Shorts Anniversary Ale 2009

Brewed by Shorts Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Bellaire, Michigan USA

Fuck yes. Blood oranges so unbelievably fresh and zesty, prickly and citruscy. Huge frothy and full texture, agressively hopped but not overly bitter. Wonderfully fresh and juicy. Just awesome.

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub, a wheatwhine with a lot of oranges and peppercorn. Dark brown and lacey. Full mouthfeel. Malty and licorice.

Growler. Thanks, BVC! Pours deep muddy brownish orange with a loose ring of grayish bubbles. No lace. Tons of sharp blood oranges hit you on the nose right away. A little sweeter and tangier than Campari, for sure, but you still brace yourself for that bitter jolt that you know is coming. Creamy medium body, and then the onslaught of flavor varieties starts--sweet pepperiness, dark spiciness, earthy notes, black bread, but, most of all, orange zest and that sharp blood orange bitterness that hits you like a wet towel snapping on the back of your legs. Bracing and refreshing, while still being ultra complex and interesting. A real classic for these guys--would be a shame to see it relegated to one-off status.

bvc you are the man, man for sharing this rarity. Shared this with some cool dudes on the roof of my girlfriends apartment. Cool dudes present were bvc, suzygreenberg, me, mj, tar, and after4ever. Super spicy hop nose, lots of orange citrus. Earth as well. Really intriguing nose on this one. Dark amber pour nice lasting head. The flavor is full of citrus and spice. Oranges, pepper, and earthy bitterness. Perhaps a little too spicy for my liking, but it still was fantastic nonetheless. Light alcohol warmth, but at 11.7% it was hidden well. Fuck yeah hoes! Hey Terrel Pryor, you should learn to go through your progressions please!

GABF2009 - tons of spruce and juicy hop goodness - a lot of nice heat that seems to be equally from alcohol and the peppercorns - quite a bit of sweet orange through the middle, then some tangy orange zest through the finish - the wheat finally comes through on the end, lending itself well to the tanginess of the orange peel - ends peppery and fairly bitter - another good-not-great brew from shorts.

Courtesy of northernbrews

Growler: The aroma is loaded with oranges with a hint of grapefruit hops. The flavor starts with lots of oranges with some citrus tanginess in the background long with some caramel. Moderate grapefruit hops in the finish do a nice job of balancing the flavor, but the oranges always stand out. There’s a faint spiciness in the finish as well. The alcohol is well hidden. Medium-full bodied with moderate-lively carbonation.

#1900. Growler (one of only four that were filled from what I understand), courtesy our main man northernbrews. Pours dark and hazy, reddish sienna brown in color. A thin blanket of beige colored foam settles to a swirly film, with a dense, sugary wash breaking apart into jagged, hoizontal lines of lacing. The nose is off the charts complex. A myriad of spices come through, everything from orange peel and coriander to spicy peppercorn and strong, resinous, piny hops. Blood orange sweetness and strikingly bitter grapefruit play off of one another nicely, with underlying dark candy malts and traces of ginger. The flavor is equally perplexing, sweet caramel and dark candy sugar malts accompanied by heaps of blood orange, ruby red grapefruit, sharp ginger spice, and bitter coriander. Pine resin hops and sharp grapefruit lend substantial bitterness to the underlying malty sweetness. The palate is huge and somewhat syrupy, a bit hot on the tongue, definitely not shy with the alcohol. Overall, there’s alot to take in, but this is really well pulled together and completely unique. Great beer.

GABF 09 Odd aroma wouldn’t have said orange, not bad, but different. Odd flavor intriguing, but a bit off lemon grass w/ some blood orange over a bit of alcohol. Not that good.