On my way home from work last Friday, I stopped in at the grocery store to pick up some food for my cat and, inevitably, 15 other things I didn’t realize I needed until I was there. After filling my basket, I swung by the beer aisle (my favorite aisle) to pick out my weekend six pack.

In recent weeks, I’ve started buying a new beer for Friday and Saturday night at-home consumption, in an effort to expand curiosity and tighten my bar budget. Though limited in its quantities, this store has a fairly diverse selection of craft brews and I can usually find something I’m happy to bring home. Last Friday was one exception.

This delicious session ale from 21st Amendment Brewery, admittedly, first caught my attention with its packaging (marketing works!), but I remembered how much I had enjoyed other beers of theirs I’ve tried, so I was excited to add this one to my list. The American political/historical motif runs through the names of most of their beer, and as a self-proclaimed nerd, I can’t not want to order a brew called Fireside Chat or Brew Free! or Die IPA. I mean, I’m only human.

The Bitter American, described on the box as an “extra pale ale with bold malt and hop flavors” packed an enormous hit to the taste buds. And it looks pretty, too.

The lack of head in this glass can be attributed to user error in this case. I can’t always pour a perfect glass, you know? But just look at that rich, malty color. I was amazed. Call me narrow-minded, but I’m still surprised when I empty a can of craft-brewed, quality beer into a glass and it doesn’t look like this:

With the Bitter American, I was very pleasantly surprised. It had that intense hoppy flavor (42 IBUs) I continuously search for, and mellowed out nicely at the end. At only 4.4% ABV, it’s the kind of beer I could drink all day (which I just learned is the intention of a session beer), and I did.

There’s that beautiful head! I also love the cans. Over at 21st Amendment in San Francisco, they put a lot of thought and detail into the packaging of their beer, which I always admire. That tongue-in-cheek aspect is never lost on me, either.

After a few of these, I was starting to become a a bitter American, but only after reading one too many articles about Rick Santorum.