21st Amendment Bitter American
With Ben reviewing some canned craft beer, I thought I would hop aboard with a review of a canned beer I have recently been enjoying, Bitter American by 21st Amendment.
Poured into a pint glass, the beer’s aroma of floral, with a tweak of lemon, hop, and slightly sweetened malt emanates from the off-white head. This head sits atop a body that is crystal clear, amber-copper in color, and interspersed with meandering bubbles of carbonation. The beer’s display is aromatically and visually enticing.
In the mouth the beer is rather light on the tongue with some carbonation “roughness” to make it slightly interesting. Without the carbonation, the beer would probably have a rather watery mouthfeel. The hops take the more central role in taste. The floral characteristic noted in the aroma is more earthy mid-mouth, though the lemon note is still there, if not subdued. The hops don’t steal the show though, because the malt arrives with a character of bread drizzled lightly with caramel (its dessert bread). The beer finishes dry and bitter with a taste that is minty and fruity. As the beer warms the midmouth hop character starts displaying a pine note. The challenge to this pine note is actually letting the beer warm up enough to reach it.
This is a wonderful beer (and the can’s label is a definite bonus), and I have been thoroughly enjoying it for the last few weeks. The only downside to the beer is the fact it is a “seasonal”. A flavorful, sessionable (the beer is 4.4% abv) beer found in a can is something the American beer market needs more of, so hopefully this beer becomes a year round offering sooner rather than later.
