Thursday, December 6, 2012

Shorts Brew Spruce Pilsner: Review


Short’s Brewing Company
Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA
7.15% abv

‘Imperial Pilsner Brewed with Northern Michigan Spring Blue Spruce Tips & Healthy Dose of High Alpha Hops’

I believe this is a summer beer.  I have several bottles still in the fridge and this seems like the perfect time to review this baby. 

Appearance: hazy yellow-gold body with a fine white head.

Aroma: the spruce tips stand out, lemon peel

Flavors: spruce flavor is front and center with of course a pine notes coming from the hops for a firm and dry mouthfeel; tasty bitterness and the malts must be doing their job to keep the bitterness under control; herbal/floral, lemongrass

To the Point: if you like specialty beers … this is a must try. 

I paired this Pilsner with a Macanudo Gold Label Gold Bar Cigar.  While the beer has the light-moderate body of an Imperial Pilsner it has a bold bitter style from the Alpha Hops and the Blue Spruce Tips.  A cigar with a spicy profile or strong coffee tone can be disinterest – making it too bitter of a pairing.  So, a mild Macanudo should do the trick. 

The Pairing: the light dusty white pepper and white mushroom earthy tone of the cigar made it feel like I was eating a Pine Tree Salad while I was drinking this Pilsner.  The cigar did not make the beer anymore bitter and likewise the beer did not change the cigar.     



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