Quick review: Short's Cup a Joe coffee creme stout

Though there is a tradition of drinking beer at breakfast, I've not been one to indulge. Til today. Out of coffee filters and desperate for a cup of joe, I had a Short's Cup a Joe coffee stout. Brewed with fair trade, organic coffee from Higher Grounds Trading Co., the beer pours an oily, thick, dark brown with a substantial, persistent, tan head that, as you can see in the picture, got away from me on the pour.

The aroma is dark roasted, coffee, with some berry-like, dark fruit. Mouthfeel is rich and creamy, the influence of milk sugar evident. The flavor screams coffee. Dark, delicious, kick-back-with-the-morning-paper coffee. There's a pleasant, fruity acidity balanced off by sweetness. The finish is long and smooth, cappuccino all the way.

More magic from Short's

Some things are worth the wait.

Short's Brewing released the Magician a few days ago, which the brewery describes as a dark London-style red ale.  I picked up a single 12-oz. bottle, and now I want six more.

To me, it felt almost like a welcome new take on a brown ale, like a cousin to the oh-so-tasty Short's Bellaire Brown.  But the Magician is quite different, too, and there's more than ample room for both in the Short's stable.  As a quick aside, the Bellaire is Short's terrific take on American brown ale, bursting with a toasted flavor (that's the main similarity to the Magician) that's complemented by a roasted bitterness that lingers into the long, smooth finish.

The Magician pours a cloudy, light brown with amber highlights.  It had a tan head that dissipated quickly.  The aroma is toasty and buttery with a fruity touch, and the taste follows the aroma closely. There's buttered toast with a nutty dryness in the finish, reminiscent of lightly toasted pecans.  There's an earthiness, too.  The Magician is rich with a silky quality on the palate. The diacetyl buttery/butterscotch tones work terrifically well in this beer, richly supported by the silky mouthfeel.  

Good stuff, and it's exciting to see it on the shelves.

Drink my Short's!

The weather has turned here, going from low 70's and sunny one day to low 50's, blustery, and raw the next.  The storm windows have come down, and I always think of that as initiating a quiet time of the year, since the outside noises are shut out.  I can't believe it was just a couple of weeks ago that we were at the home of friends, celebrating a birthday with a massive gardening party.  Not a garden party.  A gardening party.  Sod removal, building berms and swales for rain gardens and erosion control, planting native plants, and all on a gorgeous day.  Taking a break with my friend and a growler of porter from Grizzly Peak Brewing in Ann Arbor, we started talking about music, art, politics... and beer!  Another guy joined us, and as we were saying that the porter was hitting the spot -- dark and flavorful, but easy to pour down -- he asked if we had tried anything from Short's brewing in Bellaire, MI, up north.  Neither of us had.  He said we should make a point of it.

I did, and now I'm trying to think about how to get up to Bellaire and visit their pub.

Just before the fall chill, soon after the party, a friend came into town for a couple of days, and we went out to a mutual favorite, Old Town Tavern.  They had Short's Huma Lupa Licious IPA on their rotating tap.  Really terrific beer.  It's a big IPA, flowery, bitter, citrusy.  I was impressed.  And I'll admit: the name is fantastic.  A few days later, I was in one of our very good local markets perusing their beer section, where I've been particularly taken by the selection of singles, and there was Short's Pandemonium Pale Ale.  This was an astoundingly good beer, with a rich, creamy head that gradually dissipated into craggy peaks and amber color so intense that I wouldn't have been surprised to find a mosquito encased in it.  Assertively floral, hoppy nose.  Slightly heavy mouth feel -- this was a maltier pale than I expected, though once poured, the head certainly was a clue.  This beer was laced with floral and bitter notes, but also a hint of sweetness that just made it come together perfectly.  It was like a tango on my tongue.  As it warmed a bit in the glass, the citrus notes became more pronounced, a kind of orangey hint that was a nice addition to what was already a complex beer.

While the brewery's website shows distribution within Michigan, I'm not so sure that it's gotten out of state yet.  It should.  Go drink your Short's!