21st Amendment - Brew Free! or Die IPA

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Brew Free! or Die IPA
21st Amendment Brewery
563 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA USA
Brewed at:
Cold Spring, MN USA
Est. 1995
www.21st-amendment.com


Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0


Postmortem Brew Review
Beautiful deep amber color.
Piney and citrusy hops and caramel malts in aroma.
Near-white, two finger head. Nice draped lacing, good head retention.
Hops are off the charts. Malts play in the background with resiny hops taste.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied. Enveloping hops-play on tongue.


Grim Reaper's Eulogy
No less than six kinds of hops (70 IBU's) and two malts make up the structure of this tongue tantilizing IPA. Found in a supermarket on my trip to Portland, OR, a six-pack of the stuff was snatched up, without question. It was the only representation of 21st Amendment's offerings at this store, but a nice find indeed. And the light weight cans made it a no-brainer for packing in my travelling cooler to bring home and share. The Reaper loves the sentiment "Brew Free! or Die" on this whimsical and free spirited container. Honest Abe is bustin' out of Mt. Rushmore much to the delight of Teddy Roosevelt and concern of George Washington. Thomas Jefferson, a brewer in his own right, appears unfazed by all this calamity. Presumably, Mr. Lincoln is going to go get a sixer of these IPA's for the boys.

Everyone that's tried some has remarked how tasty it is. I still have a few tucked away, but fear they won't last long in the mortuary fridge. And when they are gone, well, we'll continue to search out more. Very nicely done west coast style American IPA.


Get some if you can.

Muahhaahaahaa!

Summit - Extra Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Extra Pale Ale
Summit Brewing Company
910 Montreal Circle
St. Paul, MN USA
Est. 1986
www.summitbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Copper color.
Sweet, malty and slight grain smell.
Two finger crisp white head that leaves a very nice amount of lacing.
Fresh tasting with just a nudge of hops over malt, as is proper in Pale Ales.
Modest amount of carbonation.
Light bodied; refreshing.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The flagship beer from this brewery since 1986.  That seems to be the year the general explosion in micro breweries happened.  And this Extra Pale Ale will not let you down.  It has just the right amount of gentle rolling hops to balance with the malts, to make an exceptional easy drinker.

I found this to be a pleasant start to my days chores.  It works with you, not against you. Done nicely in the style of an English Pale Ale.

Lift Bridge - Crosscut Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Crosscut Pale Ale
Lift Bridge Brewery
1906 Greeley St. South
Stillwater, MN USA
Est. 2006
Brewed by:
Flat Earth Brewing Company - St. Paul, MN
and
Point Brewery - Stevens Point, WI
www.liftbridgebrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Well balanced amber pale ale accentuated by multiple additions of floral Cascade hops and a unique introduction of grapefruit zest to compliment the citrus notes of the hops. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A "ghost writer" has come calling. When I get around to some of this ale, I'll add my two cents. The following comments do not represent my personal views, so tough noogies if you don't like them:

Ghost Writer's Eulogy
Theses are the same boys who brew Farm Girl - still my favorite even though most farm girls are inside for the winter.  I have a stash I'm keeping cold in the back yard.  Another good thing about Minnesota winters - coolers are redundant.  ---TK

Lift Bridge - Farm Girl Saison

Dead Cowgirl

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Farm Girl Saison
Lift Bridge Brewery
1906 Greeley St. South
Stillwater, MN USA
Est. 2006
Brewed by:
Flat Earth Brewing Company - St. Paul, MN
and
Point Brewery - Stevens Point, WI
www.liftbridgebrewery.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pale golden yellow color.
Dry malt finish and spiciness.
Lots of carbonation.
Good lacing and a two fingered slight off white head.
A hit of pepper in the yeasty finish.
Light bodied and easy to drink. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A second "ghost writer" has come calling. When I get around to some of this ale, I'll add my two cents. The following comments do not represent my personal views, so tough noogies if you don't like them:

Ghost Writer's Eulogy
Belgian-influenced pale ale – go figure in Stillwater you’d think it would be influenced by some square headed Norwegian but they don’t know crap about beer. But I speak from ignorance – my wife is Norwegian.

Anyway – all the farmer’s daughter jokes aside – this farm girl is no slouch and tastes shall I dare say fabulous. Blue Moon move over. Great summer outdoor beer – I had six before I knew it in my backyard last Sunday avoiding the crowd at Lumberjack Days. They don’t sell liquor in this lousy state on Sunday (in stores) so I was forced to catch a ride downtown to consume three more at me favorite tavern before the fireworks.

You must try one, or twelve of these before the Reaper comes calling on you for real!
---TK 

UPDATE 7/14/2010 - My two cents - - -The Grim Reaper agrees with TK.  This is simply a great summer ale that you can open, empty, rinse and repeat.  I thought it had quite good character for a Belgian style Farmhouse ale and was surprised at how much I wished there was another.  Someday, I hope to sample more of this Minnesota bottled gold.
---The Reaper