REVIEW: 21st Amendment Lower De Boom

Barleywine week continues. It got off to a great start with Great Divide's Old Ruffian on Monday and today, we move on to a brewery that has been really impressing me over the last few months, 21st Amendment. Recently I have enjoyed the hell out of their Sneak Attack Saison and their Marooned on Hog Island oyster stout was absolutely terrific. Today I'm taking a look at their newest, Lower De Boom, a 92 IBU, 11.5% ABV beast. This is one big beer in one little can. That's probably a good thing though. Speaking of the can, I dig the minimalist style on this one. 21st Amendment has really endeared themselves to me with their detailed, quirky can art, but the simplicity of this one, the gold brick look, makes it stand out quite a bit. Enough about the can, let's get to what's inside it. To the beer!

Lower De Boom pours a slightly hazed ruby red/ chestnut brown. It's beautifully complemented by vibrant highlights of brilliant copper and gold. A dense finger of off white head leaves great spidery lacing.

Resinous, earthy hoppiness leads the way on the nose. The hops are backed by a rum like character with notes of caramel and vanilla. Apple and nectarine hints add a bit of juicy fruitiness. I'm also picking up a bit of cinnamon in there as well.

Lower De Boom is medium to full bodied, honestly a bit lighter than I was anticipating, with a wonderfully creamy, slightly syrupy, mouth-coating mouthfeel. The booziness here is ever present. It starts out sharp, mellows, and then lingers as a robust long, liquor-like warming in the back of the throat. The hop flavors are quite pronounced. Big citrusy flavors of lemon and grapefruit are joined by quite a bit of bitterness. The malt body has a very strong sweet toffee/ caramel malt along with a very interesting vanilla note. The beer starts of sweet but through the sip, the bitterness eventually wins out.

I think I may have done this beer a bit of a disservice in taking a look at it immediately following Old Ruffian. This beer is quite tasty, and well worth checking out, but it doesn't display that deft balance that Old Ruffian does. Lower De Boom is very good and I think might make an excellent candidate for cellaring. A year or two might mellow a bit of that bitterness and booziness and bring some more complexities to the surface. Hmm, I think I may have to go buy another four pack.

HD