The beer maker celebrates 15 years with quality flagships, mixed packs, and strong seasonal releases – and the revival of a classic brand.
By Louis Livingston-Garcia
For 15 years, Evil Genius Beer Company has been a Philadelphia mainstay, building a recognizable identity around memorable beer names, a steady lineup of flagships and seasonals, and a sense of humor that helps the brand stand out in a crowded craft beer market.
Now, the brewery is entering a new chapter. Evil Genius recently acquired 21st Amendment Brewery, the longtime California craft brand that closed its original San Francisco brewpub and San Leandro production facility in November 2025. The acquisition gives Evil Genius an opportunity to revive a portfolio of well-known beers while expanding the reach of both brands.
21st Amendment had been in business for over 25 years, selling popular brands like Hell or High Watermelon and Brew Free! Or Die IPA across 29 states before it closed. Evil Genius has brought mostly everything back and kept it true to form.
“From a brand and recipe standpoint, nothing changed,” says Evil Genius and 21st Amendment Co-owner Luke Bowen. “We’re able to get the same ingredients, the same fruits, and the same artwork. We don’t need to do anything to make it better; it’s already great.”
It was imperative for Evil Genius to leave both the liquid and the branding alone, as the names and graphic design of the beers have become so popular, and also fit well with the Philadelphia-based brewery’s own stable of beers.
“The names of our beers are often inside jokes that we think are funny,” Bowen says of the Evil Genius branding, adding how 21st Amendment’s is similar. “With everything that’s out there, you have to find a way to stand out, and this is a way that we’ve decided to stand out in the marketplace today, and it seems to really resonate with people.”
Variety Pack pairs the classic IPA and Blood Orange
IPA with hazy and juicy versions, giving drinkers
both returning favorites and something new
to discover.
Bowen says they have just launched a 21st Amendment Brew Free! Or Die IPA Variety Pack, anchored by flagships Brew Free! or Die IPA, a more traditional West Coast IPA, and Brew Free! or Die Blood Orange IPA. The iconic IPAs will be joined by “hazy” and “juicy” versions. The hazy beer is one that is coming back from the brewery’s archive, while the juicy IPA is a completely new beer – but both are exclusive to the variety pack.
“So, there are new things people can try that were maybe around, but weren’t on the East Coast yet, or weren’t in a variety pack,” Bowen says.
Bowen is excited for this next step in the brand’s evolution, adding that they intend to bring back old favorites while continuing to innovate. And those favorites should be recognizable, as Bowen worked with 21st Amendment’s original founders to ensure the beer was brewed with them during the ownership transition. He didn’t want Evil Genius to just brew their version of the beer; he wanted to make sure it was what fans of Hell or High Watermelon remembered.
“When the customer tastes it, it’s gonna be exactly how they remembered it,” Bowen says. “That was really important to us; we didn’t want to make any major changes. We’re using literally ingredient for ingredient, the exact same stuff.”
Acquiring 21st Amendment just about quadrupled the size of Bowen’s operation overnight. It was an enormous scale for his team, but it made sense because Pennsylvania was 21st Amendment’s second largest state by volume outside of California.
And after some digging, Bowen says he found out the brand was big in the Northeastern part of the country, all the same states Evil Genius is relevant in.
Before 21st Amendment closed, it was distributed in 29 states, which Evil Genius has worked to restore, helping its own brand in the process.
“A lot of distributors from other parts of the country were like, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of Evil Genius; we’d love to have it in this market too. Can you ship it on the same truck?’” Bowen says. It has helped growth and expansion for Evil Genius, making the acquisition an “all around, really awesome win.”
As Bowen says, 21st Amendment’s beer also fits with its own branding with beers like Stacy’s Mom, 867-5309, #Adulting, and Fernando.
These beers make up the core of Evil Genius’s offerings, with Stacy’s Mom, its Citra-hop IPA, being its best seller. #Adulting is a year-round IPA infused with guava, while 867-5309 is its hazy IPA offering, which is new this year.
“Mexican-style lager Fernando has become a fan favorite,” Bowen says.
Seasonally, Purple Monkey Dishwasher, a chocolate peanut butter porter, is popular too, as well as Trick or Treat chocolate pumpkin porter, and holiday saison Santa! I Know Him.
“Those are really big beers for us,” Bowen says.
21st Amendment’s winter spiced ale Fireside Chat will also make a return for the holiday season before the end of the year. Other beers like Belgian strong dark ale Monk’s Blood and Back in Black black IPA are also on the horizon.
Bowen says both brands are doing well, and he’s excited for the future.
“I think a lot of it is just giving people what they want, right?” Bowen asks. “That’s a huge thing for us – understanding who our customer really is and making sure we’re delivering good, quality beer for them.”
As for Evil Genius specifically, Bowen hopes to see the brand alive and thriving for another 15 years, with 21st Amendment alongside it.
“We’re seeing growth in the core markets for 21st Amendment, and overall, we’ve been here 15 years, and we want to be here for another 15,” Bowen says. “So that’s our goal.”
About the Author: Louis Livingston Garcia helms the Tulip and Schooner beer and spirit newsletter for Heavy Table. If he isn’t traveling around the world with his wife to photograph wild bears, he is most likely playing soccer, watching soccer, playing video games, or reading with a pint of hazy IPA in hand.