Bellaire Brown Ale
Short's Brewing Company

Sigmund from Norway

2.92/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

355 ml bottle, shared with OleR at Olympen, Oslo. Mahogany colour, moderate beige head. Strong aroma of dark münchener and caramel malts. Sourish notes of rye bread and over-ripe fruits / berries. Sourish flavour of bread dough and rye bread with caramel. Low bitterness. Not really my cup of tea.

Apr 30, 2021

jeffdr123 from Florida

3.81/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From a bottle, from David, from Michigan. Lots of different brown tastes including chocolate and caramel but also some roasted nuts which nudge it toward the porter side of the menu.

Nov 11, 2020

Franziskaner from Missouri

3.92/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep brown colored with a half inch of creamy brown on top. Moderate lacing. The aroma is of cocoa and caramel. I’m tasting caramel and a light nutty taste. The mouth is light and refreshing.

Aug 21, 2020

Creevo from Michigan

4.48/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Had on draft at Shanty Creek ski bar on 5-24-20. Great brown ale, very tempered versus other brown with low alcohol aftertaste which is good for the 7%. Good sippin. Would have again.

May 24, 2020

chinchill from South Carolina

3.71/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can with an August 2019 canning date stamp on the bottom.
Pours with a clear, dark orange-brown body with a good beige head.
A mix of hops and malts in the nose with more obvious hops. The flavor follows, leaning slightly towards bold for style. The hops are mainly earthy and a bit herbal. Improved with warming.

Jan 31, 2020

EvershineDan from Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Nutty sweet, sorta lite to medium-oatmeal stoutish. So close to being a porter.
Excellent brown ale. In my top 25 all-time favorite brews. On a side note, it's one the best smelling beers there is.

Dec 01, 2019

Nass from Florida

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

The pour is dark brown. The taste is roasted malts, caramel, toffee & brown sugar. There is no date on the can but this is still a smooth drinking beer. Cheers! B

Nov 17, 2019

dd53grif from Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a reddish brown color with two a foamy off white head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of brown sugar, nuts, a hint of cinnamon, and some chocolate. Tastes of brown sugar, and chocolate. Nice full and balanced flavor, a quality Brown Ale.

Sep 16, 2019

spcrain from Kentucky

3.72/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Beautiful brown color, fine cell foam, musty as opposed to “beer” smell. sweet caramel notes, fizzy on the tongue. A chocolate after taste. Pleasant - worth getting a case.

Aug 16, 2019

Korbynlehr from Kentucky

3.84/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours the color of cola and the nose is sweet like cola. Good tasting beer. The beer leaves a tasty after flavor that tries lightly on the palate. Like some.

Nov 15, 2018

Pratik from Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Maybe i am biased towards this beer, but it’s one of my favorite. If i had to name it, i would call it nutty brown ale. I’ve tried this on draft at the Short’s brewery in Bellaire Michigan, and nothing can beat the crisp nutty flavor this beer has when served in a cold mug. I consider this as a fusion between a craft beer and a local beer. You get the craft taste, with a good taste, but you can enjoy this on a summer afternoon at a baseball game. Halfway through the glass, the beer gets to a moderate temperature, where you start tasting the sweetness of chocolate and toasty flavor. What really makes this One of my favorite is the toasty smell and not just the flavor.
Look: 4/5 serve it simple
Smell: 4.25/5 best toasty flavor
Taste: 4.5/5 taste and smell go hand in hand
Feel: 4.25/5 good for winter, good for summer
Overall: 4.25/5 i don’t review bad beers ;) must try, and must have it in the fridge

Nov 02, 2018

Quackershnoc from Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: fizzy khaki head that dissipates immediately; dark brown cola color

Aroma: roasty; malty; hint of chocolate and raisin

Taste: starts with dark brown bread flavor; moves into some toasty notes with caramel and a kind of milky sweetness; ends with toasted bread and hints of dark chocolate

Mouthfeel: medium-bodied; creamy; fizzy carbonation

Overall Impression: this is a good beer, not great; it's very easy drinking with pretty mild flavors; smooth and creamy

Oct 13, 2018

ovaltine from Indiana

3.96/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A nice traditional brown ale, the look is really good - except for the head, which disappears in nanoseconds. The aromas are on point, with chocolate and caramel most prominent. Very nice.

The chocolate and caramel are also very forward on the taste, I just wish the mouthfeel was a bit fuller. Still a brown ale worthy of seekage.

Jun 29, 2018

beersampler6 from Michigan

3.19/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Decent drinkable brown ale, notes of nuts, malt biscuit and caramel with a slight hint of chocolate. Not quite smooth and light enough to be enjoyed without weighing you down, yet not rich and flavorful enough to be sipped and savored slowly.

Apr 08, 2018

damndirtyape from Ohio

4.01/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, bottled on 06/19/17, served in a shaker pint glass.

Appearance: Mostly clear dark amber-brown. Thin white head that died back to the barest skin of foam across the top. No lacing.

Smell: Roasted/Toasted malt with just a hint of cocoa powder.

Taste: Rich toasted malt, caramel notes, hint of chocolate, some grape/doppelbock sweetness at the finish, and a light bitterness to counter it all. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, dry finish, but sticky on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: A very tasty brown ale. Went really well with food (Mushroom meatballs and rice) and I think this would not only pair with a wide range of meat, but also some desserts as well. Easily drinkable and I could easily see myself having another in an evening. A very good brown ale.

Jan 13, 2018

grawp57 from Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep reddish brown with a persistent tan head. Aroma has chocolate and caramel. Taste (marvelous) includes chocolate, coffee, and a roasty, toasty malt. Goes down smooth and a little thick; very pleasing on the palate and throat. A top flight brew!!!

Sep 16, 2017

claminat420 from Michigan

3.72/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle marked 07/14/17 08:08:20 poured heavily into my libbey's porter glass.

Appearance- a dark amber color with a slight off white head that leaves minimal lacing.

Aroma- caramel and raisins.

Flavor- like the smell. has a bready malt taste. really dry. abv is well hidden. has a weird spiciness. is there rye in this?

Mouthfeel- medium/ heavy body. good carbonation.

Drinkability- ehh. not the worst but I can tell you i'm never purchasing this again.

Overall- for what you would think is a basic style of beer not too many breweries are hitting it out of the park when it comes to browns. this beer somewhat reminds me of the old recipe of arcadia's scotch ale. alil too much raisin action in this for me. I look for caramel, honey, maybe some nutty action in browns but as soon as you hit raisin notes I take it to the scotch or Scottish ale dept. it's even as dark as a scotch ale. I can see people who tend to malty beers liking this one.

Sep 08, 2017

bwood06 from Wisconsin

4.02/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Both my father-in-law and my mother-in-law were in town this past weekend so I decided to pick up a brown ale since my FIL is a big fan of browns, and I like them as well. I've heard good things about this particular beer so I figured he and I could give it a shot.

This beer pours a hazy, dark brown/amber hue that shows off only light carbonation. The head is khaki colored and creamy, dissipating ultra slowly. 4.25/5 The aroma is not overpowering in the slightest but it is heavily oriented toward the malt side of the bill. Some dark, toasted bread is noticeable as well as a bit of caramel and toffee sweetness, although the sweetness not overly sweet at all. The hops are hardly noticeable but they seem to provide just a hint of earthiness to counteract the malt bill. 3.5/5 The flavor is much stronger than the aroma and is big on the malt. Sweet caramel, toffee, tobacco, and a hint of molasses come through providing a burst of dark malty flavors. A good bit of dark, toasted bread comes through as well, complementing the sweetness. There seems to be a hint of oats as well. Bitterness is very mild and comes from a light hop profile in the form of an herbal note. The bitterness does not linger long after swallowing. 4.25/5 This is a medium to full bodied brown that feels creamy and coating with just mild carbonation providing a tickle. There really is no dryness to speak of and the coating feeling lingers after swallowing. 4.25/5 This is an excellent brown ale that is full of flavor, although a bit light on the aroma. This could easily be the best brown that I have had to date. It sits light despite the full body and higher (per the style) abv. 4/5

Aug 30, 2017

Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.09/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appearance was a nice ruddy brown color with a one finger white foamy head that spider-webbed as it went down. The lacing was there and trickled for the most part. The smell was nutty and malty. The taste was a nice nutty sweet maltiness running about my tastebuds and reminding me of a time I spent in Michigan. The palate had a nice creaminess running about my mouth and tongue and had a decent sessionability about it as well. Overall, in my opinion, this was a great American Brown ale well worthy of having again and well worthy in Autumn.

Jun 09, 2017

tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a very dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, nuts. Taste is chocolate, bready malts, a touch of nuts, easy drinking for the abv. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a quality beer worth trying.

May 27, 2017

jp32 from Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Brown in color. Not much head retention. Big candy caramel nose with toasted nuts and subtle chocolate in the background. It's flavor is mostly toasted caramel malts and coffee, but there is a lingering hop bitterness in the finish. Nice body and excellent carbonation. A good brown ale here from Short's.

Apr 28, 2017

Sabtos from Ohio

3.44/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear brownish-red with a large, soft tan head settling to a thin ring.

Smell is bread dough, caramel, pepper, nut, and raisin.

Taste is nut, caramel, and bread, with a Coke-like tang.

Wet, medium bodied, and quenching for a brown.

Easily the best Short's beer I've had, which is saying something...but not something good.

Jan 21, 2017

GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled 8/10/15; drank 11/10/15 @ the Yarchives.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Opaque brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded a decent tan head; strong lace.

Acorn, burnt leaves & sarsaparilla notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Cream, autumn leaves & faint milk chocolate flavors up front; mild caramel & banana notes on the finish. A strong example of the style; complex & flavorful but very easy to drink. A fall classic.

Nov 28, 2016

hoptheology from South Dakota

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Light chestnut brown with accents of tea. 1 finger of creamy head that leaves hills.

Fresh chocolate on the nose, with more chocolate in the form of NesQuik, and some hints of nut and roast malt.

Flavor is brown malts first, followed by lots of unsweetened cocoa powder. Some sour lactose, nuts, followed by more roast malts. Sour milk fades it out.

Feel is mostly wet and creamy with some dry roastiness throughout and finishing.

Overall, even though the flavor follows through with some of the good aromatic qualities, I still find this hard to finish. It's okay. Never was a fan of brown ales.

Nov 04, 2016

NolaHopHead from Louisiana

3.84/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle. Solid brown ale, sweet toasted brown aroma, clean roasted malt taste, touch of char, clean finish with decent back end bitterness. Would have this one again.

Oct 09, 2016