Shorts Black Licorice Lager

courtesy of the Shorts tasting night group. early ’07 bottle. pours blackish, oily black goodness with beige head. Aroma is loaded with licorice and mostly a strong chocolate scent followed by small hints of vanilla and mint / anise freshness. Flavor, overall the chocolate was very upfront and thick followed by light bourbon touch of vanilla and faint hints of mint / anise giving the overall palate a refreshing mouthfeel. Very original, extremely drinkable after 2+ years finished on a strong black licorice note. Never thought I would enjoy a fully loaded licorice beer that much.

Bottle #446/744. Shared by badnewsbeers. Deep brown body with reddish highlights, thin-medium clumping tan head. Strong licorice nose. Herbal, spicy body, rich and silky, with licorice and vanilla, coffee, chocolate, and delicate mint, creating a surprisingly dense flavor profile for such a light-feeling beer that lacks any syrupy tendencies. Excellent mouthfeel with sharp carbonation. This beer has held up remarkably well since its bottling date of 13 February 2007. A very good beer, innovative, rewarding, and fun to drink.

Bottled. Black coloured with a red gleam. Light brown head. Grassy and very spiced aroma. Loads of liqourice and some vanilla. Flavour of liqourice, marzipan, loads of sweets and some herbal notes. Spiced as hell and very odd in my book. Wellmade, but definately not to my likings. Medium bodied. Spicy liqourice in the end.

Another gem provided by hoppymeal. 750mL bottle #403 poured into a tulip. Pours dark brown out of the bottle and settles in completely black in the glass with a big billowy tan head that recedes fairly quickly but leaves tons of delicate lacing on the sides. Well, there’s definitely some licorice in this one! Sweet licorice just dominates the nose, much sweeter than the licorice I normally experience in beer. On top of that is the chocolaty mint aroma. I love this aroma. The taste just picks up where the aroma leaves off. The first sip taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream, with some dark malts in there to remind me its a beer. The finish brings back the black licorice which lingers through the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is fairly heavy for a lager with good carbonation and tons of sweetness that sticks to the mouth after each sip. Overall, this is a wonderfully crafted and very sweet dessert beer that’s not fooling around when it comes to the licorice. Their imperial series has been a wonderfully creative mix of beers and this is definitely one of my favorites. An outstanding beer.

Sample at Neil’s HSC initation. The beer pours a very dark brown color with a reddish tint around the edges. Medium beige head that diminishes quickly, and stringy lacing. Licorice/anise aroma that dominates immediately, plus a bit of roasted malt. Medium body with flavors of anise bread with black jellybeans baked in, and with some roasted malt and mint (thanks JaBier) notes. The finish is black licorice and malt. I feared "Sambrewca" but got an enjoyable and unique beer. I would definitely try this again.

Thanks to Beerlando and Northernbrews for the hookup. I really liked this. Like a few of the other experimental Short’s beers (Bloody Beer, Bananas N Blow, etc.) this is a weird one that hits the mark. It isn’t the most easy to drink, because it is a distinct flavor, but it certainly tastes exactly like it should without being too much of anything. The flavor is black licorice with bourbon and vanilla. Another good one from Short’s, in my opinion and worth trying just for the originality. Good and fun.

Bottle shared by Rogueone. Darkest brown pour with a thin tan head. Smells of anise (not anus, thank God), malt, chocolate and mint. Licorice flavor up front with vanilla, some alcohol and chocolate on the back end. Wasn’t sure about this one going in. I guess I was expecting carbonated Jagermeister, but there are many layers to the flavor.

A virtually black center shines with mahogany edges. Crowning the surface is a small, foamy, light brown head that lasts. Frosted windowpane lacing coats the glass well. The nose is completely unique and unlike any beer I’ve ever tried. Huge, sweet, black licorice notes explode from the glass, followed by a light chocolate roast and heaps of bourbony vanilla. Minty scents and a strong alcohol presence lend a slightly medicinal feel. The flavor shows considerably less licorice intensity, though the medicinal, minty, alcoholic overtone overpowers the underlying choco-vanilla, semi-sweet roast. Heavy and syrupy, not to mention overly alcoholic, this is not one I can drink much of. Off the wall and interesting, but ultimately not my style.