Shorts Bloody Beer

Brewed by Shorts Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Bellaire, Michigan USA

Rating #666. Bottle purchased at the brewery. Way UNDERRATED, particularly since this beer builds in flavor as you allow it to open up. If you’re only sipping an ounce, I don’t think you’re doing this one justice. Smells just like a Bloody Mary - aggressive with spicy peppercorns, tomato juice, and celery. Tastes much like it smells along with the addition of hops. Balanced and interesting - what’s not to love?

Enjoyed in our hotel room for GABF 2007; thanks to awaisanen and his Michigan connections. We enjoyed this one morning (seemed appropriate) late in the weekend (Saturday, I think), when none of us really wanted to get up or drink much more. Good hair of the dog for the occasion. Smells like celery, dill, parsley, allspice, all over bloody mary mix. Nice thin foam head that regenerates continually. Flavor was mostly very spicy over a lightly vegetal base: pepper, salt, ginger, with some dark yeast right before the finish. The finish is when the tomato starts to come out, but it’s not overpowering (which was my fear at first, since I’m not a huge tomato fan). Andy hit the nail on the head when he picked out horseradish (or wasabi) in the finish, with a pistachio nuttiness too. Turned out to be a great morning beer. A unique experience, and it added to my love of Shorts at the fest.

From a 750mL Bottle, #108/865. Purchased at the brewpub 9/2/2007. Pours a somewhat hazy, orange-tinged honey color with a huge layer of fluffy ivory head. The nose is a bit herbal and sweet, kind of like a cream based marinara sauce. Big time fresh celery aroma with a mild horseradish spice. Peppery. Distinctly Bloody Mary. Medium light bodied, creamy mouthfeel with a soft, plush texture. The flavors start off with a graham cracker malt character, sharpened by a mild tomato acidity. The malt character is actually quite nice, and it helps to hold this one firmly in the realm of being beer-like, for as experimental and off-the-map as it is. As it dries and lingers on the palate, more and more pepper character emerges in the form of toasted tellicherry. Spicy, but delicious. The perfect breakfast beer.

Thanks to Beerlando and Northernbrews for the Short’s goodness. Special thanks to Short’s for having the balls to brew something like this. Wow. This beer accomplishes everything it sets out to. Not nearly as thick as I would have expected. Mouthfeel is fairly thin. Aroma is strong on the spices, especially the peppercorn, and celery. Flavor is lighter than expected but full of peppercorns. I actually really like it. It is wierd. It is original, and it isn’t too far over the top to be gross. Thumbs up!

Appearance: Pours a clearish, amberish body with a small, though sustained, white head. Smell: A real treat to smell, you can easily pick out the tomatoes, horseradish, dill, and spices. Yes, yes, it’s starting to remind me of... Taste: A blend of lager beer and Bloody Mary Mix. A nice, distinct, though not overdone horseradish and pepper spiciness. Somewhat mild, lightly sweetish tomato character. A hint of sugar and rock salt. Bloody Mary through and through on the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: As with the Peaches & Creme, it’s quite interesting, although I may lean towards that beer in terms of drinkability. However, they set a goal to reach and delivered in terms of honest-to-goodness Bloody Mary flavor. Other specialty beers fall way short of this, so kudos to Short’s in that regard.

750ml bottle. Poured a medium and cloudy orangie color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of celery (freshly cut), tomatoes, and dill. Wow, what a different aroma. Tastes of celery, tomatoes, V8, horseradish, and spices. This one really stood out. Bloody Mary all over it! I’m impressed with the couple of Short’s beers I’ve had. I wish I could get more beers from them!

Quite a unique brew here. Thanks a bunch to Derek! Lots of tomatoes and pepper in the aroma. I get a lot of dill on the pallate. They really did nail the bloody mary taste, as its fairly close. All the Roma’s dont overpower the beer, which is nice. It did get to be a bit overwhelming towards the end of the bottle, but overall, it works.

I love what Shorts is doing up there. When they add spices and fruits and what have you, you can really smell and taste them. They make it obvious but not deadly. Poured a hazy gold color. The aroma was of ground table pepper (like those little fast food packets) and tomato. It really smelled like a Bloody Mary. I need these for my Sunday mornings. The flavor again was of tomato juice and peppery. I hint of spice to the tongue. Light bodied.