Back In Black | 21st Amendment Brewery
Brewed by:
21st Amendment Brewery
California, United States
21st-amendment.com
Style: American Black Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.80%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
ABV varies around 7%.
65 IBU
Added by tpd975 on 11-23-2008
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 2,452 | Reviews: 730
Reviews by beerdrifter:
3.7/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dark brown, nearly black pour with a two finger beige head with good retention and great lacing. The nose was a bit subdued for the style. Roasty up front with hints of black licorice, mocha, and soy sauce with a touch of citrus and pine emerging as well as a touch of smoke. The taste is a bit more bold with roasty coffee and chocolate complemented nicely with citrusy, piney hop notes with some cola on the finish. The mouthfeel is a tad bit fizzy and a little thin, but has a nice finish. Overall a solid Black IPA, but not quite up there with Sublimely. Very sessionable though...
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dark brown, nearly black pour with a two finger beige head with good retention and great lacing. The nose was a bit subdued for the style. Roasty up front with hints of black licorice, mocha, and soy sauce with a touch of citrus and pine emerging as well as a touch of smoke. The taste is a bit more bold with roasty coffee and chocolate complemented nicely with citrusy, piney hop notes with some cola on the finish. The mouthfeel is a tad bit fizzy and a little thin, but has a nice finish. Overall a solid Black IPA, but not quite up there with Sublimely. Very sessionable though...
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More User Reviews:
4.36/5 rDev +17.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12 oz can,into a Cigar City spiegelau IPA glass.
Pours a deep brown forming a creamy dark khaki colored head,that stands 1 finger tall.Very nice head retention,and beautiful lacing.Dark brown / deep amber colored body,with distorted light showing through the glass.Very light carbonation.
On the nose I get dark roasted malts,and some citrusy tropical fruit hops.Also getting some caramel,and coffee notes.
On the palate I get mostly dark roasted malts,coffee,caramel and toffee,balanced with a nice solid piney hop flavor.This is a very nice beer.
The body is thin with a moderately dry finish.
This is a very nice beer,not sure why it didn't get a higher rating,although I admit I am a sucker for dark beers.This is my first time trying a black IPA,and I definitely look forward to trying more of them.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12 oz can,into a Cigar City spiegelau IPA glass.
Pours a deep brown forming a creamy dark khaki colored head,that stands 1 finger tall.Very nice head retention,and beautiful lacing.Dark brown / deep amber colored body,with distorted light showing through the glass.Very light carbonation.
On the nose I get dark roasted malts,and some citrusy tropical fruit hops.Also getting some caramel,and coffee notes.
On the palate I get mostly dark roasted malts,coffee,caramel and toffee,balanced with a nice solid piney hop flavor.This is a very nice beer.
The body is thin with a moderately dry finish.
This is a very nice beer,not sure why it didn't get a higher rating,although I admit I am a sucker for dark beers.This is my first time trying a black IPA,and I definitely look forward to trying more of them.
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4.1/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Rich and smooth, 21st Amendment packs the strength of an IPA (6.8% alc./vol.), all of the bitterness (65 IBU's), and quite a bit of hop flavor and aroma (65 IBU's) into one really nicely balanced, chocolatey/roasty ale.
It displays a deep mahogany brown body that appears almost black in the glass beneath a creamy head of khaki. The head holds quite well, and it leaves sheets of spotted and craggy splashed walls of lace behind.
The aroma is leafy, citrusy, and floral over a base malt of dark caramel and chocolate.
In the mouth it's medium bodied and creamy with a zest of carbonation on the tongue.
The flavor delivers a combination of citrusy, floral, grassy, and leafy hops upfront atop a gently roasty and darkly caramelish malt that warms to become more chocolatey across the middle. The hops also become a bit more spicy. It finishes with a drop of dark milk chocolate rising, but that's then quickly dried as the hops become more spicy and piney.
As to drinkability, I think it's quite accessible. If you've enjoyed a strong porter and you enjoy hops, this has got you covered. It could probably be more focused, but it's still very nicely done.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Rich and smooth, 21st Amendment packs the strength of an IPA (6.8% alc./vol.), all of the bitterness (65 IBU's), and quite a bit of hop flavor and aroma (65 IBU's) into one really nicely balanced, chocolatey/roasty ale.
It displays a deep mahogany brown body that appears almost black in the glass beneath a creamy head of khaki. The head holds quite well, and it leaves sheets of spotted and craggy splashed walls of lace behind.
The aroma is leafy, citrusy, and floral over a base malt of dark caramel and chocolate.
In the mouth it's medium bodied and creamy with a zest of carbonation on the tongue.
The flavor delivers a combination of citrusy, floral, grassy, and leafy hops upfront atop a gently roasty and darkly caramelish malt that warms to become more chocolatey across the middle. The hops also become a bit more spicy. It finishes with a drop of dark milk chocolate rising, but that's then quickly dried as the hops become more spicy and piney.
As to drinkability, I think it's quite accessible. If you've enjoyed a strong porter and you enjoy hops, this has got you covered. It could probably be more focused, but it's still very nicely done.
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3.81/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The dark, reddish brown, liquid pours out into a nonic pint glass with a 1/2" light tan head. Leaving lots of thick rings of foam as the beer is consumed. Sipping creates some arches of leggy lacing and lots of small specks of lacing.
The aromas are filled with both pine and dark roasted malt that brings a bit of coffee.
The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the roasted malt up front and with the coffee and the piney hops in the background.
The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly crisp with the fine moderate carbonation. The moderately long finish begins as the roasted malt and coffee begin to fade, followed by the piney hops. The residual dry ending seems slightly burnt and dry.
On the whole this is a well made beer that I mostly have enjoyed. My major reservation is that the final dry ending seems more bitter from the slightly burnt character than from the hop bitterness. I'd also prefer a bit more citric character. So I'll probably not be buying more.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The dark, reddish brown, liquid pours out into a nonic pint glass with a 1/2" light tan head. Leaving lots of thick rings of foam as the beer is consumed. Sipping creates some arches of leggy lacing and lots of small specks of lacing.
The aromas are filled with both pine and dark roasted malt that brings a bit of coffee.
The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the roasted malt up front and with the coffee and the piney hops in the background.
The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly crisp with the fine moderate carbonation. The moderately long finish begins as the roasted malt and coffee begin to fade, followed by the piney hops. The residual dry ending seems slightly burnt and dry.
On the whole this is a well made beer that I mostly have enjoyed. My major reservation is that the final dry ending seems more bitter from the slightly burnt character than from the hop bitterness. I'd also prefer a bit more citric character. So I'll probably not be buying more.
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5/5 rDev +35.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
really tasty and good beer
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look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
really tasty and good beer
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3.98/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
"Because eveyone likes it in the can. Tasty cracked cans." as Niko likes to say. Another one from 21st A, which I've loved most of their beers so far. Here's another in the pipeline.
A: Wow, with a can I'm forced to pour somewhat aggressively and it comes out with a huge head that forces me to stop pouring, with a 50% head to beer ratio, which is fluffy and bubbly and fades semi slowly with a lot of lacing. The beer is a very dark brown, dark raisin brown with hints of light coming through around the edges showing that is it potentially clear.
N: An interesting blend of malts and hops. It has an earthy bitter hop aroma, more like an English bitter almost but adds the American spicy and piny hop aromas with that. There is also a darker malty aroma, with some crystal malts and slight chewy malt aspect.
T: Taste comes on just as strong, with lots of varying flavors. It actually starts with a slight citrus flavor, juicy hops and even juicy malts. Some darker malts and chewy malts line the backbone, with a slight sweetness and even a little sugary flavor. There is a nice bitterness that doesn't overpower, just adds the nice hit. Some spicy and earthy hops make their presence known, but not as much as the aroma. A slight caramel malt flavor starts to shine through later on the taste.
M: Medium body, slightly creamy too (creamy, really?), with tons of carbonation.
F: Still pretty bitter as it finishes. Some grassy hops come out at this point, and bring more slight citrus and pine but very light. A slight sticky syrupy finish but no real sweetness as it dries to a somewhat dry finish. Some lingering earthy and spicy hop pellet flavors, with late hop addition flavors. Not bad for a black IPA, doesn't go overboard in any category, and is pretty clean and tasty. Going on trips with this would be great, cause taking it in the can always works better.
1,877 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
"Because eveyone likes it in the can. Tasty cracked cans." as Niko likes to say. Another one from 21st A, which I've loved most of their beers so far. Here's another in the pipeline.
A: Wow, with a can I'm forced to pour somewhat aggressively and it comes out with a huge head that forces me to stop pouring, with a 50% head to beer ratio, which is fluffy and bubbly and fades semi slowly with a lot of lacing. The beer is a very dark brown, dark raisin brown with hints of light coming through around the edges showing that is it potentially clear.
N: An interesting blend of malts and hops. It has an earthy bitter hop aroma, more like an English bitter almost but adds the American spicy and piny hop aromas with that. There is also a darker malty aroma, with some crystal malts and slight chewy malt aspect.
T: Taste comes on just as strong, with lots of varying flavors. It actually starts with a slight citrus flavor, juicy hops and even juicy malts. Some darker malts and chewy malts line the backbone, with a slight sweetness and even a little sugary flavor. There is a nice bitterness that doesn't overpower, just adds the nice hit. Some spicy and earthy hops make their presence known, but not as much as the aroma. A slight caramel malt flavor starts to shine through later on the taste.
M: Medium body, slightly creamy too (creamy, really?), with tons of carbonation.
F: Still pretty bitter as it finishes. Some grassy hops come out at this point, and bring more slight citrus and pine but very light. A slight sticky syrupy finish but no real sweetness as it dries to a somewhat dry finish. Some lingering earthy and spicy hop pellet flavors, with late hop addition flavors. Not bad for a black IPA, doesn't go overboard in any category, and is pretty clean and tasty. Going on trips with this would be great, cause taking it in the can always works better.
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4.07/5 rDev +10%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is my first black IPA for what it's worth. Pours opaque black. Overwhelming grapefruit in the aroma. So much so that I can't get anything else. Thin creamy head, disappears quickly but leaves lots of lacing. Taste: lots of grapefruit but some pine. Thick mouthfeel, almost like a Russian imperial. Bizarre (and has some palette dissonance) to have this palette with the hop profile. Back end has a peculiar combo of hop bitterness and stout bitterness. I love this beer. Well balanced. I would drink this any time. Awesome.
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look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is my first black IPA for what it's worth. Pours opaque black. Overwhelming grapefruit in the aroma. So much so that I can't get anything else. Thin creamy head, disappears quickly but leaves lots of lacing. Taste: lots of grapefruit but some pine. Thick mouthfeel, almost like a Russian imperial. Bizarre (and has some palette dissonance) to have this palette with the hop profile. Back end has a peculiar combo of hop bitterness and stout bitterness. I love this beer. Well balanced. I would drink this any time. Awesome.
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3.06/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Jet black pour into a Brooklyn Pils glass with a slight fizzy cap that quickly deteriorates. Sweet malt aroma, a surprise after having read the label "Black IPA". Bitter first sip. Not citrusy, not piney, more astringent than anything else. I cannot get a bead on any hop character, just a bitter flavor. The bitterness dissipates and gets overwhelmed by candy sweetness, which is just inconsistent with the style attempt. The fizzy thin mouth feel finishes a pretty unpleasant drinking experience. Good thing that I bought the can as a single. Don't think I'll be going back for this one. I have not had great experience with 21st Amend. but I really enjoyed their Fire Side Chat and Monks Blood. Those two successes will keep me trying their new projects in the future; this effort was simply not their finest effort.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Jet black pour into a Brooklyn Pils glass with a slight fizzy cap that quickly deteriorates. Sweet malt aroma, a surprise after having read the label "Black IPA". Bitter first sip. Not citrusy, not piney, more astringent than anything else. I cannot get a bead on any hop character, just a bitter flavor. The bitterness dissipates and gets overwhelmed by candy sweetness, which is just inconsistent with the style attempt. The fizzy thin mouth feel finishes a pretty unpleasant drinking experience. Good thing that I bought the can as a single. Don't think I'll be going back for this one. I have not had great experience with 21st Amend. but I really enjoyed their Fire Side Chat and Monks Blood. Those two successes will keep me trying their new projects in the future; this effort was simply not their finest effort.
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4.46/5 rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.1/5 rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #43 (Aug 2010):
You know a beer style has made it when it has been canned. This beer has excellent lacing but is not as black as expected. It has a sweet, hoppy resin and malt sweetness in the nose. It's very smooth, with a faint roasted maltiness and some char when the beer lingers on the palate. The hops are doing their job, but the malt just lets go. This brew has a semidry finish with some faint roast and hop bitterness flavors to deal with. It seems a bit confused. Perhaps the contract brewer lost touch with the end goal here? It's decent at best, though a good pick if cans are your only option.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #43 (Aug 2010):
You know a beer style has made it when it has been canned. This beer has excellent lacing but is not as black as expected. It has a sweet, hoppy resin and malt sweetness in the nose. It's very smooth, with a faint roasted maltiness and some char when the beer lingers on the palate. The hops are doing their job, but the malt just lets go. This brew has a semidry finish with some faint roast and hop bitterness flavors to deal with. It seems a bit confused. Perhaps the contract brewer lost touch with the end goal here? It's decent at best, though a good pick if cans are your only option.
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4.32/5 rDev +16.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
5/5 rDev +35.1%
I always liked black IPA's, and this one solidified that. Just a great brew. Straight outta the can is quite nice. Good amount of hop flavor (65ibus) but great balance. This is one of the most drinkable black IPA's you'll find. Sits light on the stomach, and goes great with chicken and spicy peppers.
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I always liked black IPA's, and this one solidified that. Just a great brew. Straight outta the can is quite nice. Good amount of hop flavor (65ibus) but great balance. This is one of the most drinkable black IPA's you'll find. Sits light on the stomach, and goes great with chicken and spicy peppers.
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3.75/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.22/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nearly opaque brown with a tan, long-lasting head that leaves a lot of lace.
The aroma is a combination of citrus and roasted malt with a hint of something vegetal/grassy.
Taste features plenty of hop bite right up front, plenty of citrus and pine followed by dark chocolate and roast coffee notes that finish the sip on a bitter note.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.
Quite enjoyed it.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nearly opaque brown with a tan, long-lasting head that leaves a lot of lace.
The aroma is a combination of citrus and roasted malt with a hint of something vegetal/grassy.
Taste features plenty of hop bite right up front, plenty of citrus and pine followed by dark chocolate and roast coffee notes that finish the sip on a bitter note.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.
Quite enjoyed it.
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3.37/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Seen this alot at ;my local, finally decided to pick up a 6-er @ $10.99.
Not as dark as I expected it to look.
Smells more like a porter to the nose. Upon 1st sip...yup, this is a porter, not really an IPA. A hoppy porter at that, tho.
A bit of smokey bitterness that lingers after the sip. At 6.8%, a bit more boozy (& boozy tasting) than expected too.
A disappointment if you expecting a dark IPA, but not bad if you think of it as a hoppy porter.
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look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Seen this alot at ;my local, finally decided to pick up a 6-er @ $10.99.
Not as dark as I expected it to look.
Smells more like a porter to the nose. Upon 1st sip...yup, this is a porter, not really an IPA. A hoppy porter at that, tho.
A bit of smokey bitterness that lingers after the sip. At 6.8%, a bit more boozy (& boozy tasting) than expected too.
A disappointment if you expecting a dark IPA, but not bad if you think of it as a hoppy porter.
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Back In Black from 21st Amendment Brewery
Beer rating:
3.7 out of
5 with
2,452 ratings
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