[insert epic guitar riff]

"Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed."

December 5, 1933 was a glorious day; And on this day America rejoiced. For roughly 14 years the United States, for some strange reason, decided that it was prudent to deem the sales of alcohol [and thus our beloved beer] to be illegal. I'm sure they had their reasons... but c'mon! Although there are a few good things that came from the period of Prohibition -- (right now NASCAR is the only thing that comes to mind) -- there are even greater things that came in the time after the Repeal of Prohibition. Such is the case with 21st Amendment's Back in Black.


I love what the team at 21st is doing for craft beer. They are American in every sense of the word. Revolutionaries in the canning of craft brews; innovators in the usage of freedom of ingredients [see: Hell or High Watermelon]; and downright proud of where they come from. They hail from San Francisco, btw.


This Back in Black is what as known as a 'black IPA'. Essentially it takes your standard IPA, and incorporates all those sweet, roasty, chocolatey, and dark malty flavors you get from a stout. Bascially the best of both worlds. In this beer you can smell and taste the hops, start to finish, but intertwined in it all are the smooth and mellow flavors too. This style of beer is so intriguing to me that I actually brewed up a batch last weekend. It will be ready in a couple weeks, and I'll get back to you on how it turns out.


Without a doubt this brew is being placed in the 'definitely drink again' category because it brings so much to the table. Like most beer drinkers I was not a fan of dark beers at first. However, I could drink this beer all day. And if I do that it is only going to be a matter of time before I am enjoying every last drop of dark beer that gets poured in my glass.


Need another reason to try this beer? If you can't tell, that is Paul Revere riding a Harley on the side of the can.


21st Amendment Brewery
Back in Black
Black IPA
6.8% abv
"Our Black IPA is a Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of the expected."