Short's Noble Chaos Oktoberfest - Short's Brewing Company

warnerry

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Notes from fall 2010

Pours a cloudy amber with one finger of head and some decent lacing left behind. Smell is pretty straightforward bready and roasty malts. This is definitely the hoppiest Oktoberfest I've ever had, but underneath it maintains the slightly sweet Marzen style. :Leaves some lingering bitterness on the tongue. Overall pretty good, if not the most traditional take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 22:45:00 | More by warnerry

HappyHourHero

Indiana

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clean, moderately strong aroma dominated by malt and bready character with faint earthy hop notes. Poured a short off-white head that faded briskly to a thin film. Good clarity from the deep amber colored beer. Clean bready flavor up front is lightly sweet. Fairly strong cocoa flavor and a moderate bitterness make up the finish. Finishes fairly clean with a light lingering bitterness. Smooth, moderately light body makes it easy to drink. The cocoa flavor is pretty strong and strange for the style. I wouldn't say it ruins the beer, but I do wonder what it would taste like without it. Probably more of a Dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 01:25:43 | More by HappyHourHero

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Cloudy amber pour with a bit of lacing

Smell: Roasted nuts and malts/grain

Taste: Roast/toasted nuts and grains, bit of subdued hops. SOme caramel and toffee as well.

Mouthfeel: Slightly chewy

Drinkability: Odd beer, I didnn't finish it.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 16:27:29 | More by craytonic

MarvinTheMarzen

Iowa

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm a bit confused by this beer. It has some of the characteristics of a great Marzen but it has some unique qualities too. The beer pours a lovely amber with a low, short-lived head. If you didn't know about the Noble hops the smell could be off-putting. The taste is good - a bit of a bite but not as hoppy as the Summit Oktoberfest. Overall, quite pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 01:06:34 | More by MarvinTheMarzen

billab914

Virginia

2.63/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish shaped pint glass. It poured a very murky, dark caramel color. The head filled the top inch of the glass at first but settled relatively fast. Some nice lacing was left as I drank it.

The aroma has a lot of fruit and citrus to it. Orange, lemon and apple seem come out of a unique sort of tart crispness I get form a lot of Shorts brews. It's not bad or infected, just kind of odd. Some herbal, citrusy hops are the next biggest flavor to it with some sweet malty notes following.

The taste shows some of the same fruity flavors to it right off the bat. Apple and pear seem to come through more, while just some hints of the orange and lemon come through. It has a resiny, herbal hop presence to it as well. Again kind of a pattern of this flavor in several of the Shorts beers I've had. As you get to the finish it gets much sweeter with a lot of malt to it. Strange beer for the style.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate and slightly sharp carbonation. Drinkability isn't that great, the flavors are just very strange for the style. The sweetness mixed with the tart fruit flavors just didn't work for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 00:55:23 | More by billab914

nkersten

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Erik for including this one. Pours a burnt orange with a nice white cap that fades to a collar with good lacing. One of the better looking marzens I have had. Smell is malty lager balanced nicely with floral and spicy hops. Has some of the typical Shorts smells - not quite off, yet unique and not entirely beneficial to the beer. Taste is similar to many shorts beers as well... A great smelling beer followed by a rather boring flavor profile. Light malt, some caramel and chocolate malts, slightly roasty, barely noticeable hop balance. Hardly any malt sweetness makes this one kind of bland. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and medium carbonation. Overall, this beer has everything going for it but the taste - a bit too watery and bland.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 05:00:13 | More by nkersten

brentk56

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber color with a two fingered head that leaves some shards of lacing behind

Smell: Toasty, with a grassy hop character

Taste: The toast, up front, is quickly joined by the grassy hops and a surprisingly roasty herbacious character that lingers after the swallow and into the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Definitely an unusual take on the style and one I don't much care for, sad to say

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 03:07:10 | More by brentk56

Khazadum

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Huge thanks to Sarro for this extra. I was shocked and amazed to see this included. Chilled and poured into my favorite pint glass!

A- Tough job creating a large volume of head, but what does develop is creamy for a few moments, and explosive after that. Tons of large bubbles dominate the plane of view. Turbid copper body attempts to hide the massive amounts of carbonation in this brew. Thick collar of whipped cream thickness begins to stick to the side giving some solid lacing.

S- Short's definitely has their own take on an Oktoberfest. This is at once floral and fruity in terms of the hop profile. I smell grapefruits and plums instantly. Following that there is a slight bready musk to it. The hops are the main player here, though.

T- Unfortunately the sweet nose does not translate as effectively as I want into the flavors. Opens instantly bitter, resinous, and piny. Its unnerving that there is no sweetness or citrus to balance it. Instead a minor amount of malt body creeps forward. Some fruity apples mingle with a biscuit leaving me with a teasing brew.

If we had a heavy caramel or apple body we may have a fantastic offering. Alas, it becomes run of the mill.

M- Medium bodied. It strives to be full, but it doesn't have to be. Crisp with an excess of carbonation. It leaves me wanting in terms of lingering flavors. Very clean on the finish, not much to it.

D- Its easy to drink, a tad bit different, and enjoyable to smell. Its a decent offering, but nothing genre breaking. I'd probably pass on the opportunity to drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2010 03:23:09 | More by Khazadum

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Lee - thanks!

Pours a clear chestnut brown color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of smooth caramel malts with hints of breadiness. Also present are mild amounts of earthy hops that intensify as the beer warms.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Mildly dry caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by solid bready flavors. Midway through the sip the malt flavors sweeten a bit before they're tempered by small amounts of earthy hop flavors. The hops fade out into a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this was a solid beer for the style that was a bit drier than the best examples. Still, a solid and closer to traditional beer from Short's that's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 02:53:50 | More by glid02

flexabull

California

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another Shorts brew courtesy of mikesgroove, thanks again!

Pours a bright amber color with an ok head, some lacing.

Aromas are of caramel malts, brewed tea, roasted nuts, and some tartness as well.

Taste is bready, nutty, and with some creamy toasted malts. Some light caramel, brewed tea, and a dry earthy pine hop note on the finish.

Mouthfeel is decent, a little on the light side though.

Drinkability is good. This is easy to sip, tasty and complex. Another solid Shorts beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 22:41:02 | More by flexabull

bierenutz

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a clear amber brown color with less than a finger width head of quickly dissapating foam and minimal lacing on the glass.
S-Malty, bready aroma with some sweetness of caramel or syrup.
T-Roasted malt richness with some piney hops but an oakey-smokey finish and afternotes.
M-Medium feel and carbonation. Refreshing and clean.
D-Nice beer and a little different for this style, but in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 01:23:08 | More by bierenutz

JamnesCameron

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a New Holland pint glass.

Pours a deep amber with about a finger of light tan head. The head disappears quickly leaving a whisp of foam.

Aromas of malt and earthy/piney hops.

First sip is of tannins, resiny hop bitterness which seems out of character, and some malt and caramel in the background. A very hop forward oktoberfest. Actually, it tastes nothing like an oktoberfest. The malt backbone is there, but it is overwhelmed by the bitterness.

Mouthfeel is prickly carbonation and a little thin.

Drinkability is okay. Not what I want in an oktoberfest, but good none the less.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 01:58:59 | More by JamnesCameron

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to erikkoppin for this great Short's brew. Cheers!

Appearance - Pours into my Bell's tulip with a dark golden toffee color. About a finger of tan head is achieved with a moderate pour, that dissipates quickly leaving nice looking lacing on the side s of the glass.

Smell - Caramel, bready malts, slight piney hops, smoke/earth, apple, and slight spices.

Taste - The initial taste is a relatively smoky/toasted malt flavor which honestly took me by surprise. I was not expecting this heavy of said flavor up front in this style of beer. This fades to nice toffee, caramel, and bready notes in the middle, and the taste finishes up with a distinct and nice dry hoppy flavor mixed in with an earthiness. Very unique for this style but I am digging it a lot.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, oily, prickly carbonation, and again, finishes on a dry note.

Drinkability - If this was in six packs, this would be my new favorite Oktoberfest. I really enjoyed this beer, in a style I don't often enjoy (probably why I did like this so much, heh). Extremely quaffable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 01:14:27 | More by SpdKilz

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A solid pour into into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick, pale amber tinged, light tan colored head. The beer is a deep amber color that shows a lightly hazed, dark copper / amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells amply of caramelized malt, toasted grain and even some ample, for the color, roast character towards the finish. A touch of lightly spicy and herbal hop notes lie underneath the more dominant malt character and at times gets completely lost within it.

Lightly sweet tasting with a soft herbal hop character up front, but this quickly disappears underneath a soft, but distinctive roasted malt in the finish that tastes a bit like burnt toast, but with out the burnt bitterness. This is very lightly roasty, but it does have quite a bit more roast character than one would guess by the color of this beer. The middle has a caramelized malt character that evokes thoughts of berries, this also is ultimately out muscled by the roast character in the finish, but unlike the hops it never quite disappears. The texture of this beer is nicely appropriate for a beer for the Autumn, it is a touch chewy and has some a character that leaves it lightly clinging viscously to the palate.

What a weird beer; it is interesting and tasty, but the roast character keeps throwing me off for some reason, it doesn't really seem to mesh with the rest of the beer. Still, I am definitely enjoying this beer, it just might have a bit too much roast character.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 23:38:34 | More by Gueuzedude

dfillius

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass

A: Aggressive pour yields 1 finger tan rocky head with good retention. Cloudy brown liquid is not the best looking due to murkiness - clearer please. Great head.

S: Sweet and sour. Smells like New Glarus Imperial Saison or Old English Porter.

T: Citrus, a tad metallic. Some caramel malt. Chaotic definitely. Not cohesive. Off-flavory. Another (rare) miss from Short's

M: Crisp, astringent, pleasant and unpleasant

D: Would not order another or buy a sixpack. Drank more sips solely to see if it would improve. Unfortunately, it didn't.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 22:00:37 | More by dfillius

mymrnngjckt

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my trusty shaker pint. Not being a fan of Octoberfest in general I wasn't expecting much from this beer. Pours a a dark brown with a one finger head. The smell was surprisingly complex; malts, a bit of citrus, caramel, oatmeal and a nice smokey / apple smell. The tast was very malty but balanced. The mouthfeel was a bit thinner than other Octoberfests I had but I like that quality about this brew.

Not being a fan of the style in general, I was very pleased with this beer. One of the more enjoyable of this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2010 17:30:27 | More by mymrnngjckt

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

so i decided last night to break out 10+, thats right 10+ new shorts beers for a nice sampling with the family. turns out my and my brother in law were the only ones willing to go down this road, so long afternoon for sure. serve cold and consumed on 10/02/2010.

definitley a different take on the style from what i am used to for sure. pours out a light amber color with a nice head of white that caps the top but quickly fades off into a less then ideal lacing.

aroma is not at all what i was expecting as i am picking up a mix here of peppery spice, hints of caramel and vanilla? bready malts and a touch of an earthy, dirty aroma. definitely different. the flavor follows suit quite well with only sparing touches of bready and caramel malts. more of a spiced style with hints of toasted malts and a deep, sweet, odd sort of earthines to it. nice body though with a thin and well carbonate profile.

overall it was very drinkable but just imparted some odd flavors for me. i would do it again now that i know what i am going into in.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 17:12:31 | More by mikesgroove

malty

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Recently released in 12 oz. six packs for the very first time!

Pours a brilliantly clear chestnut/orange color with a settles dense & creamy 1/2" light beige head. Not much in the way of visible uprising carbonation. Thick, undisturbed rings of lace all the way down.

Smells of rich toasty malt with a hint of toffee and damp forest floor. A hint of caramel apple. Clean, lush and fresh.

Initially tastes like a toasted golden-rimmed over the fire marshmallow. A few quaffs into this ale and the toasted malts really surface and take center stage. There's a bit of an acrid burnt flavor that leans more toward earthy than smoke. A clean and edgy dryness cleanses the palate just as the malt elements start to compound and sticks around for a chalky finish.

Mouthfeel is oily, slick and smack-dab between light and medium bodied. The carbonation is very fine and playful, adding to the dry texture of this beer. The ending is a tad bitter and (again) chalky.

Drinkability is perfect on this sunny 60F October afternoon. This would pair nicely with an assortment of grilled red meats and sausages.

Overall Short's Brewing hits it out of the park again. This is definitely not a tradition German Oktoberfest style. The hops are very much apparent and the toasty qualities of this beer lean more toward an English brown ale. Put that all together and you have a rich, hearty and easily sessionable ale that's perfect for the season. I'll be purchasing more of this while it's still available.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 20:30:53 | More by malty

alleykatking

Indiana

4.38/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle. Thanks goes out to gratefulbeerhead for yet another great beer. Eric you are amazing!

A- Pours a coppery color with light orange hues. One finger light tan head that has good retention. Sticky web lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Nice amounts of toasted and toffee malts. There is a sweet brown sugar like aroma that lingers throughout the beer itself. The toasted malts are what come through the most like most Oktoberfest beers.

T- This beer is interesting for the style. There is a light toasted malt in the front of the beer. More toffee like notes come into play with some almost bready caramel notes. There is a brown sugar flavor that is in the middle to ending of the beer. The toasted malts come through again toward the end with a light earthy hop in the ending that balances this one out.

M- Medium light mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style and beer. Toasted malts lay on the palate with some light bitter hops in the aftertaste. The alcohol is hanging out in the background but doesn't really dry the palate. Flavors are clean and crisp with no off flavors.

D- This beer is very good. Just enough of a difference in the style that makes it standout. Another great beer from Short's and a easy session beer for me and most others I think.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 04:14:35 | More by alleykatking

a74gent

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Getting ready to have some chicken and dumplings with kraut so thought this would be the perfect beer.

A - a nice, murky amber color with a respectable finger of foam that eventually subsided

S - some nice spice notes but not typical..something is dominant, but I can't place it

T - you can taste typical oktoberfest flavors underlying some special short's magic on top. Tough for me to pinpoint what is going on...pretty well balanced, if thin.

M - pretty quick and gone. The weak note on this beer.

D - you could quickly put a few of these away, but at the same time doesn't provide the satisfaction that some other quick drinkers do.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2010 22:25:10 | More by a74gent

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown into my pilsner glass. Good lacing as it makes its way down. Nose has a toffee, caramel, roasted malt, touches of sweetness, and some Noble hops, but it's all a bit soft and doesn't fit that well. Strange that I normally really enjoy Short's beers, but some of the more "everyday" ones aren't up my alley. The taste is similar to the nose in that the flavors just don't work all that well and the beer isn't very integrated. Mouthfeel is moderate with okay carbonation. Drinkability is lower as there's nothing I truly like about this beer, unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 21:22:03 | More by Thorpe429

enfield249

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Clear, dark brown, with a slight copper highlight. No head to speak of.

S - Not much, a little brown sugar or molasses. Very slight.

T - Roasty, slightly sweet, with a herbal hop flavor.

M - Medium to full, closer to full. Nice amount of CO2 on the tongue.

D - Very nice fall beer, I could drink this every day from September 30th to Nov. 1

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2010 01:20:58 | More by enfield249

zoso1967

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you TCgoalie for this bottle.

Pours a deep copper color and is completly clear. The head is light tan and very small, but what is there has good staying power and leaves very sticky lacing.

The aroma is mostly of toffee and toasted malts. It has some brown sugar notes as well, and a bit of a fresh baked cookie like thing going on, but mostly toasty malt.

The flavor is less robust than some of the other fest beers I have had. sweet toffee and brown sugar mingle with a nice clean maltyness and just a touch of herbal hops. There is a bit of grainy astringency as well, but it passes quickly and gives way to a very toasty and somewhat dry finish.

The mouthfeel is medium, and while it does not seem very substantial in the mouth, the finish itself is a bit chewy and dry. Toasted malt and herbal hops linger on the palate.

Quite drinkable and not as filling as the FestBier I had just a couple days ago. I thought this was a pretty good offering, and is a drinkable and enjoyable Marzen.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 23:16:56 | More by zoso1967

hosehead83

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass. Amber/brown in color, with a moderate head of foam.
Aroma-Caramel, sweet malt, spiciness, faint citrus.
Taste-Toasted malt, caramel, milk chocolate note, spicy hop bite that provides a nice balance to the sweet malt.
Overall, another interesting brew from Short's. A hoppier, more balanced take on the typical Oktoberfest/Marzen.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 15:14:26 | More by hosehead83

thetomG

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice clearish brown pour with some good foamy head that lingers for a bit. Some chunky & spotty lacing left behind. Aroma is a bit mild, but some malty and slightly spicey notes. Flavor is more robust with similar notes as the aroma, but just MORE. Very tasty - this beer screams fall.

I'd drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2010 00:01:43 | More by thetomG