Insurrection Series | Mashing In

Tasting Notes: 1966 Coffee IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery & Peet’s Coffee

Posted on April 13, 2020 by mashingin

For this installment of Tasting Notes, we kick off another week of social distancing by multitasking our two favorite beverages – beer and coffee – thanks to a pour of 1966 Coffee IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery (San Leandro, California) and Peet’s Coffee (Berkeley, California).

Brewed to recognize the year when “Alfred Peet opened his coffeebar at the corner of Walnut and Vine in Berkeley and changed the way Americans, and the world, thought about coffee,” 1966 Coffee IPA (6.8% ABV) is a West Coast-style India Pale Ale featuring “aromas of fruity blueberries and bright citrus notes from Columbus, Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial hops.” To cover the coffee side of this IPA, Ethiopian Super Natural Coffee from Peet’s Coffee was “incorporated several ways in the brew, including ‘dry-hopping’ with whole beans,” to provide “[accents] of rich coffee . . . balanced with malt structure and defined bitterness all giving this West Coast IPA a phenomenal flavor profile.”

1966 Coffee IPA debuted back in late January of this year and the brewery’s Beer Finder indicates that there is still a good amount of this brew floating around out there. You can expect to find this Limited Release offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Florida, California and throughout the rest of 21st Amendment’s 28 state distribution footprint.

Alright . . . now that we know why and how coffee came to meet up with this IPA, let’s see how it all comes together in a glass over some Tasting Notes!

Tasting Notes for 1966 Coffee IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery & Peet’s Coffee

Appearance: A quick but careful pour – one you would expect from a somewhat caffeine-starved human being who has been spending way too much time indoors – produces a beer that is a deep golden yellow in color and capped with almost two fingers of frothy white foam. When held to direct light, the golden tones hold and shine brightly. This IPA is clear and shows off a casual carbonation presence bubbling away within. Head retention is quite nice, falling slowly to a complete top cap that leaves the glass covered in sheets of lace.

Aroma: Up front, the nose bursts with IPA goodness as the hops unleash incredibly fragrant notes of citrusy grapefruit, lime and orange alongside some soft floral tones. The coffee complements the hops with a little added fruitiness that resembles mixed berries. A gentle malt presence rounds everything out with a bit of honey and wheat.

Taste: Almost a mirror of the nose, the flavor profile opens with juicy, citrusy hop notes of orange and grapefruit. The added coffee supplies a balancing earthiness and a fruity pop of blueberry. Bitterness is subdued (just a touch of grapefruit zest and pine in here supplying some bite) and that is thanks to a gentle, closing layer of honey and caramel coming off the malts.

Mouthfeel: On the light side of medium in body with a medium carbonation level, this IPA is incredibly easy-drinking and dries out beautifully. The balance is impeccable by being not too hoppy/bitter and not too sweet. The 6.8% ABV is surprisingly non-existent, further elevating the beer’s overall high level of drinkability. The aftertaste is all citrusy hops.

Final Thoughts: For those folks out there who have been on the fence about the idea of trying a “Coffee IPA,” 21st Amendment’s 1966 Coffee IPA is the one example you need to seek out. The chosen beans from Peet’s Coffee meld perfectly with the hop bill to strike a gorgeously balanced experience that unites the worlds of coffee and beer in a cohesive way that just makes sense. Hopheads will be happy to know that this is an IPA first as the hops shine brightly and boldly, but the coffee takes things a step further by complementing, accentuating and mimicking hop aromas and flavors with added floral, fruity and earthy notes. The overall idea of coffee being an ingredient in this IPA is subtle, but its impact on the hops is powerful as it elevates the entire sensory profile with wonderfully placed layers of complexity. If you are at all a fan of IPAs, do not let the word “coffee” in the name throw you. Get yourself a 6-pack of 1966 Coffee IPA while you still can and see for yourself the amazing things that the right coffee can do with your beloved hops. Prost!

21st Amendment Brewery Honors Peet’s Coffee with Release of 1966 Coffee IPA

Posted on February 4, 2020 by mashingin

21st Amendment Brewery (San Leandro, California) has officially announced that it has released 1966 Coffee IPA, a special collaboration project with Peet’s Coffee, as its first Insurrection Series offering of 2020.

“Rather than the traditional dark beer with coffee, we wanted to have fun with the melding of hops and coffee, paying attention to the coffee varietal and manipulating the roast level to nudge the subtle flavors from the bean for an incredibly unique IPA,” says Shaun O’Sullivan (Co-Founder and Brewmaster, 21st Amendment). “Working closely with Peet’s Roastmaster, Doug Welsh, we settled in on Peet’s Ethiopian Super Natural with its lemon, bergamot, and blueberry characteristics perfectly complementing the hop flavors.”

“Don’t expect dark roast,” said Doug Welsh (Roastmaster, Peet’s Coffee). “We iterated every roast style imaginable, with a target profile of maltiness – matching the beer – a kaleidoscope of floral aromatics and the piquant acidity and glacé citron of exceptional Ethiopia. Hops, meet your coffee cousin.”

1966 Coffee IPA is rolling out now and will hang around for a limited time. You can expect to find this new Limited Release offering available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at select craft beer-focused establishments located in Florida, California and throughout the rest of 21st Amendment’s 28 state distribution footprint. Prost!

Vital Information for 1966 Coffee IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery & Peet’s Coffee

Release – Limited/Insurrection Series; launching late January 2020
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 6.8%
IBUs – 50
Hops – Flavor hops: Columbus, Amarillo, Citra & Centennial | Dry hops: Amarillo & Centennial
Malts – Pale Malt, Munich Light & White Wheat
Added Ingredients – Ethiopian Super Natural whole coffee beans from Peet’s Coffee
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.21st-amendment.com/find-some

21st Amendment Brewery Launches Tales From The Kettle Beer Series

Posted on December 22, 2017 by mashingin

21st Amendment Brewery (San Leandro, California) has announced that it is expanding its Insurrection Series with the limited release of Tales From The Kettle (2017) – Not Your Cup of Tea.

Developed in the spirit of “friendly competition and [as] an ode to the brewery’s roots”, the Tales From The Kettle series has a “story [that] begins each year with a teambuilding exercise, the [21st Amendment] Employee Homebrew Competition, where [the brewery’s] staff breaks into randomly selected teams who are challenged to come up with a winning homebrew recipe judged by the San Francisco Brewer’s Guild.” Once a winner is chosen, that beer then enters full distribution in cans that proudly wear the names of each team member responsible for its creation.

This year’s winning beer is Not Your Cup of Tea, an “exceptional” Scottish-style ale brewed with black tea. Deep amber in color, Not Your Cup of Tea (9% ABV) has an aroma that boasts “a light waft of sweetness and a soft smokiness”, and a “multi-layer malt” flavor that “closes out with a light spiciness from the black tea and a lingering light burnt caramel finish.”

“Tales From The Kettle gives our staff a chance to bring ideas and recipes to life that otherwise may never see the light of day, and as owners we get a rush of excitement from the innovation that is unleashed each time we host this competition.” said Nico Freccia, co-founder of 21st Amendment. “The creators of this year’s winning beer included our graphic designer, a server at our pub, our Chicago sales rep and one of our maintenance technicians. In their normal day-to-day these guys and gals would not have had an opportunity to bring a beer recipe to the spotlight, and now their names have been printed on a nationally distributed beer can with their winning beer recipe.”

Tales From The Kettle (2017) – Not Your Cup of Tea is available now in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft. You can track down this Limited Release offering at craft beer establishments located in Florida, California and throughout the rest of 21st Amendment’s distribution footprint. Prost!

Vital Information for Tales From The Kettle (2017) – Not Your Cup of Tea from 21st Amendment Brewery

Release – Limited/Insurrection Series, December 2017
Style – Scotch Ale
ABV – 9%
IBUs – 24
Malts – Maris Otter Pale, Crystal 70L, Special B, Chocolate, Smoked Malt, Peated Malt & Victory
Hops – Northern Brewer & Nugget
Yeast – Burton Ale Yeast
Added Ingredients – Black Tea
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – http://21st-amendment.com/find-some/

21st Amendment Brewery Introduces Tasty IPA as New Limited Release

Posted on August 29, 2017August 29, 2017 by mashingin

21st Amendment Brewery (San Leandro, California) has officially announced that Tasty IPA will be released as the next offering from the brewery’s Insurrection Series.

Dropping as the second release in their newly established Insurrection Series, 21st Amendment Brewery set out to create Tasty IPA so that they could both honor and collaborate with Mike “Tasty” McDole – a legendary craft beer personality, respected homebrewer and regular on The Brewing Network show “The Session”. Sourcing inspiration “from test batches of Tasty’s own homebrews,” the brewing team built this “hop forward creation” to feature Citra and Mosaic Lupulin Powder and Ekuanot hop pellets. Their efforts resulted in a 6.8% ABV India Pale Ale that “is rooted in friendship, created for the common love of homebrewing and dedicated to the American beer beauty known as Tasty McDole.”

“If you like hops, and you love IPA, you’ll definitely enjoy this beer… even in spite of the naked guy swimming in hops on the front of the can,” jokes Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and Brewmaster of 21st Amendment. “In all seriousness, this beer is delicious. The lupulin powder is made from the “heart of the hop,” where the hop resins and oils reside, giving this beer bright, fresh flavors and aromas of tropical stone fruits and pine, with a hint of spiciness.”

Tasty IPA will officially debut in September 2017 with availability in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft. You can expect to find this Limited Release brew at select craft beer establishments located in Florida, California and throughout the rest 21st Amendment Brewery’s distribution network. Prost!

Vital Information for Tasty IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery

Release – Limited/Insurrection Series, September 2017
Style – American India Pale Ale
ABV – 6.8%
IBUs – 70
Malts – Two-Row Pale, Munich & Pilsner
Hops – Mosaic, Ekuanot, CTZ, Citra & Lupulin Powder
Yeast – American Ale
Suggested Pairings – “Tasty IPA pairs with spicy foods, peach cobbler, cargo shorts and your favorite beer t-shirt.”
Fun Fact – “The can design features McDole lying in a bed of hops, inspired by the iconic fantasy scene in the movie “American Beauty,” and was drawn by Tasty’s son Mark McDole.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – http://21st-amendment.com/find-some/

21st Amendment Brewery Brings the Watermelon Funk

Posted on June 13, 2017 by mashingin

21st Amendment Brewery (San Leandro, California) recently announced the release of Watermelon Funk as the brewery’s first Insurrection Series beer of the year.

Originally created in 2004 by Russian River Brewing’s Vinnie Cilurzo as a “funked up” version of 21st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer when the folks at San Francisco’s iconic Toronado Pub were wary of tapping a watermelon beer, Watermelon Funk has been officially resurrected but without Cilurzo’s two year aging schedule. For the 2017 version of Watermelon Funk, 21 Amendment’s Brewmaster and co-founder Shaun O’Sullivan decided to “kettle sour” the beer this time around “and then ferment it with a saison yeast strain imparting a tart, slightly acidic mouthfeel with syncopated sweet notes and downbeat aromas.” Clocking in at a refreshing 6.7% ABV and “a Funk Factor of 11, Watermelon Funk is sure to get the party started and keep the music playing with each sip.”

“The process of kettle souring is where we add lactobacillus bacteria to the kettle, allowing it to grow and consume sugar, producing lactic and acetic acids that are responsible for souring the beer. We then halt that process by boiling the wort in the kettle and then ferment it with a special farmhouse yeast strain”, O’Sullivan explains.

Watermelon Funk releases in June with availability in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft. You can expect to find this “super limited edition” Insurrection Series beer at select craft beer bars, restaurants and retailers located in Florida, California and throughout the rest of 21st Amendment’s distribution footprint. Prost!

Vital Information for Watermelon Funk from 21st Amendment Brewery

Release – Limited/Insurrection Series, June 2017
Style – American Sour Ale
ABV – 6.7%
Hops – Magnum
Malts – Two-Row Pale & White Wheat
Yeast – French Saison
Added Ingredients – 100% Fresh Watermelon Puree & Lactobacillus Planterum
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – http://21st-amendment.com/find-some/
Fun Fact – About the Insurrection Series: “Watermelon Funk marks the first Insurrection Series beer of the year for 21st Amendment Brewery. In 2017, they opted to unleash their brewers’ creativity and roll out brand new, never-before-seen-or-brewed beers for this series. ‘Insurrection is the act of rising in revolt, rebellion or resistance,’ says Freccia. ‘Kind of our rallying cry when we released our first Insurrection Series beer in 2009. Back then drinking craft beer in cans was a strange and out-of-the-box idea and this was our way to rise up against the cheap, flavorless canned beer that had come before. Today, our Insurrection Series allows us to push the limits of our brewery, to introduce new beers that celebrate our creative spirit and offer a taste of something new, rare and exciting.'”