Shorts Imperial Spruce India Pilsner

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

Bottle @ Kolding Shorts Tasting, 18.09.08.
Pours a great, clear golden with a medium, frothy, white head. Fine duration. Aroma has a ton of pine, forest, wood and hops. Fine mouthfeel, rather creamy. Flavour is just far too much, an entire pine tree dumped into my beer. Hops and mint as well.

750ml graciously shared by Tom aka CaptainCougar. Thanks man! This is really a memorable beer. Highly aromatic, like a Christmas tree doused in a sticky IIPA. Piny spruce madness. The alcohol is quite well hidden. The taste is all hop, spruce, and the associated flavors that come with that territory. Excellent beer.

Bottle. [Drikkeriget Grand Shorts Imperial Series tasting, thanks to Jeppe for another great session] Another very unique beer and my first spruce beer. What became clear was the use of the word “pine” in regards to hoppy aroma is all misleading. This was how pine, pinewood, pine needle etc smells like. Average creamy off-white head that mostly diminished. Spare display of lacework. Cloudy golden yellow color. Aroma of true pine tree – pinewood, also some sweet pine like notes. Grassy, citrus and floral notes could also be picked up. Over the palate came bitter pine that wasn’t to pleasant. The aroma was fantastic, but I did not enjoy drinking this one. Full bodied with a soft carbonation. Heavy bitter harsh flavor with some counter sweetness. Earthy and piney lingering bitter finish.

GABF 2007. OK. I don’t know what’s going on here. This shiz is dope. Maybe it’s not as good in bottles as it was on tap. Maybe there’s a new batch that’s not as good as the first. Maybe it falls off A LOT when not sampled fresh. Maybe there’s something in the air in North Carolina that spoils it. Anyway, y’all betta recognize the Shorts Spruce. Toasted malts, spruce, and an underlay of grapefruit on the nose. If an aroma can have a texture, this would be "buttery." Honestly, this smells and (especially) tastes like pure spruce needle essence, surrounded by soft cracker malts (like an awesome lovechild of saltines and graham crackers). Hops and spruce in the finish 4-ev-R. Carbonation is perfect, biting at first and then gentle sussurations of sea foam. Bam. Yeah: bam.

Dr dre made this song called gin and juice... could have been this beer he was thinking of. Pours a piss-yellow moisty body med a clear white head. The taste is bitter, and parfumed like an overparfumed sweating southeuropean body. I taste christmas spieces, alot of spruces and alcohol with a parfumed and bitter finish - and strong. The palate is thick and full-bodied... This is the beer-version of the parfume: Davidoff Cool Water

Pours a hazy gold with a creamy white head. The nose was hoppy, very piney, smelled exactly like Spruce. Very interesting and on a certain level enjoyable nose. The flavor is a major dive, extremely astringent and mouth puckering hop presence. Very unappealing. Very astringent and bitter mouthfeel.

Sampled at the Carolina Crew gathering in Greenville. Wow... a Christmas tree in a bottle. Aroma was dominated by the Christmas tree/spruce aroma. Somewhat astringent and very dominant spruce flavor. A bit too one-dimensional and tough to drink for my liking. Thanks to Paul for bringing this though - definitely a unique beer and worth trying.

Tasted at the Carolina Crew gathering, Greenville - thanks to Paul Philippon for sharing! Nose has a bit of oregano in there with a whole bunch of spruce and piney hops. Flavor is very sprucey and hoppy but I don’t dislike it at all. Really enjoyed this unique creation and my first brew from Shorts. This is by far the best imperial pilsner I have had.