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Freedom Of '78
Short's Brewing Company
- From:
- Short's Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
Ranked #534 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 91
Ranked #7,473 - Avg:
- 4.07 | pDev: 10.07%
- Reviews:
- 156
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 02, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 16, 2010
- Wants:
- 71
- Gots:
- 90
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by travMI13:
Reviewed by travMI13 from Michigan
3.97/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2012 vintage. 12 oz. bottle poured into a large, tall tulip.
A: Pours a nice, deep goldenrod orange with a slight haze and with a finger of fluffy white head. The head dissipates fairly quickly, leaving some lacing behind. A decent amount of sediment is floating around near the bottom of this glass.
S: Musty funky fruit mixed in with a healthy dose of both citrusy and earthy hops. Something is kind of off-putting about the nose, but there is something very intriguing about it as well.
T: A healthy dose of that musty and funky fruit flavor hits you first, but it is brought up nicely by both the citrusy and bitter hops on the back end. The earthy notes almost remind me of some type of bread, except unlike with most Belgian-style ales, it is pretty bitter. Easily the most interesting IPA I have ever had, and incredibly tough to describe.
M: This beer is silky smooth on the palate with a nice lingering juiciness. The guava gives this beer a nice juicy mouthfeel that many IPA's just don't have.
O: This is one of the most unique IPA's that I have ever had. So many unique flavors that I have never had in an IPA, or any beer for that matter, before, and that makes it very difficult to review. This beer is not for everyone. It, however, is a very well-executed IPA from Short's, and I will pick up a few bottles any time it is released.
Apr 19, 2012A: Pours a nice, deep goldenrod orange with a slight haze and with a finger of fluffy white head. The head dissipates fairly quickly, leaving some lacing behind. A decent amount of sediment is floating around near the bottom of this glass.
S: Musty funky fruit mixed in with a healthy dose of both citrusy and earthy hops. Something is kind of off-putting about the nose, but there is something very intriguing about it as well.
T: A healthy dose of that musty and funky fruit flavor hits you first, but it is brought up nicely by both the citrusy and bitter hops on the back end. The earthy notes almost remind me of some type of bread, except unlike with most Belgian-style ales, it is pretty bitter. Easily the most interesting IPA I have ever had, and incredibly tough to describe.
M: This beer is silky smooth on the palate with a nice lingering juiciness. The guava gives this beer a nice juicy mouthfeel that many IPA's just don't have.
O: This is one of the most unique IPA's that I have ever had. So many unique flavors that I have never had in an IPA, or any beer for that matter, before, and that makes it very difficult to review. This beer is not for everyone. It, however, is a very well-executed IPA from Short's, and I will pick up a few bottles any time it is released.
More User Ratings:
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois
3.85/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
hoppy ale with fruity after taste
Oct 02, 2023Reviewed by Valdez_Mescalito from Michigan
4.06/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Update 5/15/23:
May 2023 Specialty Release - 6 pack
12 oz. can dated 042623 (4/26/23) - 7.5% ABV / 54 IBU
Brewed and canned in Elk Rapids, MI
Poured into a Bell's branded tulip snifter glass
Look - Pours a semi-dense, off-white head that leaves lacing. Clear, light copper appearance with tons of streaming bubbles. 5/5
Smell - The scent is very dank with pine standing out the most. There's also some peppery biscuit malt. 4/5
Taste - The taste follows the nose with minimal bitterness. The high alcohol is hard to detect. 4/5
Feel - Medium bodied with a crisp and slick mouthfeel and finishes with some dryness. 4/5
Overall - The piney hop dankness is a bit overpowering, but the flavors overall are good. 4/5
Jun 13, 2020May 2023 Specialty Release - 6 pack
12 oz. can dated 042623 (4/26/23) - 7.5% ABV / 54 IBU
Brewed and canned in Elk Rapids, MI
Poured into a Bell's branded tulip snifter glass
Look - Pours a semi-dense, off-white head that leaves lacing. Clear, light copper appearance with tons of streaming bubbles. 5/5
Smell - The scent is very dank with pine standing out the most. There's also some peppery biscuit malt. 4/5
Taste - The taste follows the nose with minimal bitterness. The high alcohol is hard to detect. 4/5
Feel - Medium bodied with a crisp and slick mouthfeel and finishes with some dryness. 4/5
Overall - The piney hop dankness is a bit overpowering, but the flavors overall are good. 4/5
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
3.75/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottled 5/24/16; drank 6/12/16 @ the Yarchives.
Cloudy orange/yellow appearance; champagne bubbles throughout.
A rough pour yielded a nice white head; a curtain of frothy lace.
Dry passionfruit, fresh cut grass & mint notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Mint & passionfruit flavors up front; dry wheat notes on the finish.
Unique but a bit too dry for me. Certainly worth a quaff.
Mar 25, 2019Cloudy orange/yellow appearance; champagne bubbles throughout.
A rough pour yielded a nice white head; a curtain of frothy lace.
Dry passionfruit, fresh cut grass & mint notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Mint & passionfruit flavors up front; dry wheat notes on the finish.
Unique but a bit too dry for me. Certainly worth a quaff.
Reviewed by beersampler6 from Michigan
4.06/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Very refreshing, surprisingly light IPA with some great tropical fruit flavors. Nice dark golden color with some fluffy head and spotty lingering lacing. Smells of tropical fruit citrus hops and a little herbal hops. Tastes of nice fruit - guava, orange, grapefruit, lemon - along with herbal and floral hops, malt, caramel and biscuit. Great slightly dank smell and flavor that’s perfectly situated in the background and blends well with the hoppy bitterness of this beer. Perfect balance of sweet and bitter. Nice smooth mild mouthfeel with great amount of carbonation. Well done!
Aug 29, 2018Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.05/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.05/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
a great ipa here, with guava, light and summery, interesting and different, a hoppy beer that stands out from the crowd is increasingly hard to come by, but this one does it well. the fruit is subtle, behind the hops even, but there isnt too much grain interference with either of these and the freshness of both of them rise to the forefront above anything else. the guava is a touch sweet, more tropical, seemingly as much a catalyst for the best part of this hop profile than to make this a fruity beer in the conventional sense. i get a slightly earthy, slightly brassy malt profile. crackery and short of baked, simple, not overly hearty or anything, but not boring either. meanwhile, the hops have a nice mix of northwestern oily pine and newer school juicy dry hoppy properties, the guava seems to bring out orange and pineapple notes in here, maybe a little ruby red grapefruit juice too, and some nice bitterness rises up later on. its on the dry side for having fruit in it, is brilliantly carbonated, and drinks like the summer. a really solid beer from these guys overall, nice with some grilled lake perch, sessionable for what it is, and the right amount of guava. fun stuff, original and delicious!
Aug 03, 2018Reviewed by wingman14 from Ohio
4.15/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark yellow with an off white head. The smell is nice with a mix of hops and the fruity tones of the guava. The taste follow suit, and has a nice blend of the citrus, hop, guava combo that dances around the palette. A medium light mouthfeel with a nice body, smooth butter texture at the end of the sip. Overall a very tasty beer, the guava is a nice twist that adds another layer of flavor to the citrus in this beer.
Apr 11, 2018
Freedom Of '78 from Short's Brewing Company
Beer rating:
91 out of
100 with
617 ratings
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