Anniversary Ale Part Deux 2007 - Dry Hop Version
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

 

Bottle meets snifter in a vain attempt at acceptance. Snifter is having none of this.

Rusty copper, some spotted cover, and sporadic lacing.

Smells of a Soviet era mess hall. Who ordered the cabbage with a side of brown sugar topped garbage? Not this guy.

Tastes like hot hot mess. Nuances of last week's left overs settling into a funkified fuzzy mess in the warming trash.

In a word, this is unsettling. My fragile sensibilities have been rocked. Drain, meet Anniversary and please don't hold it against me.

Thanks to Alex for bringing this by and sharing it with the group!

A - Opaque brownish colored beer that had a little bit of an off-white head. Didn't stay for long and left some random spots on the sides.

S - This beer smells pretty bad. Rotted fruit, sugar, wood, and something just off. Alex said onions. I like onions, I don't like this, maybe onions is being nice.

T - Just tastes bad. Overly sweet and kind of rotten. That might be the good part of the taste too. If you find yourself with a desire imitate a beaver and eat some wood, this is the beer for you. Not even sure how they pulled it off.

M - Medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation.

O - Yeah right, this beer sucks and got poured pretty quickly. Don't drink it.

Alex dumped this on this!...Pours an ugly apple cider color, murky medium brown, not much carbonation...The aroma is terrible, generic wood, rotting pears, and vanilla. Can't stand this...The taste is dry hopped wood; a piece of wood that was drenched in dry hopped water.

This is ugly, and smells and tastes terrible. SKIP

I think this was from Heliosphann. Thanks dude! Served in a Kuhnehnn tulip.

A - Pours with a dime of foam that settles to a thin ring and partial film, leaving behind a few spots of lace. Murky apple cider body. Pretty ugly, and disappointing for only 9%.

S - Strange overripe fruit quality, sugars, vanilla, oak, and a weird onion and body odor aroma.

T - Taste is worse. It's like licking a piece of wood. There's a bit of char and papery oxidation as well. This is mixed with a cloying jumble of sugars and fruits.

M - Medium-low carbonation, medium-thick body. Tannic and oily finish. Alcohol is well-hidden, but otherwise this is heavier than I expect for a 9% beer.

D - Yikes. This was a huge letdown after the impressive 2007 Part One. Most of this ended up in Mike's drain - I wouldn't seek this one out.

Bottle shared by sarro - thanks, Kyle! Looks like this is the first review for this beer in over 14 months.

a - deep burnt orange color, smallish ivory head with retention around the collar and decent lacing, light cloudiness

s - big grapefruit aroma with strong floral hop notes as well, light caramel malt component with a substantial boozy heat

t - as with the aroma, bitter grapefruit hops dominate the taste, citrusy and floral hops supported by a nice caramel malt backbone, there is a very light acetic note in the midpalate, probably a product of the age, a little hot and boozy on the finish, finish relatively dry, really surprising how substantial the hop character of this beer still is 3+ years later

m - medium-bodied, moderate to low carbonation, decent amount of alcohol warming, fairly dry finish

d - still pretty bitter, but this one is likely more drinkable now than it would have been fresh, nice depth of the flavor keeps it interesting, alcohol is somewhat prominent, which limits drinkability somewhat

This is definitely the oldest DIPA I've ever tried, and I was surprised by how well the hops have held up. If you have one of these laying around in the cellar, now's definitely the time to crack it open.

Thanks to Kyle for sharing this one at the Stone Sour Fest 09. For how old this is, about 2 years now? it's held up pretty well.

Poured a golden color, quite still with a very thin head.

The aroma was of sweet grapefruit, citrus candy (like those orange flavored gummies coated in sugar), sweet malts, caramel, and toffee.

Bitter orange on the front with a mixture of toffee, caramel, toast, and fruity alcohol in the finish. Medium to low carbonation, full bodied. I generally don't like aged hoppy beers but this one was rather interesting and holding up just fine. Wouldn't mind having this one again.

Thanks to Dave for hauling this back from Short's for me! Pours into my glass a vibrant reddish orange that reminds me of an autumn sunset. A small white head rises and falls to a ring around the top of the brew. Aromas start with sweet caramel malts and lots of resinous, citric hops. Green, piney herbal tones roll into oak wood accents. Bourbon melds in perfectly without being too overpowering. Somewhat spicy as well. Really enticing.

First sip brings caramel malts upfront with a sweetness quickly rolling into a wall of rich, resinous hops. Lots of citrus, spice and pine flavors that run up against wood tannins. Bourbon comes through on the way down along with a big kick of bitterness that lingers on and on. A touch of vanilla as well. Big bold hops and bourbon aging works well here.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with prickly carbonation. Goes down smooth and is still holding up very well at this point...hops have faded a bit, but otherwise tasty. I would have like to try this fresh as I'm guessing it was a brutal hop monster.

Thanks to hoppymeal for this bottle.

Loevely appearance. Huge white head, rocky and dense on top of a hazy, murky light amber colored beer.

Aroma is hoppy and quite malty as well. Loads of caramel with the dry hopping taking a slight back seat to the malts in this one. Perhaps the age has done this one some damage as I prefer hops to malt, but this one still smells pretty damn good.

Again, loads of malt. There seems to be a significant orange juice flavor with the fresh hops. The maltiness isnt as evident in the flavor as the hops, both dry and bittering, contribute and make their power known. A large sort of piney, grapefruit flavor is present and the bitterness is really kept in check (again, perhaps due to age?). I was trying to think of what this one particular flavor was, and as I read the bottle, I realized this one was bourbon barrel aged. Mind you, the bourbon is very low, but detectable. I was annoyed with myself for not knowing that flavor but reading the label certainly puts things into perspective.

Full bodied and chewy. Sort of chalky and pithy in the finish. I wasnt too fond of this one so the drinkabitlity will be lower for me. With a fresh hop kick, I can imgagine this would be wonderful. However, the age hurt this one (as age does most DIPA). Perhaps others will like this one better.

12 oz bottle straight from the source. Tried the original Deux previously, which was good but a touch past its prime. Unfortunately, the grapefruit version was sold out.

This pours a deep orange. The nose has most definitely not faded as its counterpart. But there's something else I couldn't put my finger on...

After a few mouthfuls, there is a discernible bitterness, again, these hops have not faded. And then...something else....

I go back to the bottle and actually read it this time. Not only is this dry-hopped, but bourbon-aged as well! The bourbon is more reserved than it can be in certain stouts (say KBS), but still readily apparent. The hops and the bourbon provide a unique interplay (certainly more straighfoward than DFH's Burton Baton, which is the only thing close I can recall). Some charcoal in the finish. Props for uniqueness, but it seems like its one step away from what it could be. A little raw still? Maybe this one could have withstood some aging.

Received this brew in a recent trade with Northerbrews. Should be pretty darned interesting to say the least. Drank from my Stone India Pale Ale tulip while watching the Ravens vs. Dolphins.

Appearance- Pours a very dark and hazy brownish orange with a decent enough one finger creamy light tan head. The cap recedes fairly quickly leaving a fairly thin cap and thick collar. The alcohol must be impeding the lacing because I'm surprised there isn't more.
Smell- Holy hoppy! If you grated a grapefruit and took a huge whiff of the white fleshy pith that remained on the fruit, this is what it would smell like. Loads of orange, grapefruit, pine, lemongrass, anise and red licorice. Definitely the fruitiest nose I've smelled in a long time, maybe ever. I don't think I could fathom how intense this must have been fresh (well, nine months fresh). Some bubblegum and bourbon make there way into this nostrils as well adding a subtle woody vanillin. Some caramel and more fruit to finish.
Taste- The start is fairly sweet surprisingly as the bourbon, wood and vanilla really stand out. Kind of soapy with more of that red licorice and cotton candy. Don't let me fool you though, the bitterness is indeed present, just takes a second to build intensity. A bit of muted grapefruit and pineapple are fairly juicy and nice. I can imagine the intensity of the fruitiness would be off the charts if not for the nine months in the barrel. The beer is so close to cloying at times but the bitterness kicks in keeping that from happening. For being such a big beer I might almost say its 'balanced' but I'll steer away from that word. Loads of caramel and grapefruit pith to finish along with a slight spicy blast of alcohol.
Mouthfeel- Very full and heavy with a super slick, almost oily feel with very very little carbonation. Nice feeling brew.
Drinkability- For being such an intensely flavored brew its actually pretty darned drinkable. The 9% in this one works way better than the 15% in the original (part one) anniversary ale '07. Very very good beer though that I enjoyed quite a bit. Thanks again Jeff!

Thanks to ThomasHardy for the awesome hookup!

A - Hazy, dark orange/light amber color. Thin off-white head did not hold up well. Though no lacing is left on the glass, "legs" are there indicating a relatively high level of alcohol.

S - Woody, bourbon, lots more wood, with the citrusy hop character playing background fiddle to the up-front barrel aromas. Alcohol. Expecting a stronger hop presence for a DIPA. Perhaps the age is a factor.

T - Intriguing combination of bourbon, wood, and citrus-like hops. Hop flavor is more of the candied-orange peel type. Bittering is moderately high, lingering on after the medium finish. Expecting this to end drier than it is. The beer must have some age on it given the "2007" date. Hence the maltiness taking more center stage over the hops. I wish I'd had this beer fresh!

M - Medium bodied, carbonation is on the medium-low to low side. Very smooth.

D - The combination of bourbon, wood, and IPA is a first for my palette. Certainly better than I expected but I doubt I could finish more than one bottle in a given sitting/evening.

12oz bottle courtesy of Matthew poured into a snifter.

Pours a very hazy amber that shows bright orange when held up to light. The head is large and off-white and recedes to a swirl and ring fairly quickly.

The aroma is big and complex with the dry-hopping evident up front, though probably more subdued than when fresh. There is lots of sweet caramel malt in the middle with a bourbon presence that opens up even more as it warms.

The taste didn't quite live up to the aroma for me. There is a quick resin kick up front but gives way to a big sugary sweetness that dominates throughout along with the bourbon which leaves an alcohol burn in the finish. There are barrel characteristics in the background and the dry-hopping is really subtle.

The mouthfeel is sticky with hop oils and has a decent carbonation with lots of bourbon in the finish.

I'm really intrigued by this one as it's very original and I've never tasted anything like it. That said, the flavors didn't quite meld together and I bet this one was better when fresh. Thanks to Matthew for the chance!

Happy repeal of prohibition :)

A - Sniftered. All sorts of weird sediment on the lip of the bottle. Pours a hazy, rusty orange/brown with a bit of head that almost disappears immediately. No lacing.

S - Sticking my nose in the glass, I'm reminded of the Original version I drank yesterday, but with more complexities. Namely, dry-hopping and a sweet, fruity backend. The barrel isn't very pronounced at all. Booze and hops and slight bourbon twinges waft up my nostrils with every sip.

T - I think this may be my favorite of the Part Deux series... It's incredibly hoppy, yet balanced quite well. A piney, resinous wave of hop oils wash over the tongue, followed by a fruity sweetness that finishes with a nice balance between hop bitterness and malty/bourbon sweetness. No alcohol noted in the flavor. The dry hops add a nice complexity, as well as the barrel. The bourbon doesn't play a huge role in the taste, so much as it balances an utterly huge brew.

M - Thick, with a smooth carbonation running through it.

D - Extremely drinkable for such a big brew. Easy and enjoyable... as much as I wanna sip it, it's depleting much quicker than I expected.

Notes: So balanced. Another brew from Joe that just epitomizes everything he's capable of. Who would age a DIPA in a bourbon barrel with dry hops for 9 months?

Joe Short, that's who.

Appearance: Pours a really cloudy peach nectar color with a rocky head that leaves some lace

Smell: Well, it has grapefruit, pine and caramel for sure, but I would not have guessed that it was bourbon barrel aged from the aroma, nevertheless the dominant aroma is something I have never smelled in a beer before; the closest I can get to it is that it smells like the spices assortment that some Indian restaurants leave out as breath fresheners just before you exit - I'm guessing aniseed, coriander seed and assorted whatnot

Taste: Starts out with a wallop of pine but, from there we move into uncharted territory, with caramel and all of these Indian spices arriving by mid-palate; I do detect some of that bourbon barrel, too; after the swallow, the barrel influence becomes more pronounced; at the finish, there is a minty tinge, as well

Mouthfeel: This is the only thing I wasn't wild about with this beer; it was really thick and while the carbonation was moderate, the thickness of the body was a bit overwhelming

Drinkability: Despite my issues with the mouthfeel, this is an extraordinary beer; I think Short's is one of the gems of the craft brew scene - they just might be my favorite brewer

Thanks, DRINKNDRIVE, for the opportunity

12oz bottle acquired in trade with hoppymeal (thanks!!). Tasted side by side by side (Original , Dry hop, & Grapefruit versions).

Poured a medium and hazy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of fresh floral green hoppiness, caramel, some vanilla, pine, citrus, and a trace of woodiness. Tastes of floral hops, citrus, caramel, and vanilla.

This one was also nice and bitter. The barrel aging was done nicely as the bourbon was in the background and added nicely to the overall experience.

Notes from and tasted on 2/22/08

A: snifter. opaque/murky dark orange color. nice light tan head. low retention level. good lacing.

S: huge hop aroma. with a lot of Indian food spice, like curry. some nice sweet malt aromas. very unique.

T: wow. it has such an ethnic food flavor, curry, lemon grass. huge hops, but a nice malt backbone to match them. insense-like.

M: big, bold and beefy. interesting palate...the most so far. good, low carbonation level.

D: exceptional, so unique. would love to get this again.

Acquired from hoppymeal so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of bourbon, caramelized malts, hops and citrus, but they don't seem to blend very well.

T: The taste has a lot going on. It starts out with sweet flavors of caramel, brown sugar and citrus. Then there's a strong floral hops presence. The effect of the bourbon barrel aging is quite obvious as there's a background flavor of bourbon and the hops bitterness doesn't knock you over like a typical 2IPA would (and I say that as a guy that like the strong hops flavor). The malt character is hearty and there's a significant alcohol sting. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Smooth with a little crispness, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easy, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style while adding a little something to it. The beer is a little too strong to be one that you'd want to drink more than a few of, but it's a decent one to sip for a while. For me it seems like they tried to go over the top in all aspects of it to the point of overkill and as a result, I simply couldn't get into it.