Monk's Blood Brewed by 21st Amendment Brewery - San Francisco, California
21st Amendment founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveled to
Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small,
traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the
famous Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Monk’s Blood is designed to pair
beautifully with rich winter stews, creamy cheeses, unctuous desserts or
just by itself, in a Belgian tulip glass, with a good book by the fire. ALV:
8.3. IBUs: 34. Malts: Belgian Pilsner, Two-Row Pale, Caramunich, caravienne,
Aromatic, Special B. Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat. Hops: Magnum, Centennial,
Amarillo. Special Ingredients: Dark Belgian Candi Sugar, Cinnamon, Vanilla
Bean, Dried Black Mission Figs, Aged in Oak.
Beer Review by Beer
Advocate
Appearance: dark brown with a slight ruby tinge to it... Get a nice three finger
tannish head that dissapates nicley, but not really leaving any lacing to speak
of, deffinatly a nice lookin brew although, due to the name, I expected it to be
more red... But not the case
Aroma: comes wafting out of the can the moment I cracked it.... a blend of
caramel and vanilla with toasty oak, the dried figs ate deffinatly apparent in
the aroma as well... Along with a bit alcohol heat, complex and inviting.
Taste: much like the nose, I get figs and oak up front blending into vanilla and
caramel, I'm not really getting the cinnamon, perhaps a touch on the finish
witha bit of alcohol? A touch of chocolate and brown sugar in there as well, and
now the beer has warmed a bit I deffinatly feel the cinnamon on the finish. Like
the nose I find the flavor to have excellent complexity and balance.
Mouthfeel: medium bodied with lower carbonation, finishes dry, with a slight
touch of bitterness. A bit of an oaky/spicy/bitter aftertaste that lingers for a
bit.
Overall: a very nice brew that displays a nice amount of complexity and balance
that I have not found in many of 21st amendments othe brews... I really enjoyed
this beer and understand why it has the cult following that it does. Definitely
a must try.
The 21st Amendment Story
In 2000, Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan founded the 21st Amendment Brewery in
San Francisco’s historic South Park neighborhood. The popular brewpub is now at
the heart of the new city center, just south of the financial district and only
two blocks from the San Francisco Giants baseball park. In addition to eight
rotating taps of multiple award-winning hand-crafted house beers, the pub has
been voted “Best Brewpub”, “Best Burger” and “Best Happy Hour” by the San
Francisco press
Freccia and O’Sullivan met in early 1995 in San Francisco. Both had just moved
from southern California to the Bay area when they heard the calling of beer.
O’Sullivan, a former photographer and paralegal, “traded his suits for boots and
was saved by beer”. He moved to Berkeley and took a job as assistant brewer at
the Triple Rock Brewery there. Freccia, a writer, actor and, by extension,
restaurant professional, was also an avid homebrewer. Frustrated with the lack
of beer culture in the L.A. area, he moved to San Francisco and began writing
for the Celebrator Beer News, the west’s largest beer publication. Freccia and
O’Sullivan met, became friends and, while sitting together in a summer class on
brewing science at UC Davis, hatched their plan for what would become the 21st
Amendment.
