21st Amendment Back In Black - TheFoamingHead's Beer Reviews Volume 1 Episode 52

[scribisneato]

I had this beer tonight at a newly opened bar and I found it quite tasty but it is not an IPA. There is no hoppiness to it all. I found it to be much more like a stout. If it were labeled as a stout I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, I ordered an IPA that the bar was out of and I asked the bartender for a suggestion regarding a good IPA substitute. He suggested this one... complete fail. tasty beer, wrong category.

[TheFoamingHead]

@scribisneato This is a fairly new style and I think brewers are still trying to figure out exactly what they want out of it. With that being said, that was a poor job by that bartender.

[beerbrain420]

Wow, I had no idea that 21st Amendment was canning their product! I visited their brewpub in San Francisco a few years back and everything I tried there was excellent. I'm going to see if my local microbrew distributor can snag some of this stuff for me.

[TheFoamingHead]

@beerbrain420 Yea, they have jumped full force into the canned revolution.

[TheEndosymbiosis]

The Brits don't like it when we claim too much credit for this style. The blog Shut Up About Barclay Perkins has conclusive evidence that they were brewing something like what we now call a Black IPA way back in the 1880s. I'd include the link but this is youtube so I can't -- but it's the first link that comes up if you google black ipa barclay perkins.

Otherwise, very nice review. Did you see that I name-checked you in my Post Road Pumpkin Ale review?

[TheFoamingHead]

@TheEndosymbiosis I did see the Post Road video, thank you. Also, thanks for directing me to the Barclay Perkins entry. I have several points of contention in that the article quotes a black pale ale instead of a black ipa. While this may be splitting hairs, they are two different styles. Secondly, just because it was brewed then doesn't mean that a style per se was created. It was brewed over 100 years ago and disappeared.

[TheEndosymbiosis]

@TheFoamingHead I agree with your perspective, but thought you'd find the article interesting. Ron Pattinson (author of that blog) unearths a lot of really interesting brewing history -- fascinating if you're interested in the history of beer styles before about thirty years ago.

[TheFoamingHead]

@TheEndosymbiosis It was interesting, thanks. I have seen some of his stuff before. I am currently researching a lot of very old brewing history.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

Are these guys distributed here now? I've never seen them at Brew Crew. Or did someone send this to you?

Black IPAs are weird. You think you're going to get a stout from the appearance, but then it's super hoppy. I had a good black IPA at Rattle N Hum in NYC that they brewed themselves.

[TheFoamingHead]

@ChadzBeerReviews I got it in Ellenville. I have yet to see 21st Amendment in Albany. With that being said I am 99.9% sure that RNH does not brew their own beer so I will look into exactly what you drank there.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@TheFoamingHead I think it was called "Patrick's Black IPA". They had it contract brewed, my bad. I forget who made it for them. But they said Patrick oversaw the brewing.

[BeerGeekNation]

Just had this one the other night. Still not convinced I enjoy this style of beer. This one was ok but its hard to get past the smokiness and the hops combined. I think I just need to keep trying them until I get it

[iReviewBeer]

I brewed a Black IPA a few months back. I dumped in the hops, and I still didn't get that much hop bitterness either. I drank a few fresh, and didn't care for it much. Now that it has a few months in the bottle, it is really coming into its own. Probably one of the better beers I have made. I would love to try more commercial versions of this style, I will have to check out the 21st Amendment.

[TheFoamingHead]

@iReviewBeer Check it out. I thought it was really interesting. 

[OJSimpsonInnnocence]

I had this on draft in Arlington, VA. I didn't get a lot of the hops. It was my first time trying this style. I'm just not sure how well the roasted malts work with the hops in this instance. I'm willing to give the style a try again, and maybe my palate will change after trying a few more.

I think there's a little hop bitterness in some imperial stouts and I think it works a lot better in that style from what I've tried so far.

[TheFoamingHead]

@OJSimpsonInnnocence It is an interesting combination, but I liked it. The bitterness on the Imperial Stouts for me is more from coffee and cocoa bitterness which differs a bit from hop bitterness so I liked this.

I would give the style a few more tries before you write it off. Also, maybe try it in a can. You would be surprised as to how much some beers can differ from can/bottle to tap versions.

[drinklikafish1]

I can't wait to try this one, thanks for reviewing it bro!!!

[TheFoamingHead]

@drinklikafish1 No problem. Any requests?