The brewery was founded in August 2000 by Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan. The two had developed the idea for 21st Amendment brewery while attending a brewing class together at UC Davis. O’Sullivan had previously worked as an assistant brewer at Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse in Berkeley,[1] 20 Tank Brewery and Steelhead Brewing in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Business Times wrote that it "made a name for itself as a local brewery and restaurant where SoMa techies could lunch and Giants fans could gather before a game."[2] It has been voted "Best Brewpub", "Best Burger" and "Best Happy Hour" by the San Francisco Press.
Prior to 2015, 21st Amendment's retail beers were canned in Cold Spring, Minnesota.[3] In 2012, 21st Amendment planned to case 45,000 barrels of beer, up from 28,000 in 2011.[2] In 2014, plans were announced to open a production facility and tasting room in San Leandro, California.[4] The production brewery started brewing in 2015 and currently has capacity at 150,000 - 180,000 barrels. In 2018 the company was named by the Brewers Association the 26th largest craft brewery in the United States.[5]
Beers
21st Amendment's slogan, "Celebrate the right to be original," is displayed on many of their cans, 6-pack and 4-pack carriers, posters, merchandise and website.[6]
They brew and can several year-round beers including Brew Free! or Die IPA, Blood Orange Brew Free! or Die IPA, Blah Blah Blah Double IPA, El Sully Mexican-style Lager; seasonal beers including Hell or High Watermelon wheat, Tasty IPA, and Fireside Chat winter spiced ale; and limited-offering Insurrection Series beers. Historically, this included beers like Hop Crisis Imperial IPA, Monks Blood Belgian-style dark ale, Marooned on Hog Island oyster stout, and He Said Belgian Tripel/He Said Baltic Porter. They also offer a rotating assortment of beers that are available on tap only.[6]
The 21st Amendment has also brewed a few of their brands at F.X. Matt in Utica, New York as part of their partnership with Brooklyn Brewery. The 21st Amendment also is part of a sales platform with Brooklyn Brewery and Funkwerks out of Fort Collins, Colorado.
