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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio
Great beer in cans.

When we chatted up DRAFT magazine editor Erika Reitz in March, she was hot on fruit beer, especially the Come Hell or High Watermelon Wheat from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco. Way back then, you couldn't get this beer in Pennsylvania. But today, my friends, by some miracle of modern monopoly bureaucracy, 21st Amendment is on� shelves in Philly.

I was thrilled to grab a case of the Watermelon Wheat today at Bella Vista Beer & Soda Distributor. At $37.95 before tax, it ain't the best deal ever, but neither is it as spendy as a trip to San Fran.

The beer pours as hazy as the June gloom in SoCal, with a moderate bright white head. The nose is pure sunshiny watermelon, which comes through in the finish, as well. I find most wheat beers under-hopped and insipid, but this one stays crisp and refreshing all the way through. The 5.2 percent ABV is effective but not deadly.

21st Amendment Brewery has pioneered not only acceptable-tasting fruit beer, but good beer packaged exclusively in cans. Their jazzy, watermelon-green box lists Good Reasons To Open A Can Of Beer:

  • Cans keep beer fresher because the beer never sees the light
  • Cans are lined so they don't affect the flavor of the beer inside
  • Cans weigh less than glass and chill faster
  • Cans are easier to recycle and more often recycled than glass
  • Cans use less energy to to produce and transport than glass
  • Cans fit the craft beer drinker's lifestyle. They go where no glass dares: beaches, parks, stadiums, boats, pools, golf courses...

21st Amendment Brewery cases are available at Bella Vista Beer & Soda Distributor, 738 S. 11th St., 404-555-1426


clint
Posted 2009-06-19 08:53:35
I am so intrigued by this.  Artificial watermelon flavoring (or the real thing) is the shit.
Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 3:00 PM  Permalink | File Under: Booze | | Brew Revue | Post a comment
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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews herethose are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to drew.lazor@citypaper.net.

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