21ST AMENDMENT’S “DOUBLE TRIPEL”

Not a bad name for a beer – hard to believe it wasn’t already trademarked. Hey, did you know that February is “strong beer month”? Neither did I, until the emails started flying about it – a good marketing angle to play in these rainy months that cry for high-alcohol, limited-batch elixirs. The 21st AMENDMENT BREWERY in San Francisco teamed up with MAGNOLIA PUB & BREWERY to make several new barrels of unique beers for this month only. On my visit to 21st Amendment last week, I noticed that they even replaced all but two of the beers they normally have on tap with SIX new ones; they even took away their ever-popular Watermelon Wheat in favor of these 9%+ bombs – now that’s bold. The DOUBLE TRIPEL is a straight-up winner, I’m happy to say. It’s Belgian-style strong ale, with a robust 80 IBUs and very strong hops that cloud up the glass. Seriously, even a weak palate like mine could probably taste this blindfolded and say, “I really think it tastes like an American brewer working hard to combine a modern double IPA with a Belgian triple, and hitting it remarkably well”. Smooth but bitter in the way a strong Belgian ale should be, and very opaque, drinkable and juicy the way an IPA should be. I’d easily buy it again. Maybe this one can become part of the regular stable of 21st Amendement beers? What do you say, guys? 8/10.