Beer Release (Short's Brew): The Curl

Good afternoon!

One of our oldest and most popular specialties of the year will start to hit shelves in Michigan this week. The Curl makes it's triumphant return and is sure to rock some palates with it's hoppy goodness. Here are some facts regarding this epic Imperial Pilsner...Cheers!

• The Curl was one of the first bottled beers ever sold at Short's! Sold exclusively out of the pub at the Two Year Anniversary Party (2006), The Curl along with the Mystery Stout, was packaged into 750 ml bottles by hand with each one receiving a collectible hang tag signed and numbered by Joe Short
• The Curl was first brewed on January, 18, 2006 as the 165th batch of beer at Short's Brewing Company
• As an Imperial American Pilsner, The Curl had a 600 lb grain bill (about 200 lbs more than an average batch of Pontius!) that consisted of 72% Pilsen malt and 28% Flaked Maize.
• The Curl was created and first brewed by Joe Short. During the Vorlof (the cycling of the hot wort throughout the mash tun in order to "set" the grain bed) of the inaugural batch, the mash became stuck, resulting in a brew that started at 9:50 am and wasn't knocked out until 9:05 pm. Keep in mind that the average brew day in the early years began with Joe heating up all of the water needed to brew with in the kettle first, typically requiring 1.5-2 hrs, before he could mash in, and would also require another 1.5-2 hrs after knock out to run his CIP and clean the brew house. Meaning that this particular batch of beer took about 15 hours from start to finish!!
• This year marks the third time that we have bottled the Curl in Elk Rapids and distributed it throughout Michigan as a limited specialty bottle release.
• The artwork on The Curl label depicts one of the first pub tenders to ever work at Short's who would regularly "wow" patrons by placing a full pint of beer at the end of a long wooden pole and then balance the other end of the pole on his chin, beer and all! The Curl is a reference to his nickname, which had to do with the fact he had fairly curly hair (Jerry-Curl).
  

The Curl: One of the first Imperial beers made at Short’s, this American Pilsner has an appealing clear, bright, golden straw color. Faint esters of fresh baked bread and grain aromas precede similar flavors, resulting from the abundance of flake maize used in this recipe. Hefty doses of hops create a pronounced dryness that seamlessly blends with the crisp, clean finish.
7% ABV
50 IBU

 

I hope so.

 

It will be in stores next week at the latest, allocations to distributor reps just went out today. May hit stores tomorrow, depending on the delivery days.

 

Alright, let's try this again--The Curl will start to hit even more markets this week!

 

Yes, I certainly will be.