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.
21st 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.
21st 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.
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