After being available throughout much of the Southeast for years, San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery announced late last week it would soon begin distribution in South Carolina.
Tag Archives: 21st Amendment
21st Amendment Marooned on Hog Island
21st Amendment Brewery
San Francisco, CA
Marooned on Hog Island Oyster Stout
7.9% ABV
One of my favorite niche beer styles is the oyster stout. I don’t remember what exactly turned me on to the style, but I’ve always really enjoyed the contrast of a rich stout with the briny dryness of the oysters. (Note: I hate dry stouts, so this is one of those weird things where I don’t understand myself.)
Up to this point, Coast’s Bull’s Bay Oyster Stout has been the best I’ve found, but Marooned on Hog Island, the newest beer from 21st Amendment – one of the breweries I wish we had in South Carolina – is now among “best I’ve had” status.
Marooned is a collaboration with Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall, CA. The brewery takes a rich sub-8% stout brewed with rolled oats, chocolate malt, white wheat and Magnum and Willamette hops and adds Hog Island Sweetwater oyster shells into the brew. The result is – in a word – briny
The first thing that hit me on the nose was a really dry cocoa powder chocolate quality. It was certainly dried out, as an oyster stout is wont to be, but this was akin to sticking my face in a mound of cocoa powder. There was a very light espresso bean note on the back and some light hints of sweeter dark chocolate, but the brine smell is incredibly strong. It certainly has that smell you’d expect from oysters.
The taste was surprising at first but finished exactly as I’d hoped it would. It begins with this very smooth semi-sweet chocolate taste. There’s not much bitterness on the front. In the middle of the mouth, this big dark roasted coffee quality comes up. It’s quite bitter but surprisingly pleasant, and it’s complimented nicely by the cocoa flavors that follow. As it gets to the finish, there’s a really smooth mouthfeel that glides down your throat, and then it just kind of ends. But that doesn’t last for long. Just as soon as you think it’s done, this incredible brine flavor and slight dry finish come out of nowhere. It literally made me snap my fingers and say “There it is!” Wrapping it all up are these strong espresso and vanilla bean flavors that linger throughout the mouth.
It’s no surprise that 21st Amendment’s newest offering impressed me, but Marooned honestly ranks up there with Monk’s Blood in terms of quality and flavor. It would be a great stout on its own, but what the oysters do – dry it out just enough while imparting their own unique flavors – was what really impressed me. Oysters and stouts are like chocolate and peanut butter to me: a perfect combination that gets me every time, and this is certainly up there as one of the best.
My Top 5: Breweries I Want to See in South Carolina
It’s always great to see a new brewery begin distributing in South Carolina, and 2012 has been one of the strongest years in recent memory. During the past 12 months, Founders and Foothills have returned to the Palmetto State after a too-long absence, Coast and Holy City upped their distribution to the Midlands area, and a wealth of new breweries began distribution.
Since January – and this is off the top of my head – Green Flash, Aviator, Anderson Valley, Breckenridge, Goose Island and Lazy Magnolia have all found a home in South Carolina. (I’m sure there have been more, but they escape me right now.) While there’s no indication of who will be the next to announce distribution here, 2013 will certainly see a few new breweries pop up.
That got me thinking of which breweries I wanted to see distributed in South Carolina. After perusing my Untappd profile and weighing the options, I’ve compiled a list of the five breweries I hope to see distributed around here sooner or later.
There are a few caveats. Of course I’d like to see regional breweries in Georgia or North Carolina move into their neighboring state, but I don’t feel as if they’re so out of reach that I couldn’t visit or have a friend send me some without much time or effort. There are others – Russian River, Three Floyds, Cigar City, etc. – that everyone wants and of course would be welcomed but I honestly don’t see popping up around here anytime soon, if ever. (Cigar City, maybe, but RR and FFF? Never.)
But for the following breweries – all of which already have or will soon have a home in surrounding states – it’s reasonable to assume they could move into South Carolina fairly easily, and if the market demands it. So, in no particular order, here’s who I’d like to have ‘round these parts.
Boulevard Brewing Co.
My first taste of Kansas City, MO’s Boulevard came a little more than a year ago while I was at Fort Leavenworth, KS, for a conference. Around those parts, Boulevard flows like water. They’re one of the biggest breweries in the midwest, meaning their Pale Ale, Single-Wide IPA and Unfiltered Wheat Beer are everywhere. Every bar has it and there was even a Boulevard tap house in the airport as I was flying out. (I killed a good bit of time there before boarding sampling a bunch of different beers.)
Ever since then, I’ve been hoping to get another taste. Which I have … during trips to Georgia and North Carolina, where the brewery is distributed in the Southeast. Fortunately, instead of starting out with just core brands, those states have gotten seasonal offerings as well as the Smokestack Series, which is where they shine. The Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Long Strange Tripel and Dark Truth Stout are all superb, and I have a bottle of their Sixth Glass quad taunting me in my fridge.
Boulevard has a sort of nostalgia for me. Aside from being excellent, I first got to try them on one of the most memorable trips of my life. Seeing how quickly and robustly they debuted in surrounding states makes me think it won’t be too long before we see them in South Carolina.
21st Amendment Brewery
Another great brewery that taunts me from just across the state line is San Francisco-based 21st Amendment, named – of course – for the amendment that gave America beer yet again.
As with Boulevard, both North Carolina and Georgia receive 21st Amendment regularly, which means I’ve had the opportunity to have every one of their regularly released beers time and time again. And time and time again, I am consistently pleased with what they put out.
Hell or High Watermelon is one of my wife’s favorite beers. No matter where we go or what season it is, if she sees a six-pack, she’s going for it. I prefer the oak-aged Hop Crisis DIPA or the insanely complex and even more insanely delicious Monk’s Blood, but everything they put out has never disappointed.
And that’s why I want them here. For a brewery to be that consistent and that good speaks to the quality of their product. And newer beers such as Marooned on Hog Island make them even more desirable. It’s the kind of beer I’d pick up on the way to a party without a second thought (when I’m not drinking local, of course.)
Sixpoint Brewery
It’s good to have friends in high places, or at least friends in higher places on the map. Especially if they live right around Brooklyn, home of Sixpoint. For me, it means tallboy canned goodness from the formerly draft-only brewery arrive via beer mail on the regular.
Outside of the Northeast, it’s hard to find anything from Sixpoint. But that will change soon as the brewery recently announced they’ll begin distributing in Atlanta, which is generally viewed as a major test market for the Southeast. While they’re still a really small brewery, it’s reassuring to know they’re taking an interest in my neck of the woods.
At this point, I’ve tried two seasonals – Autumnation and Apollo – and two of their newer core beers – Resin and Brownstone – and the brewery is 4-4 with me. As I write this, I have a back of Diesel (another one I’ve had but not reviewed) en route from New York. Based on the word that this year’s batch is much improved, I suspect they’ll be 5-5 soon enough.
Port Brewing Co./The Lost Abbey
It’s hard to pick which brewery I like more: Port, which generally focuses on big West Coast-style beer, or TheLost Abbey, which specializes in Belgian-style offerings.
Fortunately, I don’t have to choose between one or the other, because if the San Marcos, CA, brewery ever gets around to crossing to South Carolina from Georgia or North Carolina, we’ll likely get both.
When it comes to hoppy beers, Port excels. Their Wipeout IPA and Mongo DIPA are both just so damn good and incredibly strong West Coast beers. But they’re not limited to hoppy beers. Old Viscosity was superb, as was Older Viscosity, which I enjoyed the night before my wedding earlier this year.
And being a fan of Belgian-style beers, The Lost Abbey has always impressed with with a different take on some classic styles, such as their Judgement Day quad and the Ten Commandments Belgian strong ale. And the stouts I’ve had – Serpent’s Stout, Deliverance – have been phenomenal and made it incredibly hard to not crack open the bottle of Angel’s Share I have in my cellar.
Epic Brewing Co.
Who would have thought the heart of Mormonism would be responsible for some incredibly inventive and tasty beers?
That’s exactly what Utah-based Epic Brewing has been doing in just a few short years. (Don’t confuse them with the New Zealand brewery of the same name, which is also great.) These guys aren’t playing around with their beers either. They specialize in big beers in more ways than one. Most of the beers I’ve had from them come from their limited Exponential Series, including the Sour-Apple Saison, Elder Brett, Brainless on Peaches, Fermentation Without Representation and the almost-too-good-for-words Big Bad Baptist.
Specializing in big over-the-top beers can sometimes backfire, but Epic does it right. They’re not big for the sake of being big. They’re trying to up the game and bring the respective styles up a notch. Their beers are intensely flavorful, creative and – most importantly of all – incredibly enjoyable.
21st Amendment Fireside Chat
21st Amendment Brewery
San Francisco, CA
Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale
7.9% ABV
I’m sure I don’t need to reiterate my love for all things pumpkin beers – a quick glance through my archives does that well enough – but there comes a point in the season where either by sheer overload of pumpkin beers or desire for something new, my cravings for them wane.
But those cravings are quickly replaced by a love for spiced beers and winter warmers. Like pumpkin beers, they perfectly fit the hearty, spicy flavors that permeate everything else in the winter season.
21st Amendment makes one of my more preferable spiced beers, Fireside Chat. It’s an English-style brown brewed with a helping of spices and cocoa nibs to help balance everything out, giving it a smooth and subtly bitting nose and flavor. And at just south of 8%, it’s aimed at keeping your insides warm.
Plus, it’s got good ol’ FDR on the can, and you can’t not like that.
The pour is a very, very deep brown verging almost on a black, but there’s a little light getting through in areas, giving it an amberish tint in spots. There were about two fingers of head on top that linger for a while and leave a nice film along the sides of the glass. Both the lacing and the alcohol legs are mild at best.
The nose has a great mix of sweet dark fruit notes and spice. There’s a really big toffee note and a lot of raisins with a slight toasted caramel, raspberry and a cocoa sweetness on the back. As far as spices go, I get a little cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s really rich and delicious.
There’s a good bite of spice on the front of the tongue followed by a medium body mouthfeel with some mild carbonation across the palate. Toward the middle are these really big flavors of caramel, cocoa and plums that give it a very rich and robust flavor. Those sweeter toffee and raisin notes are strong on the finish, topped off with a bit of a dryness from the cocoa. The spices are a bit subdued, but again, those cinnamon and nutmeg notes are pretty prevalent.
With Fireside Chat being an “early winter seasonal” – sold October through December – it’s not as strong and spicy as other winter warmers, but instead is leveled with a great, rich sweetness that nicely compliments the spices.
21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon
21st Amendment Brewing
San Francisco, CA
Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer
4.9% ABV
I’m a man. A real man, damnit. I like steak and sports and alcohol that makes me grimace when I drink it. I like the heavy stuff – REAL beer for a REAL man – so I don’t give in to some frou-frou fruit-flavored wheat beer.
Except this one. This one’s pretty good.
21st Amendment‘s Hell or High Watermelon is a sessionable 4.9% wheat beer the brewery puts out every summer. After brewing a classic American-style wheat beer, they put the beer through secondary fermentation with fresh watermelon. Then they top it off with a bit more watermelon juice.
Like a wheat beer, it pours a very hazy straw yellow/sunrise/blonde color. There’s maybe half a finger of head but it’s gone before you know it. No lacing and very weak alcohol legs. All expected for a light beer of the style.
The nose has the standard big rich wheat notes and a really strong watermelon smell. While a lot of fruit beers go for overpowering fruit, the watermelon is very subtle and not overly sweet smelling. It’s not artificial at all. Just a very slight hoppiness to it.
There’s a very nice tartness on the tip of the tongue. There’s effervescent and bubbly carbonation throughout the mouth. The watermelon flavor is immediately present in the middle of the mouth and again on the back. Again, it’s not overpowering or artificial, which is something they pride themselves on. It’s the right balance of sweet and tart. On the back you get that smooth wheat and a clean sweet finish. It’s perfect for summer sipping.
The fact they use real watermelon is a big plus. The beer is just the right amount of sweet, a little tart and extremely smooth and drinkable. I could easily see myself going through a six-pack poolside. It takes a real man to say that.
21st Amendment Hop Crisis
21st Amendment Brewing
San Francisco, CA
Hop Crisis Imperial IPA
9.7% ABV
While 21st Amendment doesn’t distribute to South Carolina – can we fix that soon? Please? – I’ve managed to try all but one of their regularly released beers, and they’ve all been stellar. My wife buys a six-pack of Hell or High Watermelon any time she comes across one, and I’ve been wowed by Monk’s Blood, thought Allies Win the War was unique and impressive and find Fireside Chat (review coming soon) to be one of the best winter warmers I’ve had.
Until now, only one of the brewery’s beers has eluded me: Hop Crisis, their oak-aged imperial IPA. It’s not that it was hard to get; it was more like I was never in the right place at the right time. But fortunately, my birthday weekend in Atlanta yielded a four pack, and the beer lived up to the hype I’d heard surrounding it.
Side note: When a brewery sends press samples of a beer in a box of hops, it’s a good way of making a hophead like myself extremely jealous.
The beer pours a slightly hazy sunset orange topped with a fluffy three-finger head that sticks around for a while. The lacing is really nice and holds fast to the side of the glass, but I was surprised to not see a lot of alcohol legs.
On the nose is a really vibrant citrus note and a bright pine scent. There’s a bit of an orange scent to it as well with a big overtone of tanginess. It’s all sort of subdued and soft with nothing popping really strongly.
The bitterness on the front of the tongue is pretty mild but it does grow a but more across the palate. In the middle of the mouth, you get that lemon and citrus note very strongly. The oak notes are really big on the back and impart a sort of caramel sweetness and maybe even a little cherry tartness. But as it settles, the incredible hop flavor takes over. It’s bright but resinous and really, really piney. Major hop mouth on this one.
I was worried this one wouldn’t live up to the hype for me. The nose was a bit underwhelming, but the flavor was awesome. It’s dank as hell and incredibly oak-forward. As you drink, it all blends together into this piney, oaky penetrating flavor that clings to your mouth. It’s great stuff, but I’d expect nothing less from 21st Amendment.
21st Amendment Monk’s Blood
21st Amendment Brewing
San Francisco, CA
Monk’s Blood Belgian Strong Dark Ale
8.3% ABV
I’ve talked before about how 21st Amendment has been a consistently good brewery to me. I’ve made my way through all of their regular offerings except two: Hop Crisis, their oak-aged DIPA (which I’ll have to wait a few more months to try), and Monk’s Blood, their Belgian strong dark ale brewed with candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, figs and aged on oak. The brewery recently announced they would suspend production of the beer for a while to make room for other beers, so now seemed as good a time as ever to get hooked up.
Short review: Friggin’ amazing. It’s just … damn.
Slightly longer and more detailed review:
The beer pours this gorgeous deep ruby red color, almost a murky brownish color. There’s a really light brownish head on top, but I’ve seen it pour a lot thicker. There’s also an insane amont of carbonation along the side of the glass, but not much lacing. Not really surprising for an 8% beer.
The smell is so rich. The plum and fig scents prominent on most dark Belgian beers is very pronounced, but with a much sweet, sugary smell. There’s also a really slight burn on the nose from the cinnamon as well.
The taste … oh, damn, the taste. It starts with a really light nip from the carbonation, but that lightens up throughout the mouth. This thing just comes in waves of flavor from there on in. It starts with the vanilla, more of an extract sweetness than a smokey bean flavor. That gives way to the candi sugar and figs, along with the expected dark fruits. On the back, the oak flavors punch through. On the first few sips, it’s very pronounced and has kind of a burnt quality to it. But as you go along it becomes much more mellow. And then the cinnamon shines through on the back. It sticks to the back of your throat but doesn’t have that burning sensation. It all kind melts away into this mouth-coating taste of dark fruits and sugar.
This is one of the more complex beers I’ve had in a long time. Every flavor is punctuated and noticeable, but blends together to perfectly. At the same time, for a heavier 8% beer, it’s incredibly drinkable. If you have the chance, GET THIS (while you still can).
