Amendment Brewery.

I've only had one of 21st Amendment's beers prior and I wasn't planning on buying any of their selection when I got to the store, but this brewery caught my attention with some clever marketing; so I couldn't resist.

Believe it or not, 21st Amendment released their IPA in a beer can. I've drank a lot of beer in my day but I rarely see anything besides an American macro lager in a can. Of course you'll find a selection of foreign brew such as Guinness, New Castle, Boddingtons, Pilsner Urquell in cans all the time; but to see an American India Pale Ale in a can was rather interesting. The packaging spiked my interest.

I basically purchased the sixpack as a taste test to see if an IPA would hold up in a can. Most beer drinkers have experienced the effect of popping open a canned beer and noticing the metal aftertaste after every sip. Surprisingly the aluminum was not present in this IPA. The hop flavors probably masks any metal flavor.

As for the specific taste, this IPA is a little weak. It's not incredibly hoppy and the strong hop flavors are only in the initial sip and the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is a touch watery but there is a nice smooth dark malt flavor as well. Not the strongest IPA, but it holds up nicely in a can. A cool novelty beer as well. Especially with big bold lettering of "Brew Free or Die" written everywhere across the can. I definitely agree. Cheers.

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