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Beer Reviews

Good Humans

Short’s Brewing Company
Bellaire, MI
USA
http://www.shortsbrewing.com/

Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 8.0%

Rings’s Rating:
   (Recommended)


Comments:
Joe Shorts is becoming a Michigan legend, fabled in the way of New Glarus to Wisconsin beer fans in limiting his distribution in-state, despite demand. He seems to have no end of creativity, much as the more famous Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head has utilized in building a “must have” reputation. Having recently attended the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival, the line at the Shorts booth is regularly among the longest and his brews among the most interesting … not to mention his “booth,” which was a spectacle unto itself.

Today, I’m sampling their winter seasonal, Good Humans, which is described as a dry-hopped double brown ale, brewed initially to highlight Briess Malting Company’s Carabrown Malt, a newer product in the lineup.

It opens beautifully, with a creamy milk head that hangs around throughout the sample. For Shorts, the nose is also nicely restrained—I expected a big ol’ hoppy smack across the brow. The body, however, is pretty thin and it suffers from a touch of tin or metal at the back of the palate—perhaps an issue with the malt? That said, it’s a very nice, balanced brown with hints of toffee and raisin, albeit slightly flawed by the irritating metallic or acidic notes. These things can happen when brewing with passion, humility, and wisdom, to borrow from the label art. After all, we’re humans … we’re still the best thing ever!


Reviewed by Rings on April 2, 2012.

Drinkin’ And Thinkin’

Beer Dorks News

Want to know how healthy the craft beer industry is? As always, look to Portland. Craft pioneer Bridgeport announces sudden closure, adding to a growing list of PDX casualties. Did Anheuser-Busch Chicago offer their shit beer to Cody Parkey before his missed field goal? Because that may explain why he "accidentally" biffed it. Chicago now has the most breweries of any city in the country. Other things Chicago has the most of: murders, mobsters, and Ditkas. Trying to spin it positive, BA releases end of year graphic. Only 5% growth in the craft sector when nearly 1000 new breweries opened? That's a collapse waiting to happen. R.I.P. Tallgrass... another casualty as the regional/national craft beer market continues to get squeezed. Wait... Constellation Brands cut all of the Ballast Point and Funky Buddha sales staff? They merged it with their Corona/Modelo staff?? We're SHOCKED!!! Pizza Beer founder crying about failure of company, blames everyone else. Reminder, the beer tasted like vomit. Try having better ideas or making better products so you're not a failure. It's Bud Light so doesn't really matter, but we expect this beer to be sitting around for awhile. Indiana brewery to open with controversial beer names to "get the conversation going". Translation: taking advantage of serious issues for free publicity. Hundreds of amazing beers in Wisconsin and the Cubs took back the one everyone drinks just because it exists and people have heard of it. How fitting...