21st Amendment Back in Black

Brewed by 21st Amendment Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Francisco, California USA

Deep black body with lasting brown head. Moderately roasted malt body. Lightly bitter chocolate with root and various earthy notes. Thin hop presence, light citrus and pine with an oily finish that was accentuated by the thin body. Crisp and refreshing.

Tap. The malt side is of moderate toasted, heavy spruce for the hops, light leather for the yeast, with background notes of charcoal and pepper. Head is large, frothy, slightly off-white with fair lacing and is almost fully diminishing. Color is clear dark brown. Flavor starts slightly sweet and moderately acidic, then finishes moderately acidic and heavily bitter. Palate is light to medium, watery with a lively carbonation. The aroma is fantastic in this but the flavor lags behind a bit. Still a great IPA.

JW77 graciously gave me a bottle of this. Pours a super dark brown with a short lived tan head. Aroma is citrusy and some melon notes to go along with a light roasted nut smell and caramel. Flavor is nice and hoppy, moslty mandarin orange mixed with some hop bitterness.

Growler. Aroma of citrus hops, bitter chocolate, light roast, light nuts. Flavor about the same, equal parts hops and malt. Not bad, just a bit boring for me, particularly for a new sort of style.

Growler from Big Z Beverage. Pours a dark dark brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of citrus, roasted malt.. Flavor is sweet initiaaly with orangey, citrus notes and a crackery malt finish. Very enjoyable! Not as roasty as some of the other black IPAs with a prominent hop presence. Well done! 7/4/8/4/15 [3.8/5]

Deep brown pour with a ruby tint topped by a tight head of fluffy lace. The nose is really great. Very fresh and hopy with a nice citrus/pine character. Lots and lots of tropical hop aroma with just a touch of light toast on the back. Very fresh smelling and it really does come across as an IPA. Lightly resiny toward the finish. Warming brings up a touch of pale malt and a bit of caramel, but no roast at all. This is quite pleasant.

Black body with a melanoidin/roast barley red underpinning and topped with a slushy, frothy, 2" thick head. Easy roast aroma supports a clean, refreshing floral hoppiness. Similarly, characterized by an easy roastiness in the body and a tasty floral hoppiness. Slightly bitter and sour finish, but no real rough edges on this one. Well-rounded and easy drinking. Good stuff.

Tap at Puck Fair. Poured a solid black with a thin off white head. Light hop but mostly malt nose. Sort of a hoppy porter? Not too much In the hop dept but a nicely balanced beer. Smooth and drinkable with a malty finish.