Beer Review: 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon

Serving Type: Can

ABV: 4.9 percent

Appearance: Hell or High Watermelon pours a nice-looking straw yellow. The body has a slight haze to it, but nowhere near the cloudiness you'd expect in a wheat beer. The head had a decent thickness for the first few minutes, but disappeared about a third of the way through the drink. There was also a bit of carbonation in terms of bubbles dancing towards the top, but I really had to peer in close to notice the ones that were there.

Smell: I did pick up a few hints of yeast and citrus, which I decided was most likely lemon. We finally found the right highway exit towards wheat beer city. Unfortunately I couldn't get any scent of watermelon. Then again, I've never smelled watermelon in a beer before.

Taste: The beer is initially sweet, but with a few zesty citrus notes. The yeast and wheat content of the beer are somewhat weak in this department. The sweetness in this is most likely from the watermelon. Altogether, everything did seem somewhat weaker than I'd prefer it to be. A plus is the fact that this did have an above-average mouth feel in terms of carbonation bubbles inside the mouth.

Overall Rating:  

Overall, this beer was just different for me. I've had good experiences with 21st Amendment Brewery before and I appreciate the notion of going out on a limb with a watermelon beer (I haven't come across many of these). It was just too weak in terms of scent and flavor for me. Aside from that, this is definitely one of my favorite can/bottle labels!

Beer Review: 21st Amendment Fireside Chat

Just as President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a famous address on this day 70 years ago I only find it fitting that I  post this review tonight so it will be marked with this date that has forever "lived in infamy."

According to the 21st Amendment Brewery's website, Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale is obviously named after the fireside radio broadcasts the previously mentioned president would hold during the The Great Depression.

This was the first beer I've ever had from 21st Amendment. Not only does this brewery have some of the most cleverly named beers it now has one of the better tasting ones.

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 7.9 percent

Appearance: Fireside Chat is a very dark brown. This is probably the darkest winter ale I've drank thus far. When you look at the beer in a bit of light it glows ruby red. A bit of research will tell you that the head is a lot livelier when Fireside Chat is poured from a can, but this serving it was only about as thick as half of my finger.

Smell: This beer smelled like a lot of cinnamon, spices and clove. The spices and cinnamon are very dominant. I'm beginning to not expect anything different when it comes to these winter ales.

Taste: I tasted everything I smelled. I also got a nice hint or caramel on my tongue. All ingredients tasted as if they were smoked together in this beer, which seems to be a tad fitting given this beer's name.

Overall Rating:  

Not a bad drink by any means. I'm not the biggest fan of winter ales, but if I'm looking for a warmer and this beer is in the lineup I'm most likely picking it. Definitely the best winter ale I've tried. looking forward to the next time I find it on tap somewhere.