21st Amendment: Bitter American

I really shouldn't be writing this review. I don't feel that I am incapable of sharing my opinion on this or any beer and I do want to tell you about this brew; but this review should be done by someone else. That would be fellow blogger Hofer. Back in August 2008 I wrote up 21st Amendment's IPA. Since that time, I had my share of 21st beers. However, Hof has moved a couple blocks away from the brewery in San Francisco, California. At this point I feel like he has drank for more Amendment brews than me. While Hof has had many of the regulars, I figured I'd snag a seasonal ale: Bitter American.

21st Amendment release this extra pale ale in late January. Once you crack th

e can (remember 21st doesn't bottle - yes they can) this beer has a powerful hop aroma oozing out from the aluminum. Despite the strong smell as soon as I sipped this brew, I immediately tasted nothing but caramel malts. During that first sip, I initially was disappointed as Amendment labels this beer as "bitter". However, hop heads don't worry, after the malt flavors dissipate a nice earth hop aftertaste hits the tongue. And that hop smell from the start never goes away; so while the flavor of this beer is more malty than hoppy, the scent almost tricks your brain into thinking your getting more hops. Looking at the beer 'stats' we see that this is a 4.4% pale with 42 ibus so it's no real surprise it's not as hoppy as other extra pale ales. But this low alcohol content does make this beer really smooth and a nice treat any time of day or night.

Lastly, there is no metallic flavors which is a pleasant surprise as that can happen after canning. But if want to know how the EPA tastes from the tap, again, you're going to have to beg for a review from Hof, as he goes to the brew house far more often than me. Hopefully he starts writing some more. Cheers.

Mission Brewery: IPA

Greetings. Once again, it's been far too long. It's sad to say, but I had to have the most beer infused week to get back to the blog. First, my old friend and co-brewer called me up to chat about old recipes and to fire up the pot for some mash. Then as a superbowl surprise, another friend busted out a special home brew for the big occasion. Throw in some email chains about attending some local breweries and I thought: I must get back to the blog.

Went to the store and purchased something new and fresh. This time, Mission Brewery's IPA. Out of San Diego County. From the crack of the bottle, this ipa has a strong bready and yeasty smell. The initial taste matches the smell and hits with strong thick bread flavors. The aftertaste has a touch of piney hop bitterness. Letting it sit in your mouth a bit, the brew does taste a little sour. Not as bitter as I would like and actually more tart than bitter. All in all, not my favorite ipa. I feel like IPAs are can't misses for hop heads but I just don't really taste the cascasde or centennial hop flavors as much as I would like. Strangely, all the talk about homebrew got me excited to write in the blog again and this beer has a more of a homebrew taste than a polished microbrew.

I hate to give a 'bad' review for a beer. But as I'm sure you can tell, it's not my favorite. As always, I'm not giving up on this brewery. I'm gonna try some of there other styles. And hopefully sooner rather than later. Cause I'm excited about beer and the blog again. Cheers.