21stA and Elysian He Said He Said

21'st Amendment and Elysian HE SAID Baltic Style Porter - Lager brewed with Pumpkin and Spices (2013)
Limited Release / Collaboration Brew.

24 fl oz. (2 cans) / $6.98 USD (1/2 the 4 pack) / 8.2% ABV

About: "I met Shaun in 1999. He walked into my Seattle pub, came over to me and said he'd always wanted to meet the Pumpkin King. Later on, while hatching a plan to colonize a planet entirely devoted to pumpkin and watermelon, I invited him to my massive pumpkin fest. Ten years later, Shaun asked if the invitation still stood. I punched him in the ribs and said yes. After some cajolery, Shaun and Nico begged me to do a pumpkin collaboration as soon as possible. I said we should brew a pumpkin beer like no other. A Baltic Porter with caraway and cinnamon in a light colored can. Courage!

Hops: German Northern Brewer, Styrian Golding / Yeast: German Lager Yeast / Malts: 2-row, Carafa II, Cara-Vienne, Dark Munich, Carafa III / Special Ingredients: Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Juice, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Caraway Seed."

Thoughts: Canned on 9/9/13. Drank 11/9/13. This one poured a seriously dark brown that's bordering on opaque black. The slightest hint of light comes through. The head was tan, huge, fluffed out and left the beer relatively clean. 

Smells pretty strong, and it is kinda pumpkiny. Smells like a cold pumpkin coffee without the sugar. It's pretty raw smelling. You can tell that there's spices in there, mostly a ginger like substance, but it's making the scent a little bit weird. It's got a weird fruitiness to it and kind of smells like an extinguished half smoked cigarette. Or even like the inside of a jack-o-lantern after you've had a candle burning in there all night. Raw, smoky, and a little funky.

The taste starts off just like the scent with that fruity gourd, then a ton of spice hits the mouth for a couple seconds before receding and letting that smokey dinginess have its way. There's really hardly any bitterness to this which is nice, so I suppose they didn't have to go absurdly crazy with the spices, wut-evur! It's pretty sweet for the most part, and a few seconds into the gulp it hits with a really sweet bang before getting softer. It's a bit cola like as well. A hint of grassy hops comes through about halfway and the cinnamon gets stronger as the beer warms. 

I really wish the spices were a bit more pronounced. Also, this one could use some Belgian candy sugar or brown sugar even. It's a thickly built beer as it stands though, for a lager I mean. While it's good, it leaves just a little bit to be desired, but maybe I'm just nitpicking about porters again. There's a nice boozy tone that really helps the beer along which is much appreciated. In the end it tastes like a mix of a Chirstmas beer and an Pumpkin brew.

21'st Amendment and Elysian HE SAID Belgian Style Tripel - Ale brewed with Pumpkin and Spices (2013)

Limited Release / Collaboration Brew. 

24 fl oz. (2 cans) / $6.98 USD (1/2 the 4 pack) / 8.2% ABV

About: "I met Dick in 2010. He walked into our San Francisco pub, came over to Nico and me and said he'd always wanted to meet the watermelon guys. Later on, while I was knocking his block off at Rock'em Sock'em robots, Dick mentioned his little pumpkin fest and suggested we attend. One year later, Dick asked me again. Then he kicked me in the shins until I said yes. After drinking the pumpkin elixirs, I told Dick we should do a pumpkin collaboration sometime. I said we should brew a pumpkin beer like no other. A Belgian Tripel with spices in a dark colored can that's as big time as it gets.

Hops: German Northern Brewer, US Golding, Sterling / Yeast: Trappist Ale Yeast / Malts: 2-row, Aromatic, Belgian Candi Sugar / Special Ingredients: Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Juice, Galangal, Tarragon."

Thoughts: This one poured a really cloudy golden yellow with a very white head full of small bubbles that popped away super quick and left this one headless as a whore'sman.

Mmmm... soapy water. Man, you gotta love Trappist Ale Yeast. The stuff is wondrous. This is so perfumy. Is perfumy a word? The one smells pretty tame. The peppery yeast dominates for the most part, and if you hadn't told me that this was brewed with pumpkins I probably would have only suspected. Smells good though.

Nice fumes with that first gulp. The taste on this one is soft, sweet, crisp, mild, and features a smooth almost cider-like quality to it. Alcohol strength is evident, but comes and goes. It's got a nice spice profile and is pretty tingly whenever you take another sip. Then there's the quick bite followed by a gentle haze that takes  a while to ride out. Doesn't really taste all that much like pumpkin beer per se, but you can taste the natural pumpkin in there that they brewed with. Alcohol becomes more evident as it warms and it gets a bit tart, like sour apples.

This one is a bit light for my tastes. It tastes similar to the other HE SAID, but that's only a few of the base ingredients and based on the fact it's all made by the same dudes. These were cool to try but I don't think I'd pick this up again. The artwork is kinda weirding me out as well. Got two cans left and I'm going to try mixing them against my better judgment. 

The Baltic Porter pretty much takes over everything scent wise and taste wise as well. I guess you can't do a straight 50/50 mix with these two because it ends up being 90/10 in the end. Lifting the cans for the second time around and I find out I actually poured about one third the Baltic Porter and two thirds the Belgian Tripel and still the porter took over. The mix doesn't taste half bad, but it hasn't improved on either one of the beers individually. It tastes a lot less like that Trappist yeast and a lot more like a blend of meh. It's all good for two beers as well as two beers mixed into one, but either or all three ways, it's still missing something special that just pops. My interest feigns, much like that of the reader's of this blog.

21'st Amendment Fireside Chat

Look at that wrap around artwork. It's FDR drinking, smoking and chilling in front of a fire with an ELF!!

21'st Amendment Fireside Chat - Winter Spiced Ale (2012)

Winter Seasonal.

12 fl. oz. (x2) / $5.00 USD / 7.9% ABV

About: "Fireside Chat is a subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew.  We begin with a rich, dark ruby brown, English-style ale and then improvise with spices until we know we have a beer worth sharing with the nation. During Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, Fireside Chat will brighten the faces of those who enjoy it, near the hearth or at the table. Its subtle blend of spices balances the malty ale and will make this a foodie’s favorite, as it pairs perfectly with holiday meals. To make it unique each year, Brewmaster Shaun personally selects a special blend of spices for the beer, based on the moment’s inspiration."

Thoughts: Fireside Chat poured a deep brown color with a huge almond colored tan head. There are tons of small bubbles and froth here, with loads of lacing along the sides of the glass.

This beer smells most wondrous. Immediately I'm reminded of Christmas, a good thing for beer drinkers who enjoy holiday brews of course. You've gotta work for the scent somewhat... it's not too strong, nor too weak, but if you want to experience all that is has to offer then you've gotta lean in and take your time. I'm getting figs, cinnamon, sugar, plums, chocolate, lightly toasted nuts... second can now, and I'm getting those chocolate covered cherries and bananas. 

Very rich and frothy up front, sweet dark malts, a little smoke, nice bitterness from the hops that creep in, dryness from the spices and a slight chocolaty char on the back of the tongue. Overall the taste of the beer is pretty damn good. It's got a roasted flavor that very underlined, as if a hint of coffee is about to come through, but it doesn't really. All of the other more interesting and neater flavors shine though and it's like smoking elf bud through a hydro bong filled with Christmas joy. It doesn't get too too sweet, but it's pretty damn amazing how it settles, and it's not bitter at all even though there's a heavy touch of hops towards the end.

So no Belgian yeast... I'm cool with that. It's fruity, but leans more towards chocolate covered banana at the town fair type business and when it's cold you can feel the beach winds in the air. Christmas by the fireside, perhaps... but by the campfire-side, that's how I do things. 

Mouth feel is a medium. It's not thick or frothy at all, but the spices overflow in the mouth and the flavor lasts long after the brew is swallowed. Hops especially begin to dig in around the end of everything, which is a nice touch. I like it. I would suggest grabbing some of these whenever you get the chance and saving them for the later months, when it's out of season and you'll be really wanting them.

21'st Ammendment Brewery's Monk's Blood

21st Amendment Brewery's MONK'S BLOOD (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by the 21st Amendment Brewery, in San Fransisco, California. USA.
Winter Seasonal (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz / $2.95 USD / 8.3% ABV

The Beer: "Hops: Magnum, Centennial / Malts: Belgian pilsner, two-row pale, caramunich, caravienne, aromatic, special b, flaked oats, flaked wheat / Other ingredients: Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried black mission figs, aged in oak."

My Thoughts: Poured a dark, hazy reddish-brown with a half-inch tan head and some sediment floating throughout the brew that later settled to the bottom.

This stuff smells completely awesome. Everything mentioned is there: Cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, oak, dried figs. All of it. It smells so sweet. The spicy tones fill and tickle the inner nostrils.

Wow. This beer may just be climbing amongst the ranks of my, as of now uncompiled, top ten list. I don't know if it's the Belgian Candi Sugar or what, but Wachusett's Imperial Pumpkin had that in the mix and ended up being the best pumpkin ale that I've ever had. The bite on this ale is minimal, despite it being so strong. Cinnamon and Vanilla roll around a raisin and dark fruit flavor. Thankfully it taste's nothing like sour grapes or wine. Instead it just tastes damn good. It's robust in all of the right ways, in all of the right areas, and minimal where it matters like peppery or tangy. The strong alcohol, which does show itself randomly, sneaks in like a fog and fades away soon after.

It's got me licking my lips for more. It's a little bubbly, very minor fizzing and smooth... just like drinking blood. Fucking crazy! Just as I wrote that last line, Dracula by Iced Earth came on my playlist, into my earphones and tickling my brain. If this ale were transitioned into musical form, it would be this song! They compliment each other wonderfully.

It's woody afterwards when you breath in the air which rounds it out quite nicely. Seriously, this is one of the best tasting beers I've ever had. Don't be skeptical as I was at first (it's in a can with sediment after all), buy the four pack of this when you see it. It comes in a lovely box as well, which I as of yet do now own as I only purchased a single. Soon, though.