21st Amendment Tax Settlement, Gen Z Drinking Trends, and Ranch Beer on Craft Beer Republic

A new episode of the Craft Beer Republic podcast is available now, with Greg and Flex discussing the 21st Amendment tax settlement, Evil Genius Beer Company's acquisition of the brewery's brand rights, new Gen Z drinking data, and a ranch dressing cream ale headed to the Minnesota State Fair.

The episode, titled The Hemporer's New Beer, also includes an aggressively skunky New Belgium beer story, an expired hazy IPA purchase, and an unexpected redemption for a WeldWerks Brewing Company sour.

21st Amendment Reaches Tax Settlement After Brewery Closure

21st Amendment agreed to pay $423,681.93 as an offer in compromise with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The TTB claimed the brewery owed more than $1.2 million after failing to timely file or pay federal excise taxes between January 2018 and November 2025.

The settlement is connected to 21st Amendment's closed San Leandro, California brewery. Greg and Flex question how the tax issue continued for roughly seven years without being resolved.

Evil Genius Acquires 21st Amendment Brand Rights

Philadelphia-based Evil Genius Beer Company acquired the brand rights to 21st Amendment in April and resumed distribution of the brewery's portfolio. The transaction keeps established brands in circulation despite the closure of the San Leandro production facility.

The 21st Amendment news adds another brewery acquisition and brand-rights deal to a craft beer industry already dealing with closures, ownership changes, and financial pressure.

Gen Z Drinking Trends Challenge the Sober Generation Label

A global survey of approximately 32,000 legal-drinking-age consumers across 19 markets found that 74 percent of Gen Z respondents drink alcohol. That figure increased from 66 percent when the survey began three years earlier.

In the United States, 71 percent of legal-age Gen Z respondents reported drinking alcohol, slightly above the overall national rate of 70 percent. Millennials posted the highest drinking rate at 81 percent, followed by Gen X at 77 percent.

The broader trend is not complete abstinence. Consumers across generations are drinking less frequently and consuming fewer drinks on each occasion. Gen Z respondents were also more likely to drink socially in groups of five or more and reported the highest cocktail participation.

Ranch Dressing Beer Heads to the Minnesota State Fair

Dual Citizen Brewing Company is serving Old Ranch Hand at the Minnesota State Fair. The ranch dressing flavored cream ale combines malt with buttermilk, herbs, and spices.

The 5 percent ABV beer will be served with a ranch-seasoned salt rim at select food stands. Greg says he would try it because he already likes ranch with pizza, while Flex prefers more pizza sauce and considers ranch an unnecessary complication.

The discussion becomes a full pizza sauce dispute. Flex dips regular pizza into additional red sauce, while Greg uses as little tomato sauce as possible and prefers Alfredo, garlic sauce, or barbecue sauce on pizza.

The Hemperor HPA Leaves a Skunky Draft Line Behind

A BeerAdvocate story describes New Belgium's The Hemperor HPA as so aggressively skunky that normal draft-line cleaning could not remove the smell. After repeated flushing attempts, the entire beer line reportedly had to be replaced.

The hemp pale ale used hop flavors and hemp hearts to create an intentionally dank profile. Flex compares the story to opening a Heineken in his kitchen and briefly searching the backyard for what he thought was an actual skunk.

Featured Craft Beers

• El Segundo Brewing Company's Burn Off: A 6.7 percent hazy IPA brewed with Sultana, Centennial, Citra, Columbus, and Corio hops. Greg finds the beer malty, light in body, and nearly ten months old.

• WeldWerks Brewing Company's Watermelon Cotton Candy Sour Ale: A 4.7 percent sour brewed with cotton candy floss and watermelon juice. Flex initially expects another disaster but gives the beer a perfect rating.

• New Belgium's The Hemperor HPA: A hemp pale ale remembered for an intensely dank and skunky aroma.

• The Alchemist Heady Topper: The Vermont double IPA comes up while Flex discusses notable beers he has never been able to find locally.

• New Belgium 1554: Greg recalls the dark ale as the best beer he drank during a previous New Belgium brewery tour.

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Expired Hazy IPA and Watermelon Sour Redemption

Greg buys a four-pack of Burn Off without checking the date and discovers the hazy IPA is approximately ten months old. The beer tastes more like a traditional IPA made hazy than a hazy IPA designed around a softer modern profile.

Flex approaches the WeldWerks Watermelon Cotton Candy Sour Ale with even lower expectations. A previous strawberry version smelled and tasted like vomit, and opening the watermelon release initially triggers the same reaction.

Once poured into a glass, the beer delivers fresh watermelon, sour tartness, and a cotton candy finish. Flex gives it a 5.00 rating and immediately regrets purchasing only one can.

Episode Stories Include Bachelor Party Bed Shoes

A report about an intoxicated Cleveland man disrobing in the street brings back a story from Greg's joint bachelor and bachelorette party. After returning to the rental house heavily intoxicated, Greg went upstairs and fell asleep fully dressed with his shoes still on.

When his future wife tried to remove his shoes, Greg briefly misunderstood what she was doing. The story settles two questions: Greg can sleep in shoes, and bachelor party optimism can survive severe intoxication.

Listen to Craft Beer Republic

The Hemporer's New Beer is available now from Craft Beer Republic. The episode features craft beer news, brewery business updates, beer industry trends, and reviews of El Segundo Brewing Company and WeldWerks Brewing Company releases. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.