21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale Brewed with Dates

21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale, a curiously named English strong ale aged over dates from Bay Area 21st Amendment Brewing (likely getting its name from the collaboration between 21st Amendment and Ninkasi),  poured the dark color of iced tea, with a lumpy yellow head a light, lazy carbonation.  The nose carried through dark sugar and sweet breads over a soft, but evocative, date base.


21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale opened with a crisp but sweet start, with brown sugar and molasses dominating the malt while a spritely lemony lightness added a crispness to keep the ale from getting cloying.  Surprisingly, despite the depth displayed at the front of the ale, Allies ended on a watery and vaguely bitter note.


21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale, as a concept, trumps 21st Amendment Allies Win the War! Ale as a drinking experience.  The ale is too lacking in body and oddly absent in the fade to have such a bold, dark, sugary start.

21st Amendment Fireside Chat Winter Ale

21st Amendment Fireside Chat Winter Ale, a spiced ale winter seasonal offering from San Francisco-based 21st Amendment Brewing, poured mahogany into the glass, with red highlights under a short-lived beige head.  The nose was mostly caramel and sweetbread, with undertones of molasses and mild coriander.  


21st Amendment Fireside Chat opened with sweet, overripe stone fruits and a bright orange flavor sitting in the background.  As the ale warmed, just a touch of sourness came through, but the ale ultimately ended on an aftertaste of molasses and burnt sugar.


21st Amendment Fireside Chat Winter Ale falls victim to too much attention paid to the dark malt components and a bit too enthusiastic an addition of spices.  

21st Amendment Monk's Blood Belgian Ale

21st Amendment Monk's Blood Belgian Ale, another canned offering from 21st Amendment Brewing, poured a reddish-brown in the glass, with barely observed carbonation and a thick, beige head.  The nose carried forward the Belgian yeast and a spicy oak... some vanilla and cinnamon undertones with overripe apples.  


21t Amendment Monk's Blood Belgian Ale opened with a thick and dark fruity sweetness.  Notes of clove, vanilla, and cinnamon came through as the sweetness mellowed, and a heady alcohol heat took over in the extended fade.


21st Amendment Monk's Blood Belgian Ale pulls off the Belgian ale style convincingly, and there is a novelty to drinking it out of the can.  However, the alcohol burn really takes the wind out of the sails with this ale... too much heat is especially frustrating given how it sours the oak and spice in the middle.  

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA

Part of 21st Amendment Brewing’s flagship line, 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA poured a soft peach hue with a small amount of white suspended particles into the glass, topped by an eggshell head and light carbonation.  The nose was dominated by pine and grapefruit, countered by a slightly out of place bready malt.

21^st Amendment IPA opened bright and clean on the palette, with sharp floral hops rapidly mellowing into a biscuit-like malt.  Bitterness persisted throughout, but the malt profile fought against the hops with an earthy, European-style toasted malt.  Tea, burnt orange, and lemon rind came through as the ale settled, and it ended on a slightly dry finish with a reasonable amount of bitterness.

21^st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA is an average IPA.  The strong hop aroma didn’t deliver in the flavor, and the malt composition seemed oddly out of line with the goal of most IPAs… to highlight the hops.  There’s nothing wrong with the beer, but it seems almost out of style and is disappointingly subdued for a Northwest IPA.

21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

Fresh out of the tap, 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer poured a hazy, pale gold color with a light, fuzzy head fed by mild carbonation.  The nose was wheat-forward, with light citrus hops and barely-there watermelon notes.

21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer opened with wheat and a hint of yeast, and carried through with all the aspects of a typical American two-row wheat beer.  It was only in the fade that hints of cucumber-like watermelon rind came through, and it ended dry and light, with a tiny hint of sweetness coming through.

I was surprised by 21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, I don’t normally go for fruit beers or wheat beers, and the thought of watermelon was a bit… off-putting.  Although the nose did bring the watermelon with it, the taste was surprisingly crisp and devoid of watermelon sweetness.  In so much as I can recommend any fruit beer, this wheat beer would hit the spot for session drinking on a hot day and could likely pull those not typically interested in beer into the fold.