Monk's Blood

While I admit that I am not what you may call a beer drinker, Cleveland has rubbed off on me in yet another way.  I have found some really great beers.

21st Amendment is a San Francisco based craft brewer (named after the repealing of Prohibition).  One reason that I really love 21st Amendment is they are one of the few craft brewers to pack their beers in aluminum cans rather than glass bottles.  Cans have a lot of benefits over bottles.  They use 75% less packaging, which makes the beer lighter, and therefore easier to transport.  In addition, they do not shatter dangeously while being shipped.  If you are cringing to think about drinking a good beer out of a metal can, you should also know that the cans used in brewing today are lined and so do not give off any sort of metal taste that canned beer once had years ago.  I usually just pour it in a glass either way.  

21st Amendment has had some amazing seasonal ales in the past that I will not even go into because you can not buy them now...not until the next season hopefully (like Fireside Chat, a winter ale).  However, there are two great ones that are out on the market right now: Bitter American and Monk's Blood.  I am unfortunately in love with Monk's Blood.  Infact, I was in such a passionate conversation with the Whole Food's beer guy (they had it on tap at my Whole Foods) about the delicious flavors in Monk's Blood, that and elderly woman, who was shopping near me, became so interested, that she had me pick up a pack and put it in her cart for her.  I was happy to!

To give you a feel for what the flavor is, these are the special ingredients listed in Monk's Blood: Dark Belgian candi sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, dried black mission figs

and it is aged in Oak.  But do not be fooled, there is nothing sweet about this beer, just a full flavor.  It is best to drink it cool, but not ice cold, as the warmer temperature allows the flavors to become more pronounced.  It also has an 8.3% alcohol content (a little on the heavy side) which I like.
I know that everyone has their own taste in beer, or maybe you think that you can not stand beer (like me a few years ago).  I am just here to let you know what is out there.  This is an incredible beer on its own...and ofcourse like nothing you could ever find in a can.