Sunday, December 10, 2006

A Visit to 21st Amendment in San Francisco, CA

Life is made up of pluses and minuses, pros and cons, right? Well, that was how I would sum up my night at 21st Amendment this past week. Travelling to San Francisco on business this past week meant no late nights of indulgence (or, especially, over-indulgence). But, I absolutely needed to get to 21st Amendment in the ever-changing neighborhood at the south end of the Embarcadero by AT&T Park of the San Francisco Giants. Why? Because there's been some very good press surrounding their holiday endeavor...Holiday Spice Ale. All I really wanted to do was have some dinner, have a taste of the Holiday Spice and one or two others. Plus, after two previously-failed attempts to get my lips on some of their much-heralded Watermelon Wheat (success seemed to drain the available supply during the course of 2006), I was hoping to also walk away with some of the canned version. Success on both of these fronts! Ok, what's the minus you ask? (you asked, right?!) Well, this whole work thing came into conflict with an intriguing event they were having on this particular evening called Big Holiday Beer School. Perhaps there really was no conflict as I made the firm decision to only sit at the bar downstairs and not join the 50 other lucky people upstairs partaking in some delectable Belgians and other beer from around the world. Oh, the agony! This is not to say that I didn't make my own good time downstairs. Afterall, Brian from Wynnewood, PA (just miles from my hometown) was tending bar, the bar area was filled with a great mix of afterwork revelers, and the food and beer were right on target as usual. So, no Beer School for me. But, Watermelon Wheat (in cans) and Holiday Spice Ale (22oz. bomber) made their way home with me. Pros and cons. Balance sucks, I want all pros :) Over the past couple of years of getting to know 21st Amendment, I find that these guys (Shaun, Nico, and the crew) just keep getting markedly better at what they do. They could certainly earn the nickname, The San Francisco Treat, if it wasn't already copyrighted.

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