Short's Black Cherry Porter - Short's Brewing Company

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked this up on a much needed beer run/apple-picking excursion to the great state of Michigan. Had a blast!

Pours a dense, deep, brooding black. Red and brown hues appear in the legs and around the edges. The dark tan head is the color of wet sand... It starts about 2 fingers and settles pretty quickly to a ring of bubbles forming a lazy collar around the glass. Some spotty lace clings behind.

Smells like a porter. Where's the cherry? Oh... There they are. Letting this warm a bit leads to the cherry notes emerging... But they are no match for the roasted coffee, toffee, caramel malts, black malts, and cocoa notes. The sweet black cherries come in towards the back and remind me of non-brand-name "black cherry cola" from my youth. Sweet... Black cherry... I was hoping this would be MORE black cherry and LESS porter... But I guess it just isn't to be.

The body is full and roasty. A little slick and oily at the finish, but overall, not offensive.

Not offensive sums up this beer. It isn't amazing. It certainly isn't one I'll buy again, but to be fair, I don't like porters. I was hoping this would be more of a fruit beer, and it wasn't.

I try to rate to style-- so even though I dont love porters, I rated this fairly... Perhaps the presence of black cherry purée upped my expectations which were then let down... resulting in a lower score... But, the review is the review. Perhaps I'll eventually try Shorts regular porter, which will allow me to appreciate the black cherry notes more. As it is, this beer is unmemorable.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 00:17:25 | More by AleWatcher

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to cmurren25 for sharing this brew at Als during the pumpkin murren event on Saturday. 

Poured into a snifter this brew appears nearly black in color with a darkly tan head that fades slowly. When held to the light it has some lighter browness showing through the edges and hints of redness.

The smell of this brew is roasty dark malt coming across like chocolate. There is a background note of fruity alcohol esters thy develope more towards being cherry as it warms. If it didn't say black cherry on the bottle I doubt I could hve identified it as such. Also coming through in the aroma is some citrusy hops that compliment the smell of fruit and dark grain.

The taste is dark roasted grain with a nice bitterness that is partly due to the level of roast of the malt and some citrusy bitterness imparted by the hops. The alcohol is noticeable again accenting the fruity side of this brew. It has a long lingering aftertaste of burnt grain mixed with cherry that imparts a dryness on the tongue.

A medium bodied brew with a light enjoyable level of carbonation. A pleasant take on the style and done quite well. It is a good balance of roast, hops, fruit and alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 15:32:21 | More by stakem

johndoe8

California

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Very little carbonation, almost no head. Looks rather smooth, if that can describe the viscosity, but there's really good lacing on this.
S: Smell is typically malty with a mild cherry nose.
T: This is an extremely good porter. As others have noted, the cherry really takes a back seat to just a great porter. The subtle cherry notes accentuate it, but do not add any sweetness or take away from the nice roasty taste of a good porter.
M: Mouthfeel also very good.
D: Very drinkable porter. Highly recommended.

Overall notes:

I was honestly expecting something like the New Glarus Cherry Stout, which is a sweet fruit beer, and would not remind me of a stout no matter how many times I tried it. This however is a genuine porter with great flavor and does not stray far from the style. I really like it, and probably barely edges out the Stone Vanilla Smoked Porter as my favorite porter in terms of taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 07:22:49 | More by johndoe8

SeaUrchin

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

just picked up 2 bottles today, going to pick up a few more tomorrow

served from bottle to a pint glass

appearance - dark, didnt manage to be able to hold it up to a light at my girlfriends today other than the tv but it appeared to be a dark dark brown to a black, with a nice brownish red head that was a good finger high and left decent lacing on the glass

smell - smelled sweet with a nice fruity front, smelled of cherry no doubt in my mind, followed by a nice sweet malty scent, very pleasant, made me excited to taste it

taste - started off with a slight bitterness that quickly passed into a sweet malty flavor, then moved into a nice sweet cherry flavor and finished with a slight tartness that enticed one to take another sip, very pleasant and smooth flavor, as it warmed up the cherry was much more pronounced and so was a sweet bitterness, tartness remained about the same

mouthfeel - a full mouthfeel but not too heavy, slight wateriness at the end but felt as thick as i expected from the scent, but thicker than anticipated from the smell

drinkability - drank the 2 that i bought and wished that i had had a third, delicious will buy again very soon

this beer based off the name made me fear that it was going to taste like the tussin(black cherry i always associate with cough syrup) i was pleasantly surprised by the actual flavor, something i can drink in the cooler fall michigan nights but i dont see it being something that i would want to drink all winter long, great brew in my opinion

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 03:42:58 | More by SeaUrchin

alexgash

Connecticut

4.47/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle.

Very dark inky brown-black body with a solid finger of resilient, lacy, dark khaki brown head. Nose of cocoa powder, crushed cherries, strawberries, and chocolate milk.

Roasted malt and coffee bitterness up front. Dark chocolate and milk chocolate sweetness blend together mid-palate. Rich cherry flavors pepper the edges, with a nice balance of tart and sweet. If anything, the cherry plays a minor, but important role. The roasted milk chocolate maltiness steals the show. Full-bodied with a velvety smooth mouthfeel. Delicious, and possibly one of the best Short's beers I've had so far!

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2010 03:09:44 | More by alexgash

kzoobrew

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Well, here's the deal. These new releases from Short's makes it a little confusing on which one to review under. This description matched the best and I am going with it.

Very deep cherry stained brown. Opaque body with light only peaking through the thinner edges. Two finger chai colored head, with a slim cap left sitting atop. Decent amount of lacing left clinging to the walls of the glass.

Deep roasted malt, coffee and loads of dark chocolate. Heavy dark cherry aroma meshes wonderfully with the dark malt flavors. Slight hints of vanilla are buried beneath.

Dark chocolate and cherry ooze from every ounce. Heavily roasted malt with a slight char taste. French roasted coffee flavor comes off with a pleasant but strong roasted bitterness. Black cherry flavor is slightly tart, not as sweet as some may expect.

Full bodied with a rather creamy texture. Carbonation is low but appropriate. Flavors dig deep into the tongue making for a long finish.

This is one of the best porters I have had the pleasure of drinking. Easy drinking and the alcohol is masked rather well. A bit of a sipper due to the richness of the flavor. I think I need to go a pick up a couple more sixers of this to keep on hand.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 17:44:33 | More by kzoobrew

adamette

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

This was the bartender's recommendation at HopCat during my visit there. At the time she simply said that "it has the most unique taste." On tap at HopCat in Grand Rapids, MI two days ago. Review from notes taken at the bar. Poured into a clean, clear glass.

A Dark brown head, black body with great lacing. I do not know how it can be improved. 5.0

S Dark roast malt and the darkest cherry smell. 4.0

T Dark roast malt, some cherry sweetness but it is black cherry of course so it is eclipsed somewhat by the dark roast malt taste. To me, this is a very tasty Porter in its own right (without the Black Cherry) but the black cherry adds a little something extra to "sweeten the deal." 4.5

M Big, foreboding thick feel. Love it.5.0

D Fair plus drinkability as this is a huge beer, one that I could probably only have one of. 3.5

Notes: I agree with the bartender that this is a unique tasting beer and I am glad that she made the recommendation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2009 03:36:47 | More by adamette

webmanspidey

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Short's brewpub and then picked up a growler to go.

Dark brown in color, light purple/pink caramel lacing. Smell and taste are a mix of dry dark chocolate with a very tart black cherry finish. Lightly carbonated and a mellow creamy mouthfeel. Excellent drinkability. A very smooth, delicious beer.

Serving type: growler

08-30-2009 00:27:07 | More by webmanspidey

Freshie

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on-tap at the Roadhouse in Brookline, MA, at a short's Beer night, this past weekend. If this is not the black cherry porter I drank, please someone let me know.

Dark as crud color, with slightly maroon lacing on the sides of the glass.

Aroma is sweet, with some dark fruit, what I assume would be the cherries. slight spicy hops, and some alcohol.

The taste is sweet, and somewhat refreshing, which shocked me for a beer with such ABV. Alcohol warms as you drink though. The sweetness comes from the cherries. Faint note of floral hops. A bit sticky from the fruit.

Very drinkable and well made.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2009 13:38:54 | More by Freshie

NDPDuke

Michigan

4.4/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Crunchies in Lansing, MI. Not my favorite style, but whenever I see a Short's brew, I am inclined to try it. Poured into the traditional pint glass via tap.

Appearance: A dark mahogany color with a thing head on top. Looks like a thick porter with a hint of cherries (HENCE THE NAME).

Smell: Smells of the black cherries that I am used to picking up north in the area where this brewery is located. The cherry smell is strong, but pleasing. Also have a few hints of chocolate and molasses near the end.

Taste: Tastes like a porter with cherries mashed into it. For the 9% alcohol level, it's really not too strong. The cherries do a good job of meshing with the classic porter style. Similar to the smell, can't taste a bit of chocolate and malts as you get near the bottom.

Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, like a porter. The cherry taste sticks in the mouth once the beer has gone.

Drinkability: For 9% alcohol, this brew is quite easy to get through. For me though, cherry brews and other associated fruit types usually come one at a time. Probably same with this one. Would prefer to just have one or two at a time.

Overall, a very good cherry porter. Usually I am not a big fan of these types of beers. I usually struggle with the overpowering cherry taste. In this case though, the classic porter style sticks with an overtone of cherry. Backed by chocolate and molasses, this is a very good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2008 20:53:05 | More by NDPDuke

marburg

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep, dark color gives a meatier look than this beer actually has body. For 9% with a wealth of flavor, this is somewhat thin. Nonetheless, it's packed with some interesting things. The aroma certainly has a fresh fruit feel to it, and cherry is there -- but the real force is that of a java stout or a coffee shop. Hints of oaky vanilla and wet wood rest underneath that roasted bean scent. Rather than taking the sweetness from the cherries or any cloying syrup-like approach, this beer accentuates the skins, pits, and stems of cherries and mingles them with roasted grain and coffee. Interesting, but a bit straightforward. A little less alcohol and coffee would have done wonders for this.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2004 14:54:17 | More by marburg

Mitchster

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark mahogany with an auburn tint, forming a small dark-tan head with poor retention and minimal lacing. Aroma is fresh with lots of freshly brewed coffee and vanilla. With swirling, the black cherries make themselves known. Tastes nice with a pleasant tartness from the cherries, some smoke, french roast coffee, and a mild bitterness throughout the roasted finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and soft with a medium body (lighter than expected for a 9.0% ABV brew). Despite the cost of the ingredients used to make the beer, I have to argue that it's not stellar enough to warrant the $6/snifter price.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2004 02:28:41 | More by Mitchster