21st Amendment Brewery is back in business
Philadelphia's Evil Genius is bringing beloved 21st Amendment beers, including Hell or High Watermelon, Brew Free! or Die IPA, and more back to its coast-to-coast distribution footprint
21st Amendment Brewery will return to coolers coast-to-coast this summer, thanks to Evil Genius Beer Company. The Philadelphia-based brewer, known for its nostalgic and irreverent approach to craft beer, is continuing 21st Amendment’s legacy and beloved year-round 21A brews: Hell or High Watermelon, the cult classic that pioneered the fruited wheat beer category, both Brew Free! or Die flagship West Coast IPA and its citrus-infused variant Brew Free! or Die Blood Orange, and the award-winning retro-americana Amendment Lager.
Founded in 2011 by Luke Bowen and Trevor Hayward, Evil Genius has spent nearly 15 years building deep distributor relationships and proving that a craft brewery can maintain a sense of humor while remaining serious about quality. Under stewardship of Evil Genius, 21st Amendment will remain the independent, craft brand that fans have come to love over the past 25 years.
“We are taking a back-to-basics approach with no rebrands, no recipe changes, and no corporate buzzwords,” said Bowen. “21A beers have been on tap next to ours since we started. We met in person through a mutual friend and shared excitement over our love of beer. This isn’t a big beer takeover. This is about two guys who love great beer ensuring that a brand people genuinely love stays in their fridges–and ours.”
Named for the amendment that ended Prohibition in 1933, 21st Amendment was founded in 2000 by Nico Freccia and Shaun O'Sullivan. The brewery was a foundation of the craft-beer-boom of the 2000s, leading the craft-beer-in-cans movement and building accessibility for craft with its invitation to not take beer too seriously. Over its storied 25-year history, the brewery expanded beyond the Bay Area to reach status as a Top 50 U.S. craft brewery by volume.
"We share the same core values: make great beer, and have fun with it,” said Bowen. “We looked at what Nico and Shaun had built over the past 25 years and knew it was special."
Evil Genius currently distributes its lineup, including flagship IPA Stacy’s Mom, in eight states across the North East, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. With a rate of sale growing more than 10% over the past 12 months, the brewery is positioned to grow into new markets this year as it stabilizes demand in 21st Amendment’s previous distribution footprint.
“As we work to meet the existing demand of 21st Amendment coast-to-coast and expand Evil Genius’ footprint, we’re exploring additional opportunities and how to scale production to support beer freshness and distributor needs,” said Bowen. “With the consolidation of the industry, there is a lot of great beer and brands with rich histories at risk of being left behind. We want to prevent the industry from losing legacies. We’re open for business.”
21st Amendment is now available in California across NorCal and the Bay Area and in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. Evil Genius will leverage 21st Amendment's existing distributor relationships to reach a coast-to-coast distribution footprint by June.
“It’s been an incredible 25-year run here in San Francisco. I’m excited to see 21st Amendment head into its next chapter with Evil Genius and to get beers like Hell or High Watermelon and Brew Free! or Die Blood Orange IPA back out to the people who’ve been missing them,” said Shaun O’Sullivan, original co-founder and former brewmaster of 21st Amendment Brewery.
As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, 21st Amendment is back to help us honor the city where it all started and the amendment that made craft beer possible. Evil Genius’ home-state of Pennsylvania is also 21st Amendment’s second-largest market, just behind California.
Raise a pint to the freedom to brew what you want, the obligation to have fun, and the right to be original. If you’re interested in finding it, get in touch at contact@21st-Amendment.com.
About 21st Amendment Brewery
21st Amendment Brewery was founded in 2000 in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood by Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan. Over the past 25 years, it has become one of the most beloved independent craft beer brands in the country, building a national following and pioneering the craft can movement. Famous for creating iconic beers like Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and the Brew Free! or Die IPA series, the brewery established a reputation for quality and irreverence that earned it a dedicated following coast-to-coast. Celebrate the right to be original: online 21st-amendment.com, on Instagram @21stamendment, and Facebook @21stamendment.
About Evil Genius Beer Company
Philadelphia’s independent brewery Evil Genius Beer Company was founded in 2011 by Luke Bowen and Trevor Hayward. Evil Genius has spent nearly 15 years proving that a craft brewery can be serious about quality without taking itself too seriously. Its lineup of beers, including flagship IPA Stacy’s Mom, are driven by quality and personality and currently distributed in eight states across the Northeast, Mid Atlantic and Midwest. For more info, visit evilgeniusbeer.com or give a shout on social @evilgeniusbeer.