21st Amendment Back in Black
Back in Black is our newest year-round beer available now in six pack cans and on draft. Brewed like an American IPA but with the addition of rich, dark malts, this beer has all the flavor and hop character you expect with a smooth, mellow finish.
3.6
910 reviews
San Leandro, United States
Community reviews
Tasted like a run of the mill IPA. Very drinkable but very bland. Definitely not in the tradition of one of the more usually aggressive styles of beer. Dissappointing
A bit weak for a dark IPA. Hops are light. The other flavors I would expect from a dark beer are lacking. I would not buy again.
Rather specatcular Black IPA, a heady mix of deeply roasted malts and citric, resinous hops, an IPA not afraid of indulging in its hoppiness before finishing like a dry-ass stout. Starts with a swath of orange marmalade and stone fruit, then quickly gains an espresso middle laced with chocolate and slight hints of anise, and finally turns dry and bitter, the piney hops leaving a clingy, IBU-filled fade dusted with java and unsweetened chocolate. Pours a beautiful dark brown with a massive beige head and endless lace. Aroma's more IPA than black, citric hops offering up citrus and pine. Good texture has just a touch of spikiness, but otherwise smooth and sippable. Great beer.
Very smooth black ipa. Way smoother than expected for abv. Head is good. Finish smooth.
A dark IPA? I haven’t found many of these. A unique taste of an IPA with the coffee taste of a dark.
Pours a clear dark brown with a fairly large, frothy head. Citrus aromas with some bready malts. I like this style. It has the citrus notes with bitterness and dark malts. Not one of my favorites for this style, but still enjoyable.
Exceptionally drinkable. Coffee and pine with a dark chocolate finish. This beer is a monthly treat IMO.
Very dark Cola looking beer with an off-white head. Aromas of earth and floral notes. Tastes of earthiness, some dark coffee, with grassy notes. Some biscuit malt thrown in for goof measure. Decent malt/dark flavor profile compliments the resin hops. A bit watery and somewhat forgettable. Enjoyable nonetheless.
Roasted malts and hoppy but not quite as fresh as expected. Full flavour, very clean fermentation, a bit too much maybe. Bit watery in palate. Perhaps my hopes were too high but I’d like my bipa a bit rougher, tougher. (Can at Caroline’s in Berkeley)
Can from Beergium. Aroma is roasted malt, fruity hops, tropical fruits, citrus, orange, chocolate, grapefruit, with a slight touch of coffee. Flavour is moderate sweet with a firm bitter finish. Body is medium. Lovely balance between tropical fruity hops and roasty malts, really great example of the style, I do not understand why this is not rated higher.
Can from Beers of the World into a pint glass. Aroma of spruce, some citrus, roasted malts.
355ml can. darkest brown colour with average, thick, creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, beige head. Piney and slightly resinous hoppy as well as roasty, dark malty aroma, hints of coffee and dark chocolate. Taste is roasty dark malty and piney hoppy, hints of coffee and dark chocolate, grassy and minimally metallic overtones.
Can 12fl.oz. @ BeerTemple, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1012 RR.
[ As 21st Amendment Back in Black ].
Clear dark black brown zolor with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, dark malt, sweet malt, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus, grapefruit, licorice. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, sweet malt, licorice, grapefruit, fruity hops, dark malt. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20160905]
7-4-8-3-15
Canned, 355 ml from Beergium, shared with Max and JFK10000. Pours dark brown, medium beige head. Hoppy aroma, pine, grapefruit, roasted, chocolate, pine, strong lasting bitter finish. Medium bodied.
Mainly roasty nose with a very slight touch of a rubbery off-odor. Medium sweet with a bitterness made up from roasty and hoppy notes. Some vanilla notes. Medium slick body with a bitter finish. A bit more stout-like than most black IPAs. Good beer, but there’s a bit of harshness in the bitterness.
Beeroda.hu Tasting Sessions @ Budapest. A nice malty IPA. Slightly hoppy but not overpowering. From can so tainted possibly by metallic taste
Excellent. Love the dark malts. Interesting not available in bottle. For some reason, beer seems to taste better in a can.
dark brow n colour, medium sized, creamy beige head; aroma and taste of roasted rye bread, soy sauce, yeast, some coffee, dark chocolate, pine resiny, grassy, tangerine and tropical fruity notes; good black IPA
Can. Rather malty, some light roastiness, chocolate with hints of hops. Taste same, medium body, bitter finish. Old can.
Poured from the can into a 16 oz clear plastic cup (from 2011 notes).
A - Pours opaque black/brown with brown edges were a little bit of light passes thru when back-lit. Towering frothing head, light caramel color, with good retention.
S - Hop aroma is evident right opening popping the can open. Plenty of citrus and earthy hops. Very promising.
... but it is downhill from here.
T - Very limited hop flavor compared to the aroma, with more earthy dark roasted malt coming thru. These are a bit out of balance and do not blend so well IMO. The dark malts really dominate even in the finish but do leave a bitter, coffee-tinted aftertaste. The worse part is a rather sour and metallic component mid-taste.
M - Nice carbonation, although a bit much for an easy pour. Medium, but not quite satisfying, body.
O - Overall a disappointing beer. The aroma and look were not followed by excellent flavor or mouthfeel. I’ve been to the brewpub and enjoyed their beers on tap. Too bad this one doesn’t fare so well in canning.
12 oz single, shared via can, purchased at Bottles & Bitters at Sloan’s Lake. Roasted, piney and zesty with light citrusy hops. Smooth, dark and malty with a lingering finish. Solid.
Dark brown with at all, somewhat diminishing tan head. Decent lace. Heavy hops presence. Some licorice and darker malts in the background. Darker malt and some mild cocoa in the flavors. Some caramel and earth. A decent black IPA, about what I expect, but nothing much more than that. 6/11
33cl can at home. Clear dark, mahogany with ruby highlights, cappuccino head. Cream, roasted malts, wood, coffee bean, cocoa bean and hoppy tart freshness. Easy, drinkable, tart roastiness, burnt wood, hoppy aftertaste, dry.
Appearance: Dark brown, some tan head.
Aroma: Hops and dark malt. Slightly roasted.
Taste: Good amount of hops, dark malts and roasted. Slight dark fruits. Decent.
Bought: Hotel bar (Reston), 355 ml can, $?.??
Info: 7/11-2016
Can, pours a brownish amber color with a small to medium head. Lacing was just ok. Smell and taste are roasted malt, pineapple, grass, sweet malt, and toffee. Carbonation was light to medium on this can. An alright black spa but nowhere near as good as Wookie.
Pours dark ruby with a brownish head that stays on for a while. Light piney notes with caramel. medium bodied, average carbonation, smooth palate with lots of sweet notes at first, light tar, dried raisins, light black malt astringency, finishing on a balanced bitterness. Easy drinking black IPA, with the balance being the focus.
A smoked malt and pine hope aroma, pours a black color with a thick brown foamy head. Medium body with a smokey malt and pine resin taste with a piney hop finish.
Can. Pours a deep brown color with off white head. Roasty, hoppy, malty, slight herbal aromas. Roasty, hoppy, malty, slight herbal flavors.
Poured from a 12 oz can with a best by date of 11/10/2016.
Aroma is fairly malt forward with quite a bit of chocolate and roast. Moderate pine resin and woody hop notes. A light citrus note.
Pours dark brown, but not quite black with a medium sized, moderately thick, dark tan head that recedes steadily to the edges where it lingers for a bit. Meidum lacing and no legs.
Flavor is slightly sweet with moderately strong roast notes, toasted bread, and hints of chocolate. A dry finish with high bitterness. Moderate woody and pine resin hop notes.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth.
Overall, an alright beer but I’m not a fan of the black IPAs. The malt profile dominates and the only hop character is bitterness and wood - all of my least favorite things in IPAs.
Aluminum can: Poured a medium brown liquid and was topped with a gentle film of foam. Aroma is subtle with a minor perfume of hops that have faded away with time. Nose also picks up notes of sweet syrupy malts that might have a chance of roast but that too has faded. The drink is well balanced between the hops and the malts and despite the shelf life one month past its expiration, the beer still taste good. It does have a bit of sour milk or bitter citrus peel but minimal and is really only noticed in the finish.