Shorts Anniversary Ale Part Deux Original Version

Brewed by Shorts Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Bellaire, Michigan USA

A still coppery pour. Glass bubbles around the rim. Husky cereals, dried caramel and sharp perfume aroma; hoppy, and dusky, with a strange crunchy sweetness; sugary, a bit, like angel food cake.

A firm, darkly bitter flavor; lots of woodiness, lots of floral texture, and lots of pine; alcohol is somewhat blatant currently, but in a sweet perfume character that isn’t all bad, though it’s quite papery and dull, and seemingly just old. The malts drip with mildew and cardboard wetness.

Full palate; oily and loose; barely-there carbonation. Some faint citrus and tropical fruit hops gather some sunshine near the finish, but it fades on alcoholic pine bitterness and a basic wooden sweetness, quickly. A run of the mill old example. Thanks Ken!

12oz bottle, purchased at the brewery. Pours a mostly clear, bright orange-amber color; thin off-white head with patchy lacing. Very sweet, sticky sugar in the aroma with just a touch of orange and citrus; bland, lightly astringent, and decently bitter. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: dried oranges, pervasive stale bitterness, and very basic sugary maltiness underneath; essentially a big, sticky, and (seemingly) old double IPA; not very good at all. Barely drinkable. Lengthy finish: cardboard, sticky sweet sugar, stale malts, and dried oranges.

12oz bottle. big thanks to holdenn for magically finding some room to bring this back from his visit to the brewery during his long bike trip around Lake Michigan. Thanks man! pours hazy golden amber with small soapy white head around the rim. not much carbonation on this one. aroma is sugary, sort of like kool aid sugar, sort of a woody citrus quality to it. lacks much depth in the hop aroma dept. flavor is really bitter grapefruit, pine, cane sugar. a caramelized and boozy finish. sticky and syrupy feel.

12oz bottle purchased at the brewery. The aroma was of caramel, light citrusy hops, subdued molasses, and leather shoe. There were also whiffs of cherry and spruce needles. Poured a clear medium orange color with an off white head that left only minimal lace behind. Slightly sweet with moderate to high hop bitterness that peaked at about 6-7 out of 10. Light to medium bodied with carbonation on the lower end of the spectrum. Hops dominated the flavor with orange and spruce elements. Some light caramel hid in the background. Pretty good.

bottle from mibirder. My least favorite of the three versions of this beer. Cloying. Jumbled flavor profile. Nothing spectacular.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, light amber body with tiny, short-lived white head. Smell: Resinous hop aroma of citrus and pine with a meager bit of malt lingering tired and dazed in the background. Taste: Scant malt flavor and sweetness. Sharp, resoundingly citric hop taste with a moderate bitterness. A taste of aspirin ground with mortar and pestle that, instead of curing me of pains, only caused a headache (I’m glad but also sad to see I’m not the only one around to have tasted that). Finishes as dry and bitter as one might imagine. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Mild carbonation. Slightly oiliness. Drinkability: Fell way short when compared with that lovely Grapefruit version of the Part Deux Anniversary Ale.

Name: Anniversary Deux Original
Date: 02/23/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: hazy burnt orange, scant beige head,
Aroma: sweet crystal malt aroma with lots of citrus hops,
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of bitter grapefruit for balance and then some, lasting bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+/4

Pours a transparent bright orange bronze with a thin ring of white head. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malt and grapefruity citrusy hops. Body starts with some sweet pale malt and fresh grapefruity hops before a drier warming bittersweet finish. Could be a little more crisp, but still a decent double IPA.