Celestial Critter
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in love with this one. Got as part of the summer variety pack and poured to tulip glass. Golden blonde in color with a finger of foamy head that doesn't last but leaves sticky, soapy lacing behind. Constant steams of tiny bubbles make their way to the surface. Aroma is big and Belgian: bubblegum, banana candy, cloves, with fresh squeezed lemon and biscuit. Taste is clove and coriander, some peppery spice, bubblegum and banana, smooth biscuit and Mandarin orange. Short's has shown that besides being complete hopheads they have Belgian Styles down as well.

 

 

 

 

I picked up a bottle of Short's Celestial Critter in their new Spring Variety pack. I always look forward to trying a new beer from Short's, so lets see how this one goes. 2016 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a teku.

A- The label looks good, it goes well with the name and it's eye catching. It poured a hazy golden orange color that took on more of a golden color when held to the light with almost a fingers worth of bubbly off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left some spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, but I wish it had better head and retention.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the yeast being the first to show up and impart those typical spicy, doughy and estery like belgian yeast aromas that are quickly followed by a nice tropical fruit and candied fruit aromas with some noticeable tangerine like aromas that aren't too overpowering. Towards the end comes the malts which impart a pale malt, grainy and sweet malt like aroma. This beer has a pretty nice aroma that lives up to it's description.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the yeast still being the first to show up and it imparts all the same Belgian yeast aspects that it did in the aroma, but this time there's just a little bit of bubblegum coming through. Up next comes a fruity flavor that takes on more of a stone fruit like aspect, but there's still a little bit of a noticeable Tangerine like flavor that's a little bit on the lighter side. Up next comes the malts which show up just as much as they did in the aroma and they impart the same aspects with no single aspect seeming to stick out the most. On the finish there's a lower amount of medium bitterness with a fruity and belgian yeast like aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, it's a solid Belgian Pale Ale and the Tangerine shows up just enough to be a little noticeable. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, but I wish the tangerine showed up a little more.

M- Fairly smooth, a little refreshing, not too crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a lower amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is nice, but I wish it had more lively carbonation.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and I thought it was a nice example of the style, the tangerine added a little something extra to this beer that helped it stand out again a lot of other Belgian Pale Ales. This beer had nice drinkability, I could drink a couple of them, but that would be my limit. What I like most about this beer is the taste and aroma, it was fairly true to style while still being a little unique. What I like the least about this beer is the carbonation, I wish it was livelier. I would buy this beer again if they make it again, but it isn't something I'll stock up on and I would recommend giving it a try if your want a Belgian Pale Ale with just a little extra fruity flavors. All in all I liked this beer, but I didn't love it and I think if it had a little more Tangerine flavors it would be a pretty good tasting beer. It's not a favorite Shorts beer and it's a solid nice example of the style. Nice job guys, this is a solid beer.

 

Served at Frankenmuth's World Expo of Beer 2016.

A decent Belgian pale that doesn't need a lot of words to describe. Nice light malt sweetness, yeast that adds some banana and clove... refreshing and clean with no off-flavors, but nothing I haven't really tasted before. Nice name and label art, though.

 

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 4/5/2016. Pours slightly hazy golden yellow color with a small fairly ddense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big lemon, orange peel, pear, apple, apricot, banana, bubblegum, pepper, clove, honey, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus peel, and bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big lemon, orange peel, pear, apple, apricot, banana, bubblegum, pepper, clove, honey, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness and slight herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange peel, pear, apple, apricot, banana, bubblegum, pepper, clove, honey, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus peel, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from yeast spiciness as well. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Belgian pale ale style. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus peel, and bready malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.