21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA

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

12oz can-pours a rich off white head and gold/amber color. Aroma is pine/citrus-some lemon zest, secondary medium malt. Taste is pine/citrus-some zest/spice with some bitter, sweet-caramel. Medium body. OK/mild carbonation.

(10/27/08) Draught sample at the brewpub in San Francisco. Menu says 7.0% ABV. Clear deep golden to amber color. Aroma of floral hops, some piney notes and citrus. Sweet malty flavor at first with some caramel and bready notes. Continues bitter and hoppy with some fruitiness and citric notes. Rounded-mouthfeel. A very balanced IPA. Tasty.

12 oz can. Crystal clear amber with a pillowy white head. Nose is orange, caramel, grapefruit and dough. Crisp medium light with sharp carb. Taste is caramel, grapefruit and club soda. Dry, earthy finish with wet hay; a bit metallic. Something off with this brew but not bad.

Poured into a pint glass. Hazy peach color with a decent off-white head. Some filmy lacing. Aroma is pretty nice, lots of lush tropical fruit. Flavor is underhopped and not nearly bitter enough. Toasty malt with overripe pineapple and a bit of tannin. Finish has a short bitterness more fitted to an APA than an IPA. Just under medium-bodied, with a good crisp carbonation level. Very average beer. Yet to be impressed by this brewery.

On tap at the brewery. Fiery orange/golden nugget color with a solid, fluffy meringue head and beautiful lacing. Enough carbonation to ignite the palate. This is a citrus bomb!!! Remember playing sports as a kid; and one of the parents bringing orange slices for half-time...very much like that (no I wasn’t an alcoholic as a child!!!) A little floral but the ripe citrus is definitely its strongest quality. Medium mouthfeel that hangs on the palate. Wow...great beer on tap. Bright, aggressive. Didn’t try the cans and hear it is a different story...must try at the brewery!!!

Draft at the brewpub. Poured a clear medium orange color. The head was white and left some lace behind. Subdued citrus fruit greeted the nose. Medium bodied and dry-ish with minimal bitterness and light alcohol. Pale malts, distinct orange, and toasted bread made up the flavor profile. Not bad.

Pours a dark gold with a nice 1 1/2 finger head that recedes to a bubbly film with a thick collar. Lacing is thick & spotty. Nose is all west coast ipa, with fruity, piney hops dominating, and a bit of caramel and biscuit in the background. Nice aroma, yet it seems a bit muted compared to it’s better-known brethren. Flavor is similar, but again, it seems to be holding back a bit. On the flip side, it’s bitterness is comparatively mild, and the body is lighter than most as well, which leads to very high drinkability. This would make a great introduction to IPAs, and would also make a fine everyday drinker. A solid IPA that I’ll be buying again.

8-6-08 can thanks to thickfreakness
Glowing radiant orange with a nice white fluffed stiff head and good lacing. Smell is nice dry and sweet hops with a good mellowness to it. It isn’t ’’knock you in the face’’ hops but they are present, just mellow hops. Flavor is nice and very much like grapefruit - good presence of hops here. The grapefruit flavor here is refreshing and powerful and usually I only get such intense grapefruit in smells. Mouthfeel is nice, not amazing. As it begins to warm and settle a bit - this strange butter flavor starts to rear its ugly head which is quite surprising and unwelcome. Darn, just when I thought this was a big winner!