Space Drop
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

I picked up a bottle of Short's Space Drop for $10.49 at The Lager Mill. I'm not sure how bourbon barrel aging this beer will work and I'm interested to see what Short's can do with this one so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a brown 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice, it's got a nice design to it and it's a little eye catching. It poured a darker golden orange color that takes on more of a brighter golden orange color when held to the light and it had a little over a fingers worth of creamy and bubbly off white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some nice rights of patchy lacing behind. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with a bourbon barrel like aroma being the first to show up and it impart some caramel, oak, and bourbon aromas and that goes into the hops which impart a nice citrus hop aromas with some citrus rinds sticking out the most and it's there's just a slight amount of floral hops int he background. Up next comes a slight bit of doughy yeast and that leads into the malts which are light and impart a pale malt, sweet malt and slight biscuit like aroma. This beer has a good aroma, the bourbon barrels are noticeable and the hops show up well too.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with the bourbon barrels still being the first to show up and they impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but this time they impart just a little bit of a coconut like flavor. Up next comes the hops which are just a little lighter than they were in the aroma, but they impart all the same aspects with the fruity hops still sticking out the most and it's followed by a little bit of doughy yeast. Towards the end comes the malts which impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma and they are still pretty light. On the finish there's a medium amount of bitterness with a fruity hop and bourbon barrel like aftertaste. This is good tasting beer, no single flavor ever gets to be too overpowering.

M- Fairly smooth, a little crisp, slightly creamy, on the slightly lighter side of being medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is pretty nice, but I wish it was just a little smoother.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and a good example of bourbon barrel aged pale ale, I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but Short's proved that they knew what they were doing and in the end it turned out nicely. This beer had nicer drinkability, I think two would be my limit. What I like the most about this beer is that it really lives up it's description and it's just what it says it is. What I like the least about this beer is the mouthfeel, I wish it was just a little smoother with a little less bitterness. I would buy this beer again, but it isn't something that I would stock up and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good bourbon barrel aged pale ale. All in all I enjoyed this beer and I liked it more than I initially thought I would. It's not a favorite Short's beer, but it is one of the better bourbon barrel aged Pale Ales that I;ve had. Good job guys, this is tasty and fairly unique beer, keep it up.

 

 

 

Brief Review:

O: Unusual decision to barrel-age Space Rock, of all beers. And then only 7 months? And then dry-hop it? I'm glad their experimenting and bottling such a wide range of beers, but this should've stayed taproom only. Needs more barrel time. A little too hoppy/bitter. The barrel makes this drink more like a DIPA than a true BA pale ale. Look to Carhart Woodsman for a better example of this style.

Recommendation: It's a cheap bomber for any Short's fan, but not an absolute necessity if the style scares you off.

 

A - Pours a hazy golden orange with a two finger creamy white head. Tons of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is bourbon, vanilla, oak, orange peel and grapefruit.

T - The taste follows the aroma. Piney hop, grapefruit, vanilla, bourbon and oak. The finish has a lingering hop bitterness.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Soft creamy mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - This is a nice BA pale ale. Very drinkable.

Poured from bottle to wine glass. Color is bright and golden with a collar of white foam. Aromas are sweet: warm bourbon, oak, malt, sweet citrus, like, grapefruit, a little pine. Flavor upfront is aggressively bitter and full of bourbony pine resin. As it warms, sweet and bright notes of orange, grapefruit, honey, bourbon, and pineapple come to the front and the bitterness levels out. Finish is smooth, silky, and oily. Very nice how the bourbon is more of a compliment than overtakes the base ale.

Poured from 22 oz bomber

A: Clear sunshine yellow with 1-2 finger dense white head. Lasting retention and leaving chunky lacing.

S: Complex mix of bourbon, oak, vanilla, grapefruit, orange zest, and a hint of peppery spice. Hops definitely muted by the bourbon but there presence remain.

T: Flavors following aroma. Mix of citrus and piney hops and a light cracker malt base with bourbon, vanilla, and oak. A bit of a grassy and pepper note at the end.

M: Medium body with lively carbonation. Drying finish with a little bourbon lingering.

O: Fantastic BA pale ale, and a very enjoyable beer.

Pours hazy orange. Medium, thick, off white head that lasts a while with good lacing.

Smells citrus, fruit, vanilla, oak and hints of bourbon.

Tastes grapefruit, citrus peel, pine and fruit. Followed by light oak, vanilla and bourbon. Finish is dry with pine linger. Medium body and creamy medium carbonation.

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle 6/16/2017, poured into a tulip. It pours a muddled, dirty orange with an off white head that sticks around, pun intended. Good lacing.
Mostly oak and light bourbon on the nose. Taste is oak barrel, lots of vanilla and muted citrus hops. Mouthfeel is light and carbonated. Definitely the drink ability of a pale ale.

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/16/2017. Pours fairly crystal clear medium golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, apricot, mango, melon, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, pine, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/tropical/pine hops and light-moderate bourbon barrel/pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, apricot, mango, melon, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, pine, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus rind, grassy bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, apricot, mango, melon, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, pine, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, cracker, bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical/pine hops and light-moderate bourbon barrel/pale malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness/spiciness balance. Slight lingering hop astringency through the glass, but not overwhelming. Moderate dryness from bitter/spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderate crisp, grainy/sticky/resinous, and fairly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.9%, with no barrel booziness. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged American pale ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical/pine hops and light-moderate bourbon barrel/pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink; despite the increasingly bitter/resinous/drying finish. Great dank and vibrant hop flavors, solid malt backbone, and nice barrel presence without being overdone. A really enjoyable offering.