Shorts Imperial Spruce India Pilsner

Brewed by Shorts Brewing Co.
Style: European Strong Lager
Bellaire, Michigan USA

This 750ml has been siting around and I thought why not open it for Liz, dalekliz a big fan of shorts. Also shared with my girlfriend. This bottle came via trade with the big man himself thickfreakness. Pours deep orange with a 2 finger tan head. Nose is sweet and hoppy with a touch of spruceyness. Taste is sweet, hoppy, with a huge punch of spruce, wow thats damn intense. Tons of piney spruce with a lot of flavor and complexity. I like this, its different and thats what Shorts does!

Big thanks to Randy for passing along this rarity, shared with the usual suspects at the Brick Store. Pours a light clear golden amber with a creamy off-white head that recedes to a collar pretty quickly and leaves very little lacing. The aroma is seriously fragrant and jumped out of the bottle. It’s dominated by the spruce and pine with some grassy notes and only a hint of the underlying malts. Plenty of similarities to this aroma and that of gin. The taste is even more intense. I have to imagine this is the closest I’ll get to drinking straight spruce sap. There is some juniper and grassy hops as well, but the hops have faded to the point that the spruce steals the show completely. I’d mentioned the underlying malts but I’m not sure I could really taste them. Them mouthfeel is definitely on the fuller side of things and pretty thick and sticky on the palate. Well, being a lover of pine hops, I was really looking forward to this one and it absolutely delivered the goods. It’s certainly intense and probably a little over-the-top, but since it’s intensity is focused on something I enjoy so much, I’ve got no other option but to love this beer. Thank you Shorts!

750 ml bottle 445/886 Brewed 4/30/07 (Purchased Shorts)-Pours a hazy orangish slightly amber. Aroma of hops, spruce, and malt. Flavor of the same. This medium bodied brew was great but I thought the spruce was a little too much.

Cloudy orange colour with a white head. Hoppy, piney aroma with fruity notes and a light soapy touch. Hoppy, piney and quite dry taste.

0.75 l bottle at Konttori, Tampere. Golden-orange color. Very pungent spruce aroma. Bittersweet flavor overpowered with spruce. There is also notes of lemon, honey, warming alcohol and herbal hops. Long sprucey and bitter aftertaste. This is like swallowing spruce needles, I could hardly finish my one third share of the bottle.

Thanks to Northernbrews for picking this up for me. WOW!! This thing is packed with spruce. Spicy, warm and full of pine, this is exceptional. By looking at the reviews, it looks like people either love it or hate it. This is original and stands out among other beers. Awesome.

Bottle. I love imperial pilsners. LOVE them. This beer really disappointed. The smell was awesome, crisp, piney, lots of fresh wheat notes. On my first sip I was crushed. It tasted like a tree branch, with strong sappy notes and wet bark. The finish was almost metallic but really just reminded me of when I was young and would twist and turn at a branch off the christmas tree until my hands were just raw with the scent of pine wood and sap. No malt character detectable, as the hops and bitters just dominate in a strange strange way. Seems like they used a weird sugar or something.

bottle. Pours a thick hazy deep amber color, half inch of off white head that stays around. Freaky muted minty aroma. Flavor shows loads of heavy, minty spruce flavor, and a distinct medicinal quality. Palate is thick and syrupy, though finish suprisingly clean. An interesting brew, but not very drinkable or enjoyable.