Short's The Soft Parade - Short's Brewing Company

Maxwell

Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a murky berry red with accents of brown syrup, and touches of salmon orange. The head is eggshell white with light pink highlights, and the lacing is thin but sticky and dry. The beer’s body is surprisingly clear of particles and quite translucent, featuring a steady stream of small carbonation bubbles. On the nose, the beer is big and jammy, with lovely thick berry scents and an excellent barley malt and rye spice background. The smell is reminiscent of “assorted berry” scents, in that no individual berries can really be picked out without really shoving your nose in the glass. The malt smells of light biscuity caramel bread and has me thinking rye toast and jam. On the tongue, the beer tastes terrifically sweet with berries while the more spicy bread malts balance the sweet, and a touch of hops adds slight earthy bitters. The flavor begins with a big rush of fruit berries, moving from strawberry, to blueberry, to black berry, and to raspberry nearly so fast that the tongue has trouble differentiating between them. The berry flavor powers through the mouth throughout the taste, building to a crescendo that tastes a little syrupy and then fading into the aftertaste, but beside the berries there is a strong underlying flavor of spicy rye bread and caramel malt which eventually brings the light earthy bitters onto the back of the palate. The aftertaste rings lightly with strawberry jam, faint earthy bitters, and a touch of aspirin. On the mouth, this beer feels on the heavier side of medium in body with some nice syrupy qualities on the tongue. The mouth is left clean with the slightest dry feeling on the tongue. The beer’s carbonation is light with effervescence, providing a slight prickle across the tongue as it moves down the throat. The beer feels clean and drinkable. Overall, this is one of my favorite non-wild fruit beers. It’s big in booze and in fruit flavors, but still lets you know there is beer beneath it, and it blends those two things very nicely. It has nice the rye flavors underlying the heavy jam, and definitely has some semblance to a fruit wine, which is nicely refreshing. This beer would be great for summer nights, and is really a nice beer. Try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 20:54:50 | More by Maxwell

bobbyr5

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev -30.9%

05-21-2013 22:46:51 | More by bobbyr5

MatterOfOpinion

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

05-20-2013 03:53:31 | More by MatterOfOpinion

NJB145

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

05-19-2013 01:40:42 | More by NJB145

leprechaunandfatman

Illinois

4/5  rDev +10.5%

05-17-2013 16:08:05 | More by leprechaunandfatman

DStoked

Ohio

3/5  rDev -17.1%

05-16-2013 17:10:44 | More by DStoked

allisonastra

Michigan

4/5  rDev +10.5%

05-16-2013 17:06:00 | More by allisonastra

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

05-15-2013 19:48:58 | More by HarmonMW

sirsteve42

New York

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

05-15-2013 03:09:38 | More by sirsteve42

SeanSweeney

Michigan

2.41/5  rDev -33.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

Like purple bag of skittles mixed with coors light. Wouldn't recommend or try again. But then again not a fan or fruity beers. But overall too much fruit to discern any specific flavors. Reminiscent of trix cereal due to not being able to tell what flavor this beer was willing to take on.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 03:35:53 | More by SeanSweeney

Slay40

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +31.2%

05-10-2013 19:02:29 | More by Slay40

brudz2134

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

05-04-2013 04:57:08 | More by brudz2134

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Acquired as an extra in a trade (forgot who sent it, please mail me if you remember!)

A- Pours a clear amber body with a very small white head that reduces very quickly. Leaves some lacing.

S- I definitely get the berries on the nose - blueberry and raspberry juice but not overpowering or sweet. There's a strong buttered corn note in there too, indicating diacetyl is present, which is usually not a good thing. I kinda like that smell though, which is why I'm not slamming it on aroma.

T- It isn't the berry bomb that everyone is describing - maybe because it has some age and the berries have mellowed out? Subtle berries and caramel, with a little hoppyness in the background. Again, I get that diacetyl note, which isn't cloying but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be there.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation. Fairly easy to drink, I highly doubt this is 9% ABV.

One of the more unique beer's I've tried. I don't really know what to think of this one, it was decent and easy to drink but at the same time very one dimensional. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 03:00:27 | More by gcamparone

wowjimi

Michigan

3.56/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Nice name - good Doors song - and appealing label/packaging. Tastes like I mixed some blackberry juice in with a microbrew beer that I found too bitter/hoppy and wanted to dilute it for drinkability. (I have done such things). main reason I am posting is I find it VERY hard to believe this is a 9% Alcohol content.

As a regular imbiber of COLT 45 and Molson XXX, I think i know my buzz factors. And i am sure if you are at this site you know it is not easy to achieve such a high % in manufacture, especially when Taste is the main objective. just sayin'....

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:14:56 | More by wowjimi

HisBoyElroy

Michigan

1/5  rDev -72.4%

04-27-2013 23:34:15 | More by HisBoyElroy

DougLana

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

04-25-2013 17:58:05 | More by DougLana

ranokmai

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-25-2013 14:45:16 | More by ranokmai

djmichaelk

Florida

4/5  rDev +10.5%

04-23-2013 02:15:01 | More by djmichaelk

JDizzle

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%

04-21-2013 00:25:19 | More by JDizzle

Captain_Buzzkill

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-20-2013 05:58:00 | More by Captain_Buzzkill

HardyA

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-19-2013 00:06:04 | More by HardyA

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -37.8%

04-12-2013 02:29:47 | More by Lurkerson

edemaknn

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%

04-06-2013 03:05:02 | More by edemaknn

cwxc818

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

04-06-2013 00:47:52 | More by cwxc818

fredmugs

Indiana

2.63/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I'm writing this review in case anyone reads it before buying this beer. It tastes exactly like a wine cooler. In a blind taste test I'm not sure if I could tell the difference. It is fermented with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. You've been warned.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:26:17 | More by fredmugs