Bitter American: Brave the Feb Chill and Drink One on the Porch

If you don’t think session beers are a good choice for February, you haven’t tried 21st Amendment Brewery's Bitter American yet. Right now in Portland, the sun is valiantly shining on my balcony porch, and it seems like a great time to crack open a can.

This is my first experience drinking a craft beer in a can (I sort of skipped that whole chugging Bud Light as a teenager phase, and went straight to bottled beer. What can I say? I grew up in Oregon.)

My first thoughts are, “wow, this does have a ton of flavor.” With an alcohol content of just 4.4% by volume, I’m surprised by the intensity of the flavor, even though I did, you know, write the press release.

I love strong beers, but tend to shy away from super hoppy brews—this beer does have a strong hoppiness that’s not unpleasant, but definitely present. It’s not what I expected from an extra pale ale. I enjoy the maltiness mixed in with the hop flavor—21st Amendment uses an imported English heirloom malt called Golden Promise in Bitter American.

All in all, this is my best beer-in-a-can experience—I definitely recommend giving Bitter American a try, especially if you’re hanging out with friends on a Friday evening. Drinking a Bitter American, you’ll feel like you’re drinking a stronger beer—but you’ll understand why 21st Amendment co-founder Nico Freccia likes to say, "Go ahead. Give one, or three, a try."