Short's The Curl - Short's Brewing Company

GoldenChild

Michigan

4.95/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The curl has come out of retirement. Now i did send BA a update on there retirement status but so far it has not been changed.

Bought a 6 pack for 11.99 poured out of a bottle into a glass.
Love the art work on the label.

A- I did get about a half inch head i didnt pour it very had though. Nice golden not watered down looking Imperial pils.

S- Citrus, Hops, and Pilsner malt.

T- Pilsner malt, Lemon citrus, followed by lots of bitterness like a souped up Prima pils on steroids.

M- Great mouth feel It coats your mouth and the taste stays with you for about 10 minutes after you drink it.

O- This is one of those great beers where you wish that you had more. I still have half of a six pack and im thinking about buying another one before it is all gone. Would be a great summer beer at the end of a long day sitting out on the porch when the weather is just starting to cool down.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 01:28:15 | More by GoldenChild

lavellen

Michigan

4.8/5  rDev +24%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This aint retired and Holy cats! I have drank a good share of Shorts, I was at one point in time a fan-boy and told everyone about bellaire, MI. Then came the spoiled bottles, the funky yeastish flavor and with it bad street cred. Shorts fell from my graces recently, but never mind that!

GET THIS BEER. It's like Noble Pils on CRACK. It's hopped up and suped up, at 7% it meets up with the minimum standard for an Imperial Pilsner, and its certainly a far stretch from Pilsner Urquell and other traditionals, but it's bringing back what shorts was word-of-mouth famous for in Michigan and that's off the wall takes on beer. And it's clean! No extra fungal magic. Now if only cup-o-joe would normalize.

This, is a home run beer. Clean, Clear, slightly bitter-Hopped, and aromatic.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 04:23:00 | More by lavellen

jt31914

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was lucky enough to find to bottles of this at a party store in my home town this past week, even the guy behind the counter didn't know how they got it.

A: Yellow with a massive amount of head (three fingers or so) and tons of sediment. Great foamy lacing.

S: Light hops with some citrus and coriander.

T: The coriander is surprisingly potent, balanced by honey with a great hop finish. The beer just gets better as it warms.

M/D: Super smooth, refreshing, and drinkable. The best pilsner I've had, props to Joe Short on this brew!

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 01:22:46 | More by jt31914

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle #700 from 4-21-06. I didn't know what to expect from a nearly three-year-old bottle, but I'm damn glad I picked it up.

Poured from the bottle a slightly hazy lemon yellow with a towering bright white head that lasted forever. Tons of sticky lacing.

Fragrant aroma of floral and grassy hops, bubblegum, banana, sweet malts, bread, and candy sugar.

Oh man this is good. A mix of grassy and floral hops, plus a hit of banana and bubblegum, bread, and a classic pilsner taste on steroids. Finishes very clean.

Medium bodied, dry, and light-to-moderately carbonated.

Very tasty and much too drinkable. A scary combination. A must try if you can find it from Short's Brewing of Bellaire, MI.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 02:54:52 | More by Monkeyknife

tetonka4kzoo

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It pours a golden color with a 1 finger head. The head disappears quickly.

The curl has a slightly sweet malty aroma.

This imperial lager has a hoppy crisp taste. There seems to be a seet taste from light-colored fruit like green grapes, yellow apples, and banana. The Curl at first tastes odd but ends up tasting delicious. There also is a lemon aftertaste. This is complex for a lager with a bitter, sweet, and slightly sour taste.

The Curl has a crisp feel and is well-balanced. Good drinkability even with its high ABV.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 21:50:02 | More by tetonka4kzoo

GRPunk

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Retired no more. My first round with this badboy was in '06, before I was reviewing. It was my intoduction to the world of Short's. What looked like a limited release 750, it had a neck tag with a signature from Joe Short and a hand written date of 4-20-06 and number 364 of 1,000. I'm glad it's back.

Bottle poured into a pilsener glass.

A- This is a truly beautiful beer. A normal pour left a 2-1/2 finger, off-white head that crests the glass. The body is a clean golden color that stays just shy of copper and displays moderate carbonation. It had awesome retention at about 1-finger with plenty of sticky lace left along the side of the glass.

S- Clean and balanced. There's a bready/grainy malt backbone with floral/citrus hops. There's even a little fruity quality (berry-like). The citrus really comes through later. It's just plain "big" on everything.

T- Very nice and true to the aroma. Rich and malty, but balanced by significant hopping (mostly citrus with a little black pepper). No adjunct flavors here. The "flaked maze" and "Imperial" almost make me think malt liquor. Certainly not the case. The further in, the more significant the hopping becomes. If not for the bold malts, the hops could easily put this toward DIPA territory.

M- Clean, clean, clean, but still full-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Solid bite from the generous hopping and significant ABV (nothing off-putting).

O- A wonderful beer. It's a very easy drinker and seems to really fit the style guidelines mentioned on this site. I'm very happy this beer is back. I can see it being a great backyard bbq beer when you want something with a little kick.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 20:44:29 | More by GRPunk

alexgash

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle from the 2011 batch.

Almost clear, deep brassy body. Finger of cottony, sticky, bright white head. Good lacing too. Nose shows a nice mix of pungent, funky, sea air hops and sugar cookie malt.

Herbal, minty hop bitterness up front, along with some sweetish, soapy, soft cookie malt. Hop bitterness crescendos, with notes of resin, sea air, and mint. It's rather dank, and also rather delicious! Honey and melon settle in beneath, but the finish is dominated by the funky, stinky hops. Dry and very appetizing finish. Medium-full body with a soft, creamy feel. One of the best Imperial Pilsners around.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 21:11:21 | More by alexgash

baconsausage

Vermont

4.4/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Untill now I have yet to drink a shorts and go "wow"! The pour is a light golden with a crisp white head. Aroma is bready and yeasty with a hint of floral hop. as I ake the first sip I am a bit taken aback by the amount of hop that hits my tounge. This is a bitter beer! Lots of citrus, sweet grapefruit rind flavor. This is almost balenced out by the sweet malt and bready flavors, but not quite. Drinks easy, with plenty of small bubbles to keep me from chugging it. I would seek this out, given the opertunity.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 20:01:39 | More by baconsausage

mcallister

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle 205 of 1000

Pours a deep yellow/gold/copper blend that is clean as a whistle. A largh carbonated brilliant white head emerges yet fades quickly leaving little lace.

A nice pilsner maltiness leads into the wonderful amarillo hoppy aromas. There are slight hints of lemon rind and citrus as well.

Well I really like this beer. It has a component too it that reminds me of what the terroir of a dry Austrian riesling posseses. As a matter of fact this is the closest I've experienced a beer too tasting like a wine. I read about many people saying this beer or that beer is "wine like" and can never really see the connection. This on the other hand may actually be a Austrian Riesling and Shorts bottled it and called it a beer:)

On with the review. Nice pilsen malt leads a full mouthfeel and dry mid palate that is encoutered with the dry hoppiness of the amarillos that leave a good minute finish for you too digest. Hints of apricot, peach and lemon fill out this complex pilsner. Probably the best Pils I've tried to date. Only wish it were more available.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2006 21:27:36 | More by mcallister

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a six pack of Short's The Curl last week for $11.99 at The Lager Mill. For the most part I have been enjoying the new releases from Short's, so when I saw they came out with an Imperial Pilsner I knew I had to give it a try. I don't drink many Imperial Pilsner's and the only one I can remember having was from Lion brewery. As usual with Shorts no bottling date, but I know it is fresh. Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a Pilsner glass.

A- The label art is pretty cool, I like the it looks like the C in the name is part of a crane, it has a different but cool look to it. It poured a nice clean and clear golden straw color with four fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thick layer that left plenty of nice lacing. This is one good looking beer.

S- The first thing I pick up in the aroma is the malty backbone that is full of bready and grainy aromas. Immediately following that is a huge presence of citrus and floral aromas. The hops start out with big and dominating citrus notes then take on a subdued floral aroma. All the aromas in this beer are bold for it's style.

T- Just like the aroma, the first thing I notice is the nicely done malt backbone that has a lot of brown bread flavors along with some nice grains that make for a nice malt base for this beer. The hop aspect of this beer is nice and bold, its dominated by citrus hops that impart some lemon and grapefruit flavors. The finish is full of floral hops and is pretty bitter. The bitterness works very well with this brew, it may be a touch overpowering but after a couple sips it levels out and becomes a nice bold aspect of this beer.

M- Crisp, clean, and medium light bodied. It also had the perfect amount of carbonation. The bigger mouthfeel helped this bigger Pilsner.

Overall this was a very good Imperial Pilsner, the best I have had so far. This beer was basically everything a good Pilsner should be, but double that. The look and drinkability of this beer was fantastic, this is something I could enjoy during the summer while playing some disc golf. All in all this was a crisp, clean, easy drinking beer that I enjoyed a lot and it gave me a new appreciation for this style, I wish there were more Imperial Pilsners on the market. If you like the drinkability of pilsners and the flavor of pale ales then give this beer a try, it has a great combination of flavor and drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 03:36:10 | More by StoutHunter

claminat420

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

store has cases of six packs so this brew has to be back from retirement.

A- pours a transparent golden color with a frothy white head. not so much on the lacing.

S- just a light crisp biscuity malt scent. very light fruitiness.

T- real bitter for a pilsner but i love it! my gf doesn't drink beer but she tried it and said it tastes like pinesol. to me it's like the smell but bitter with some floral/ piney hops.

M- medium/ light bodied. good carbonation.

Drinkability- wish i had the money for a case!

Overall- for being a hophead this brew rocks! i feel this could be the future of american genius. different in a good way but strong and assertive.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 03:33:31 | More by claminat420

drabmuh

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really liked this beer, it drank more like an IPA than an imperial pilsner and that's a good thing in my opinion.

Beer is light light yellow with a mild haze a good head with great retention. Lots of lacing too.

The aroma is strong hoppy with citrus hops in the profile and a mild sweetness, perhaps a slight ethanol.

Beer is thin and really hopppy with this mild sweetness on the get go and a nice wet finish on the end. It is erally nice overall with a nice yeast character in the midpalate and a lead off sweetness. I'd have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 20:26:49 | More by drabmuh

hackmann

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: cloudy lemon skin body with a big white head that has some staying power and tons of lacing on the glass. They use plenty of yeast to make this Imperial Pils so there is some sediment on the bottom of the bottle. If it pours clear you did not get the yeast off the bottom of the bottle, then you are missing some of the flavor.

Aroma: sweet harvest grain biscuit, light lemon meat hoppy tone at first and builds a bit as it warms up

Flavors and Mouthfeel: crisp grains on the tip of the tongue, then some light citrus spice on the mid and finish, dusty yeast in the mix, the aftertaste is dry and slightly piney when cold and a course grind black pepper as it warms, zesty feel to the hops overall, fine carbonation

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 20:43:15 | More by hackmann

BeaBeerWife

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Raaawkkkk. Just cracked a vintage 4/24/2006 bottle. No.531. Ages nicely. Significant amount of yeast, but it all chunked to the bottom of which I accidentally poured into the glass. Amazing head! Sticks around the entire time of your enjoyment. Corn is a 4-letter-word, but Maize is not!!!! Although misspelled on the bottle, maize gives this pilsner its color and adds as a typical american macrobrew ingredient. Which is why I love this beer. I have nothing against corn or rice, if used artistically, and not as a cheap filler.

Shorts continues to amaze me, they are the best kept secret in Michigan, and are on an artistic successful path that reminds me of the path Dogfish Head paved for recognition of craft brews as an art.

Smell is not like a typical pilsner (thank the Amarillo hops), and nor is the complete taste. But you know its a pilsner as you drink. Great reinvention innovation here.

And the head is the longest surviving head on a beer I've seen to date????

Keep on rawkin, Joe.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2008 01:19:14 | More by BeaBeerWife

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to sailbretthd for sharing a bottle of this. Wasn't sure how well an Imp Pils would hold up after almost a year in the bottle but....

A-Brilliant golden yellow topped by a beautiful, pillowy, enormous, off-white head. Head holds on strong and leaves massive clingy lace.

S-Biscuit grains with a rather fresh leafy/grassy hop aroma. Surprising for a brew with age on it.

T-Like a honey covered biscuit with a spicy fruit compote on top! Again, surpisingly fresh, bold flavour.

M-Medium-light body with the super sharp crispness you expect in a quality pils.

D-Well done. Again, wasn't too hopefull considering the age on this one but...it came through strong.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 17:08:42 | More by Deuane

webmanspidey

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass. This is a clear pale golden color, fizzy with around half an inch of head. Smell is soapy with lots of cereals and light hoppiness. Taste is dominated by a crisp hoppiness, but it is balanced well enough to not be overly bitter. Light white grape flavors are present as well. Delicious with excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 01:10:59 | More by webmanspidey

jables7

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a light golden color with a finger and a half of fluffy white head. a solid looking color for the style

S- smells like a pilsner should. the hops really bring this one to life in a way that i wish some macro's could pull off.

T- if other pilsners tasted like this I would be a much bigger fan of the style. the hops are pronounced but not overwhelming. this would be a great beer to introduce a craft beer skeptic to new possibilities.

M- light enough to be refreshing but substantial enough to let you know it's there.

O- i was a little leery of this one because of my lack of experience with the style and my overall opinion of the brewery. despite these factors I was surprisingly impressed by this beer. this beer takes the style that most beer drinkers started with and makes it something they can now be proud of. nice work shorts.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 21:17:38 | More by jables7

birchstick

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jimmy the Curl is a rad nickname and even cooler that it is memorialized on a beer. Cheers to the Curl, now it's time to dive in.

A - pours a filtered, clear straw yellow color without much of a head on; however, nice lacing is left down the side of the glass

S - nose is sweet grainy malts, sweet; a nice amount of grassy and citrusy and fruity amarillo hops are also present.

T - the Curl opens up with fruity hoppy flavors. These move on to some of the grainy pilsner flavors that were expected. However, these were pushed aside by more of the amarillo hop flavors which finish it off; there is also a touch of spiciness and a modicum of bubblegum in the mix too.

M - mouth is full and smooth

D - really good double pilsner here...I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The amarillo hops were bold enough to provide a really nice balance to the grain malts. I love this hop and was glad to see it in this beer. Great beer, the best double pilsner I have tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 02:08:58 | More by birchstick

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.22/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is light yellow hued with a mild haze. The head is long lasting, leaving ample lacing on the glass.

The aroma brings some hops, sweetness, citrus, and alcohol. The flavor is really enjoyable.

A quality beer from Short's. Reminiscent of an American IPA to some degree, as the hop profile stands out more so than the malt bill.

The feel is medium bodied. A hint of alcohol presence emerges in the finish.

A solid brew. I would have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2011 22:44:14 | More by Huhzubendah

dfillius

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is no longer retired. They released sixers of it earlier this year! Which I am reviewing here.
A: Gentle pour yields a light lace of head. Hazy golden yellow liquid. Pilsner with haze and little head? Minus points for being a bit off style
S: Toffee, lavender, coriander, apple esters
T: Gently sweet and floral. Very hop dominant and not boozy. Very nice, maybe an addition of black pepper would make this perfect?
M: Slightly astringent, very dry and bitter in a fir needle manner. Great imperial qualities, plus left the heat out of the equation!
D: Very nice and enjoyable. I'd order another and I'd buy again. But maybe every other year, not every year if this becomes a rotating release.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 22:21:14 | More by dfillius

urwatuh8

California

4.13/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to RoyMunson for trading me this bottle. Tag says number 559/1000 with the date 04-21-06.

Despite pouring quite cold and gentle, I got at least an inch of pillowy white head. Very well carbonated, big bubbling action, nice lacing. The color is an opaque, slightly orange, yellow.

Smell is citrusy and bready, hoppy, grassy.

Taste starts out bready, clean crisp. Hoppy, but not unbalanced. Mostly hops, citrus, spiciness in the finish. Perhaps a bit grassy too. A bitterness that lasts.

Dry. This is probably the least sweet Imperial Pilsner I've had. But I like it that way.

Mouthfeel is fairly thin, but it wouldn't do to have it too chewy. A bit too carbonated.

This has aged ridiculously well, given that this bottle is almost three years old. I would be curious to know what it was like fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 21:22:29 | More by urwatuh8

granger10

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Limited edition bottle. Mine was #221 of 1000. Dated 4.20.06.

Semi cloudy apricot golden color with a medium to large foamy egg white head. Head rises then falls at a slow pace. Lacing is extraordinary and the carbonation holds very well.

Aroma is strong on citrus element which comes undoubtedly from the hops. A candi corn element lies underneath. Slight acidity seems present along with a husky wheat base. A bit of resiny hoppy bitterness seems dominate the aroma the more I smell.

Flavors begin with a husky grain sweetness which isn't quite wheat but somewhat similar. I finally fully read the label, it must be the flaked maze. It seems like there's a good amount of flaked maze in here and it coats the palate. Hops are quite bitter and resiny. First few sips they seem rough but as my palates gets coated by the semi sweet malt character the flavors blend quite nicely. A yeasty element seems a bit acidic and funk derived at first but that too settles to provide more of a pils like smoothness in transition. Finish is quite dry but the bitterness leaves enticing another sip.

Mouthfeel is really light. I thought the flavors were almost too much for the body. The carbonation, though providing a refreshing element and zip to the beer, doesn't give the flavors their full due. The body in all is just a touch to light for my liking.

Drinkability however is outstanding. Upon the first few sips I thought this beer wouldn't be real drinkable. But then it all came together. This midday bottle went down too easily and I honestly want more.

This is the perfect hot/humid but not sunny weather beer. Refreshing and flavorful at the same time. As far as Double Pilsners go I liked the Sam Adams better but this beat out the DFH offering. Pricy but it's worth it if your a true beer geek.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2006 16:39:24 | More by granger10

kbeals

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- 14 oz. snifter pour reveals a golden colored brew with a finger of sticky white head. Good head retention leads to a good amount of multi-tiered lacing on the side of the glass. Exceptional look overall.

S- Tons of citrusy hops would almost make me believe it was a DIPA, but there is a pronounced note of sweetness to it also that helps to balance it out. A bit boozy on the smell but not overly powerful.

T- Hops are the dominant quality in the flavor. Sweet caramel malts also come into play. The booziness, however, does not, which was very welcome.

M- Light-medium body with good doses of carbonation.

D- Very drinkable, no hint of alcohol really and tons of citrusy hop character make this an excellent drinker. Definitely a recommendation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2010 15:25:58 | More by kbeals

gnemesis

Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass on 04/19/11.
Pours a yellow golden hue topped by a thick and creamy white head. Great retention and good lace. Smells of honey, citrus, and a touch of spruce/pine. This a tasty beer indeed! Honey notes, slight maltiness, citrus/pine hops... all very nicely balanced. Medium bodied and medium carbonation round out this ale. Great imperial pils and highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 17:49:22 | More by gnemesis

mgbickel

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Piraat tulip. The aggressive pour yielded a solid looking 2 fingers of eggshell foam that hung around for a while before leaving behind trails on the glass walls. The body is a clear dirty lemon color.

Lots of grainy characters dominate the nose. Other odors peek out...bread, corn and a small amount of hops.

Just as the nose advertised, the backbone of this is malts and grain. Sweeter up front with a tiny bitter center before the grains kick back in for the finish.

Medium mouth feel...moderate carbonation with a semi-dry finish.

Admittedly this is not my favorite style, but this one is very easy to appreciate. The complex flavors and easy drinkability make this offering another Short's masterpiece!

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 04:22:28 | More by mgbickel