21st Amendment Brewing

21st Amendment Tales from the Kettle

21st Amendment Tales from the Kettle

Style: Scotch Ale (w/ Black Tea.)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Seasonal Release.

PIC: Beer Street Journal

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, Beer News, Brewery Closures, Headlines

21st Amendment Brewery Shuts Down After 25 Years

Bay Area craft beer pioneer 21st Amendment to close both San Francisco brewpub and San Leandro production facility by November

In a stunning turn of events that is sure to shake the craft beer industry, 21st Amendment Brewery has announced it will permanently cease operations after 25 years in business. The San Francisco-born brewery, known for iconic beers like Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and Brew Free! or Die IPA, will shutter both its original Second Street brewpub near Oracle Park and its massive San Leandro production facility by early November.

The closure comes just one week after co-founders Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Freccia announced they were stepping back from daily operations to bring in a new CEO as part of an ambitious partnership aimed at diversifying beyond beer production. Those plans collapsed when the brewery’s financial lender withdrew support, citing the company’s ongoing “cash bleed” and beer industry-wide downturn.

“The brewery’s lender informed them that it would no longer fund the company due to its ‘cash bleed,’ prompting the decision to close.”

Rough Waters

21st Amendment’s demise reflects a confluence of factors hammering craft breweries nationwide. Sales have dropped approximately 20% every year since 2021, according to co-founder Freccia, who spoke with multiple media outlets about the closure. T

The brewery, which ranked among the nation’s top 50 craft producers by volume from 2016 to 2019, has struggled to maintain relevance as consumer preferences shift toward hard seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and lower-alcohol alternatives.

The COVID-19 pandemic proved particularly devastating for 21st Amendment. Distribution partnerships dissolved, including a key relationship with Brooklyn Brewery that had enabled national expansion. A dispute with a can supplier further constrained operations, forcing the brewery onto allocation-only basis for shipping. Meanwhile, the San Francisco brewpub has operated at just 40% of pre-pandemic capacity.

The 95.000 square foot San Leandro facility opened in 2015 in a former Kellogg’s cereal factory, at a time when craft beer was growing double digits annually.

The Legacy

Founded in 2000 during San Francisco’s dot-com boom, 21st Amendment helped pioneer the craft-beer-in-cans movement that would later sweep the industry. The brewery’s Second Street location, positioned strategically near what was then the new Pac Bell Park, became a watering hole for Giants fans and beer fans alike.

The San Leandro expansion represented 21st Amendments growing ambitions, with capacity to produce more than 375,000 barrels annually and room to even double that. At its peak, 21st Amendment ranked as the 26th largest craft brewery in the country by volume, per the Brewers Association.

Will There Be A Savior?

The founders remain hopeful that a buyer will emerge to continue 21st Amendment into the future. The brewery is actively seeking purchasers for either the brand, the facilities, or both. However, recent history suggests such rescues are increasingly rare in the current market environment – especially using Anchor Brewing that hasn’t found a sustainable paths forward after ownership changes.

The San Francisco brewpub is expected to close first, possibly as early as September 28 to coincide with the Giants’ final regular season home game. The San Leandro facility will wind down production over the next 60 days, with November 4 marked as the official closure date.

21st Amendment’s closure represents another significant loss for San Francisco’s once-thriving craft beer scene, joining recent casualties including Anchor Brewing, City Beer Store, and Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company. For an industry that once seemed unstoppable, the shuttering of such a prominent player serves as a sobering reminder of how dramatically the landscape has shifted in just a few short years.

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, Seasonal Return

21st Amendment Watermelon Funk is back for another summer

Back for another fun summer in the sun is 21st Amendment Watermelon Funk. The beer was first canned in June of last year. 

The brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat making an appearance on shelves means warm weather is finally here. Prior to Watermelon Funk’s debut last year, the San Francisco based brewery had been “funking with greatness” in small batches. The now well-known Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer was kettle soured Lactobacillus Planterum bacteria, resulting in the perfect complement to the slightly sweeter melon sibling.

…bright, tart, citrus notes, this beer finishes with a spicy farmhouse character from its French Saison yeast strain.

21st Amendment Watermelon Funk is brewed with 100% pure watermelon puree. Look for it nationally again in 12-ounce cans and draft for a limited time.

Style: American Sour/Wild Ale (w/ Watermelon)
Hops: Magnum
Malts: 2 Row, White Wheat

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: June 2017
Latest Return: Late May 2018

6.7% ABV

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, New Releases

21st Amendment Tales from the Kettle

21st Amendment Tales from the Kettle

Style: Scotch Ale (w/ Black Tea.)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft. Seasonal Release.

PIC: Beer Street Journal

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, New Releases

Lupulin powder heavy 21st Amendment Tasty IPA debuts in September

21st Amendment Tasty IPA debuts nationwide in September; a collaboration with a local homebrewer.

Mike “Tasty” McDole, an award winning homebrewer partnered with 21st Amendment on this “tasty” release. The 6.8% alcohol by volume India pale ale features Citra and Mosaic lupulin powder, along with Eukanot hops. This commercial recipe was spawned from McDole’s own homebrew test batches.

If you’ve seen the movie American Beauty, substitute the girl on the cover for McDole, hops for rose petals, and you have the can art. Incidentally, the design was drawn by Mark McDole, Tasty’s son.

“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. 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.” – Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder, and Brewmaster

21st Amendment Tasty IPA will be available in 12-ounce cans and draft as a limited release.

Style: IPA
Hops: Eukanot
Lupulin Powder: Citra, Mosaic

Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Distribution: AK, CA, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, MA, MD, ME, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WA, Washington D.C.
Debut: September 2017

6.8% ABV

Posted in Brooklyn Brewing, 21st Amendment Brewing, Beer News, Funkwerks, Headlines

Brooklyn Brewery purchases equity stakes in 21st Amendment, Funkwerks

New York based Brooklyn Brewery has taken minority stakes in both San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery (21A) and Fort Collins, Colorado’s Funkwerks. The trio is creating a combined sales team.

The baseline purpose of this deal is competition. The beer industry in the United States is rapidly changing as big beer companies, like Anheuser Busch InBev and Heineken, are purchasing craft breweries, plus the growth of private equity-backed breweries.

Rather than shop for a buyout, it is time to join forces.

Brad Lincoln, co-founder of Funkwerks tells Beer Street Journal that their brewery only has two salespeople, both in Colorado, yet ships to seven states. “We can’t afford more employees to compete in the markets that sustain us,” he said.

It’s a known fact that sales generally increase in distribution territories that have salespeople. 21A ships to 24 states, and boasts a 20 person sales team. Brooklyn touts nearly that many for just New York City.

The search for a solution rather than a cash-out led Lincoln to his close friend Dave Duffy, who is the vice-president of business development at Brooklyn Brewery. “Brooklyn is seasoned in brewery partnerships both here and abroad. They understand the challenges,” Lincoln said.

Yesterday, Michigan’s Short’s Brewing announced Heineken backed Lagunitas is buying a minority share in their brewery for similar reasons. Both Lincoln and Scott Newman-Bale of Short’s said nearly the same thing about their new financial associates: “They are a partner that will leave us alone and let us be us.”

Per Lincoln, “This is how we grow, fight, and compete, and eventually – grow.”

Throughout the rest of 2017, Brooklyn, 21st Amendment, and Funkwerks will be hard at work creating a national sales platform, slated to go live in January 2018. The idea of sharing brewing operations (ex. 21A brewing at Brooklyn) has been thrown out there, but no immediate plans to do so.

The equity percentages or value of Brooklyn’s financial investment were not disclosed.

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, New Releases

More Fruit: 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die Blood Orange IPA ships

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die Blood Orange IPA. The name pretty much speaks for itself.

Fruited India pale ales are very much on fire. Consumers have voted with their dollar- they love citrusy IPAs. That’s why Brew Free or Die Blood Orange IPA, a variant of their year-round beer, is now available in cans. The San Francisco, California based brewery has been developing this recipe for more than a year.

“Blood oranges were a totally new ingredient for us, and it was a lot of fun to play around with different approaches of where to add it into the process, and how much.” The result? A tangy, thirst-quenching, IPA with distinct flavors. “We want craft beer drinkers to understand that while this is a new and totally different beer, it has a great lineage, but when you crack open that can and get that first whiff of blood orange and hops… Oh man, it’s a thing of beauty.” – Shaun O’Sullivan, Brewmaster & Co-Founder

The base recipe is built off of the brewery’s’ year-round Brew Free or Die IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Chinook hops, at 2.5 pounds more per barrel. Plus blood orange of course.

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die Blood Orange IPA will be a 12 ounce can and draft release, starting in March, 2017.

Style: IPA (w/ Blood Orange)
Hops: Citra, Mosaic,Chinook
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.

Distribution: CA, OR, WA, AK, ID, MN, OH, MA, NY, IL, NJ, DC, NV, DE, MD, FL, VT, RI, PA, NH, ME, VA, GA, SC, NC.
Debut: March, 2017

7% ABV

Posted in 21st Amendment Brewing, Headlines, New Releases

21st Amendment El Camino (Un) Real, a 3-way Cali collab

21st Amendment El Camino (Un) Real, a three way collaboration with Firestone Walker and Stone Brewing will soon return.

The last time the world saw this collaboration was in 2011, when Stone Brewing released 12 ounce bottles of the unique beer. El Camino (Un) Real is a dark ale, brewed with fennel seeds, chia seeds, peppercorns and figs.

The name plays a massive importance in this beer. El Camino Real is a 600 mile stretch of road in California that connects 21 Spanish Missions. Missionaries and Native Americans grew crops like chia and fennel along the stretch. 21st Amendment El Camino (Un) Real brings three California breweries together in one can, plus a little history to boot.

Offering a glimpse into what many feel is the “real” California, the El Camino Real wends through the state’s coastline, mountains, fertile farming valleys, and traffic-heavy urban and suburban areas. And of course, you’ll also find the 21 California Missions, reminders of Father Junípero Serra’s and the Spanish missionaries’ attempts to convert the indigenous California residents to Catholicism.

21st Amendment El Camino (Un) Real is a 12 ounce can and draft release. Cans debuted at the brewery’s taproom the week of October 17th. National distribution to follow.

Style:            (w/ Fennel Seeds, Chia Seeds, Peppercorns, Figs)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: Mid-October, 2016

9.5% ABV, 76 IBUs