As for taste, there’s a definite sour bite to it. Its very similar to a lambic, or a spontaneously fermented beer. That could be expected though, from the scent. While I doubt this is spontaneously fermented, the apple certainly lends that character to it. The biggest surprise is the smokiness. I get that it’s a smoked apple porter, but I after reading the label which mentioned the smoked malts, I wasn’t necessarily excited for it. I thought that the malts would taste more burnt. This was clearly incorrect, and this is a smoky, slightly sweet, sour treat. Very different from anything I’ve had before. I can honestly say I’m thrilled by this in ways I hadn’t imagined I would be.

Is it the greatest beer known to man? No. Is it stellar? That’s up for debate. All I’m comfortable saying is that I really like it for it’s strangeness. In a career of tasting well over a thousand beers, I’ve never had anything like this. It is truly completely one hundred percent unique. Shorts is doing a great job of DOMINATING that category right now. Buy any of their special beers (I highly recommend Good Humans as well) and you will likely be knocked off your chair. Not by the booze, necessarily, but by the innovation.

8/10

It poured a delicious brick red/ruby/brown type color, and left a very weak head.  All of this expected for an 11.5% ABV barleywine.

As for smell, I managed to grab a whiff before I hopped in the shower, and it was very thick with syrup and molasses, and cut with a hefty dose of ethanol.  It smells as a barleywine should, although I’d prefer a bit more hops.  Then again, I prefer all beers over 50 IBUs.

The taste was really upsetting at first.  I was less than thrilled.  It was just alcohol and a teensy sweet.  Not bad, necessarily, but the cost is not worth it.  However, once it warmed up a bit, and I was half way through, it really opened up.  It was quite sweet…  it really balanced out the alcohol well.  I have to admit, it almost leaves you with a vanilla or bourbon finish, but not quite.  My tongue actually begs for it.  Pop this beast in a bourbon barrel for a few months, and this beer would be a 9.  As it stands, it’s only a 6.

-brian

Good Humans is billed as a Dry Hopped Double Brown Ale.  Generally, I’m not much of a fan of brown ales.  I find them bland, and unimpressive in every respect.  On Ian’s recommendation, however, I bought a 6-er of this.  I also warned him that if I wasn’t into it, I’d punchisize him.  In a fierce way.

So, what was I expecting from this?  Well, I was expecting lots of malt.  Lots of really bland malt.  Maybe a teensy bit of hop in the nose, and a decent amount of alcohol; it is a double after all.

What was I given?  Well, in the nose, it’s major league hops.  Floral hops, citrus hops, grassy hops, dirty hops.  It’s hops though.  There’s a strange sweetness to it though, almost like strawberry preserves.

As far as mouthfeel, it’s light and fluffy, with some carbonation.  It doesn’t stick to the tongue, it just flows over smoothly and lightly.

The taste was the true kicker though.  It broke all of my expectations.  All of them.  It was not like anything I expected.  It is really hoppy.  Not like an IIPA, but very hop flavored.  It’s got a weird sweetness that I wasn’t necessarily prepared for.  Very fruity.  Very strange.  Very delicious.  Nothing at all like a brown ale.  Very delicious.  The genius responsible for this beer is certainly a Good Human of the highest caliber.

8.5/10

brian!

As you can see, this fine ale exhibits a strange characteristic for imperial stouts: it has head.  This is certainly not a bad thing, just different.  It’s quite thick, but fades pretty quickly.

The smell is comprised of lots of malt, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol.  It’s really sweet, in both senses of the word.

The mouthfeel is full, with minimal carbonation bite.  Very thick, coating the tongue and mouth wonderfully.

The taste is multi-faceted.  There is a lot of sweetness up front, while there is plenty of bitterness as it moves back on the tongue.  There are all sorts of flavors you could associate with this.  Coffee, chocolate, and oats are all very prominent.  There is a noticeable hint of alcohol in the flavor, which is really enjoyable.

Overall, this is a stellar beer, and I’m glad I finally got to review it for the site.  While it’s not the greatest imperial stout ever, it’s a hell of a good one.

8.5/10

I didn’t cool this at all, room temp all the way.  While this is great for the flavors, it makes it a pain in the ass to pour!  This poured a delightful copper brown that I have come to know and love, and generally revere as being the epitome of beer color.  It poured a (pain in the ass) thick khaki colored head, which strangely dissipated rather quickly…  However, what you’re seeing in this picture above, is what it still looks like after 20 minutes. The lacing just does not go away.  Well played trappist monks, well played.

What can you say about the smell?  Well, it smells belgian.  Characteristically belgian in every form and facet.  Very estery, slightly sweet, no hops; belgian.

The taste can be described much as the smell.  This is the taste of a fine belgian ale.  It has a rather bubbly mouthfeel, and strangely light, but this is characterstically belgian as well.  It’s a bit sweet, and definitely fruity.  Bananas, pears and the like.  Sure, this sounds like every other belgian, but honestly, this should be the benchmark.  If you are not as good as Chimay Red, refine your technique, and do over until you’re better.

7.5

So, we’ve all known for some time that Ian and I are great fan’s of Michigan beer.  After all, it is the great beer state.  What does Joe Short have to offer the great state of Michigan?  Well, excellent beer.  Excellent beer that is cleverly named and flavored.  The newest beer he’s crafted that I’ve tasted I had tonight, and that is “The Liberator.”

I don’t know how to describe the Liberator upon initial inspection.  It’s copper, with a solid white head, which lasts FOREVER.  It’s timeless, like Lincoln.

Upon smelling, you are greeted by some citrus and pine aromas, as well as a small amount of malt.  The most prevalent smell is definitely the hops though.  The bitter, delicious hops.

As for flavor, it’s a menagerie of wonderful flavors.  Dominated by the various characteristics of the hops, you taste grapefruit, bitterness, and a hint of malt.  The alcohol is there, but understated.  It’s a bit of a palette-ruiner, but that is just fine by me.

I’m thrilled by this beer.  In my opinion, it’s the best thing Short’s has released to date. This beer will set your taste buds free, like Lincoln did the slaves.  It is to be cherished by mankind.  Beyond that, it’s affordable too!  No 4 dollars a bottle+ here, this was only 2.69 a bottle.  All the bang for the buck you could want.

9.25/10

I poured it, expecting exactly what I got, a clear effervescent belgian styled ale with very thick, but quickly dissipating head.  The smell was that of a belgian golden ale.  As it stands, all is well with this ale.

So we move on to the first sip.  The mouthfeel is very light and effervescent.  Very close to what I’d expect from a Saison, and very standard belgian.

The taste:  I was expecting to be blown away by sourness here, assuming they would’ve taken the Saison sentiment literally.  Well, it turns out, it’s very plain.  It’s actually quite the golden ale.  It’s very standard golden ale, with a lot of similarities to Duvel.  With regard to Duvel however, this is much better.  There are some interesting characteristics.  There are some flavors that aren’t necessarily striking… more understated…  Turns out, the aftertaste on this is actually very similar to sweet tarts.

So, why do I say this has turned me off of the Avery anniversary series?  Well, I’d be interested to try them.  It would be really fun, but my devout belief is that it wouldn’t be worth the money.  This beer, for 8 bucks, is totally not worth it at all.  If I bought this for 2 dollars, I’d be satisfied.

It’s all I can do to not fail this beer, but really… it’s not a great beer.  It’s not worth the 8 dollar price tag for 22 oz.  It’s a 5/10.

Then again…  if it was free, it’d be much more appealing.

Wait… What?!

I re-read.   Milford’s Best Beer Selection huh?…  I’ll show them.  I casually stroll in, expecting a vast array of Budweiser and Miller products.  Much to my surprise and delight, the first thing I see is a stack of cases of Founder’s Double Trouble, and Bell’s Hopslam.  WHAT??!?!?!?!  I FOUND HEAVEN.  Well, I wasn’t going to allow myself to be swayed by a stack of cases of good beer.  I meandered over to their beer cooler, where they even offer mix ‘n’ match 6 packs, as well as a solid selection of deucers and 750′s.    Wow.  What a surprise.  I’ve found a new favorite place to purchase alcohol in Milford.

But to the point.

I purchased Insanely Bad Elf.  I figured, recently I reviewed  Criminally Bad Elf with some favor.  Plus, it’s a whopping 11.2% alcohol by volume.   As you can see, it pours a copper color, and as I so elegantly cut out (my photography skills suck!) the head was once again lacking.  Granted with 11.2% ABV, you can’t expect much.  What you can, and should expect however, is sweetness.  In more ways than one.

The nose is sweet, and boozy.

Strangely, so is the taste.  Yeah, not that strange.   Sorry.  The interesting thing about the taste, however, is that there are some fruity notes.  Not like a belgian though, with the sweet and funky esters giving banana and clove flavors.  No.   This is almost like apples, or plums.  Something savory.

I have to admit, I really want to love this beer, and this series, but they’re not blowing me away.  In fact, it’s almost a little stale tasting and smelling.  There’s nothing mind blowing, or even bending about this beer.  It’s solid, but not bringing anything great to the table.

7.0

-brian!

First off, let me tell you how I managed to come across this beer…  I first heard of it though a good friend of Beer and Comics, Laura Bell.  Yes, Laura, the son of Larry Bell.  The owner of Bell’s Brewing.  Laura has been a good friend of Ian’s and mine for some years now.  We were at a friends wedding when she dropped some knowledge on me about the availability of this beer and that she’d really like to see it reviewed.  I promised that if I were able to get my grubby paws on it, I would review it accurately.  Fast forward 1.5 months to today.  I received this beer as a gift for the completion of my grad school application from my friend Phantom at today’s hash.  I’ve been THRILLED with the possibility to have this for some time, and glad it finally happened.

The pour:  a bit cloudy, and somewhere between tan and amber.  Like a dark orange.  The head didn’t stick around long, and didn’t leave much lacing.

The smell:  This smells like IIPA’s should smell.  Hoppy.  There is a slight sweetness to it, but it’s overwhelmingly hoppy.  And AMAZING.  It is no secret that is what I like, and like to smell in a beer, and certainly Bell’s Oracle doesn’t disappoint.

The taste:  a medium body, with a well carbonated mouthfeel.  It’s very hoppy and bitter.  There’s a hint of malt at the front of the mouth, but it is overwhelmingly bitter.  I LOVE IT.  Fantabulous.

I’m really really happy with this.  I’ve been waiting for Bell’s to do this for some time now, as I LOVE IIPA’s.  If you can still find this out there, do it.

9/10