Step Into The Haze
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

Bottled on 11/29/21. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a hazy golden; lots of floaties/sediment; small white head that fades leaving nice bubbly retention and sticky lacing.

The aromas have a subtle blend of floral, citrus and tropical notes. Some crackers and bread. Malts are there.

The flavors are extremely clean, crisp and refreshing. Strong bitterness. Lots of pine. Lots of fresh grass. More floral notes. Some grapefruit and lemon. More crackers and breads in the mix. Malts do their thing. Finishes dry. Alcohol is well hidden.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, crisp, spritzy, slick and smooth.

This is a pretty solid IPA. Nice scathing bitterness. This is an unfiltered IPA and it shows. This definitely isn't your typical "Hazy IPA". It might be hazy visually but that's about as far as it goes. The craftsmanship is on point and takes this one to the next level. It's good stuff.

 

December 2021 Specialty Release - 6 pack
12 oz. bottle dated 11/29/21 - 7.4% ABV / 83 IBU
Brewed and bottled in Elk Rapids, MI
Poured into Bell's branded nonic pint glass

Look - Pours a thick and dense off-white head that leaves some lacing. Hazy, dark orange appearance.
Smell - The scent is very dank. Getting lots of citrus, mostly orange, as well as significant amounts of floral hops and oat malt.
Taste - The taste has more of a melon quality, such as cantaloupe, as per the description, and it's followed by a good amount of citrus and spicy floral bitterness. The bitterness subsides as the beer warms.
Feel - Medium bodied with a juicy mouthfeel and finishes pretty dry.
Overall - A very dank and hoppy brew that borders on overpowering, but it's tolerable and decently drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz bottled 10/2X/18 (6 weeks old) poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp, 7.4% ABV 70 IBU per Short's website. The beer pours a little more hazy than a Hefeweizen in an orange tinted yellow color. The head is nearly white and quickly fades to a splotchy cap and leaves some lacing. The aroma is tangerine and grapefruit with some zest thrown in. The taste resembles grapefruit juice at first, then looses it's sweetness and hits with medium plus bitterness. Mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied, adequately carbonated and dry in the finish. Overall, ok. I'm no expert, but I think the bitterness is way out of line for a NEIPA. I would describe this as bitter grapefruit juice in short. Somewhat enjoyable beer to me personally because I like the bitterness, but it's a miss judging to style.

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 10/23/2018. Pours very hazy/cloudy deep golden amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge red grapefruit, tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, herbal, floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge red grapefruit, tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, herbal, floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of red grapefruit, tangerine, orange juice, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.4%. Overall this is an awesome NEIPA! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish. Nicely soft, not overly aggressive. Outstanding Mosaic/Azaca profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy balanced hop complexity; great bready oat/malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness from lingering resin dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and well made style example.