Shorts Mystery Stout

my notes say I had this at Kuhnhenns last august. poured black with tan head that didn’t hang around. aroma, coco, molasses, coffee. flavor, about the same as the aroma with some malts

Draft at Brewery 3/28/09 (Shorts Brewing)-Pours pitch black with a small tan head. Aroma of roasted malt. Flavor of alcohol, bitterness, and molasses. No cocoa taste. This full bodied brew is not bad until you swallow and then a lot of bitterness.

Sounds and feels like this version is slightly different than what is listed. Black pour with a tan head that receded quickly. Not a ton of lacing, but it is there. Some roast aromas, more cocoa and chocolates. Tastes reciprocates, but there is some espresso type tones in there as well. Not creamy, but not watery either with just enough carbonation. The coffee roast is how it finishes and it lingers a while. Not really much alcohol presence. It is just a little bit thin, with the offset being there is no problem putting some quantity of this down. Will look forward to trying to get some more from Shorts.

Another nice offering from Shorts. From growler. Pours a nice enough looking creamy black color. Aroma is a nice mix of oats and roasted chocolate. Just a tad bit weak. Flavor is very nice: roasted marshmellows, oats, bakers chocolate, and molasses. I liked the way this one changed its profile a little with every drink, although the toasted marshmellows usually were the dominate flavor. Slight alcohol burn, which was nice. Medium creamy mouthfeel. Nice.

Growler from northernbrews, thank you much! Deep brown with a 1/2 finger creamy tan head, fading to a thick ring and thin film. Big milk chocolate and oatmeal up front, as well as roasted malts and a bit of salted nuts. After nosing it a bit some anise shows up. Flavor is a bit more burnt than the aroma led on, and I pick up on some dark berries. Finishes semi-dry with bitterness peaking around a 3-4. The body is thinner than what I’d expect from a 12.5% impy, but maybe the recipe’s changed since the bottled version. Minimal carbonation, I’d suppose from being growlered. The flavor seems to be missing something, as if it doesn’t seem big enough to be an impy stout.

Crushed with Jakebra at BSAF. Bitter nose with chocolate and roast. Flavor is dominated by oatmeal and dark, bitter chocolate. Pretty thin-bodied but full of flavor. Pretty nice.

On tap at BSAF. Poured a deep brown/black color with a frothy, quarter-inch beige head that left some spotty lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, light coffee (espresso), light smoke, a bit of earthy tobacco, and some soft hops. Smooth, muted entry with some lightly bitter bakers chocolate and a moderate roasted malt paired with a sharp ashy, charcoal-like smokiness that ends abruptly with some faint hop bitterness. Low carbonation and smooth on the palate. Overall, the flavor was just too abrasive and unrefined to find it enjoyable, and the aroma wasn’t much better.

courtesy of fogdog. Partial growler in a grolsh bottle. Pours black with flat head. Aroma of strong chocolate malts. Taste of roasted malts with caramel and light charcoal mouthfeel with notes of smoke, light bitter finish.. Really could not tell this was a 12.5% beer. Wish we had a lot more to share.