Short's Controversi-ALE - Short's Brewing Company

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy orange with an off-white cap of fine and soapy bubbles. Good head retention with sticky, streaky lacing. Hoppy aroma, pine up front with a fruitier, nearly tropical nose filled with sharp citrus. A hint of hop spice hid behind biscuity malts. Bitterness was balanced up front and became sharper in the finish. Biscuity sweetness and citrusy, fruity hops were prominent at first, but fell away towards the end. Drying and medium bodied with lowish carbonation. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The hops were bold without bringing any harshness to the table and it smelled and tasted very fresh.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 21:25:08 | More by DrJay

trappistlover

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

(12oz bottle courtesy of rayl101. Thanks Kevin!). Pours cloudy yellow-orange color with 1 finger off-white head. Active carbonation. Aroma has resin, mango, orange and other tropical fruit. Papaya. Taste is sweet and malty with some pleasant bitterness. Thin to medium bodied with an oily texture. Bitter finish. Malt forward as it warms. Nice, easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 03:10:02 | More by trappistlover

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is yellowish and slightly hazy, with a thin white head that leaves a bit of lacing on the snifter. The aroma is pretty straightforward, bringing a nice pine character with some citrus notes. It smells like an American IPA. The taste isn't mind blowing, but this is a decent beer, and highly drinkable. The beer is light on the palate, bordering on thin. Not such a bad thing for a 5.5% abv brew I suppose. Overall, an enjoyable beverage, and something I would have again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 19:30:32 | More by Huhzubendah

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains floral hops, fruity citrus and light caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and a little caramel followed by a strong bite of piney hops bitterness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, there are better beers in the style but this is a very solid beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 03:54:16 | More by TheManiacalOne

womencantsail

California

3.7/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of Iain.

A: The beer pours a slightly hazed golden amber color with a billowing white head. Beautiful.

S: Certainly some piney and citrus hops, but also a substantial malt aroma. It's surprisingly nutty, which I wasn't expecting. Bread and toffee with a nice floral character rounds out the nose.

T: Lots of hop bitterness to this beer. Not too much in the way of hop flavor, other than a bit of pine and grapefruit peel. Lots more of that nutty and toffee-like malt character.

M: Medium in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Good but not amazing. Certainly some better Shorts IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 19:32:18 | More by womencantsail

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle purchased as a single at Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" light beige head over the clear amber brew. Fluffy head lasts nicely, average lace. Aroma is stanky pine hops, in a good way.

Taste begins sweet, lightly fruity in the middle coupled with some citrus, and a pleasing bitter hops bite at the close. Mouthfeel is way smooth, and drinkability is awesome. Love this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 01:22:47 | More by ppoitras

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A decent IPA, better than a lot I've had lately. Beer is yellow with a mild haze to it and a wispy white head of low character, retention and lacing.

Aroma is mostly piny with some citrus hops in there, smells like an IPA.

Beer is medium to light in body, no carbonation on the mouth, no malt on the get go, this is a good thing. The bitterness in the back is moderate, the midpalate is a lot of pine hops and a little chewiness. Overall a decent IPA. I'd have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 16:25:00 | More by drabmuh

Billolick

New York

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This 12 ouncer glass container has no freshness info on the bottle or label. Purchased at Spirit Haus in Amherst Ma.

Pours almond amber, seemingly with a slight greenish olive hue. Moderate off light tan head. Respectable strands of fine lacing.

Tropical fruit tinged nose, lime, tea, light mint.

More light mint, fruits woven into this one. Also a moderate crunch of grapefruit infused hops. Easy drinking and pleasant enough. Decent, moderatly hopped sessioner

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 22:20:21 | More by Billolick

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - honey-coloured with a long lasting foamy white head. Leaves decent lacing.

Smell - Prominent grapfruity hops with some earth and toasted sugar.

Taste - Deep toasted caramel, grapefruit, and a very bitter finish.

Overall, this one is somewhere between an IPA and a pale ale. It certainly has the hops presence of an IPA, but the malt of a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 00:01:28 | More by

Arenbeer

Connecticut

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a tumbler glass

A- Pours a clear golden honey orange with a two finger fluffy white head that sticks around a while.

S- Sweet tropical fruitiness, pine/earthy hops, orange peel and citrus.

T- Bitter earthy and pine hops up front that fades into a lemon and tropical fruit flavor that washes it all away. Kind of getting the dish soap feel from this, the hops and fruitiness don't really blend to well together.

M- Medium to light body with moderate carbonation and a slight bitter finish.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 20:51:24 | More by Arenbeer

CrookedStill

Alabama

4.28/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours clear deep amber with a one finger white pillowy head that falls quickly.

Lots of hops upfront. Citrus and pine shine with a subtle sweetness in the background. Really a wonderful aroma.

Taste follows the nose to a T. Straight away a pine/citrus bitterness hits the palate but is balanced perfectly by malt sweetness. Very balanced and at 5.5%, very easy to drink.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin and has a decent amount of carbonation.

With the appearance, aroma and taste of a very solid IPA but with the mouthfeel and drinkability of a pale, the description "Loaded with hops like an IPA, yet drinks like a Pale Ale" is spot on. So whatever you choose to call it, an IPA, a Pale Ale, or a Strong Pale, it is nothing is not a very good, solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 01:00:03 | More by CrookedStill

dimenhetfield

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle. Dark amber/goldish color, thin creamy head. Little hazy and cloudy. Aroma is pretty hoppy with slight malts coming through. Flavor is toasty and somewhat dry but still has some good citrus flavors on the back end. A pretty basic beer but still very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 20:32:06 | More by dimenhetfield

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to GrandCruDrew for sending me this one!

Pours a hazy light orange color with a 2 inch eggshell colored head that fades to a small cap. Very thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smells of sweet malt and citrus zest/pine hops. Taste is of sweet malt, biscuit, and some herbal/pine hops on the finish. Medium hop bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. Mouthfeel is a bit flat but pretty smooth. A slightly above average IPA overall but better than others I have had in the past.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 03:53:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

Kaydogg

Pennsylvania

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

Got this as an extra
Served in my Town Hall pint.

The beer is a Deep orange color..rusty. Nice white head. Good retention, moderate lacing.

Smells piney and citrus . Also a bready toast quality with sweet Carmel notes.
The taste follows the nose, but adds the bitterness of grapefruit type hops.

The body is medium with decent carbonation.
Overall, this is tasty beer..that I thought was very good..but not stand out great.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 16:46:01 | More by Kaydogg

chugalug06

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours an overly aggressive tan head... Quite foamy and lingers for a long time! Lacing is spotty, but still is there... Brew is a cloudy peach color.

S - A very pleasant sweet scent. Tropical comes to mind. Pineapple, mango, pear, and lime scents dominate. It does have slight bitter aroma attached.

T - Very light and surprising! Not at all what the aroma represents. Very relaxing and enjoyable. This would be the perfect IPA for a hot summer day. (or camping if it came in cans...)

M - Very light bodied for an IPA. Dry smooth and delicious. Darn near perfect carbonation and zero bitterness as far as IPAs go.

D - Great drinkability! Very delicious, I'm very glad I picked this one up in a trade. Thanks for an awesome trade another6pack!

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 03:43:09 | More by chugalug06

sentomaster

Connecticut

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Hazy golden liquid cloud poured into a SA PP glass. Thick and fluffy white head recedes fairly quick and leaves decent lacing.

S- Lots of pine and citrus with a nice toasted graininess underneath.

T/M- Follows the nose with lots of pine and citrus, accented with a slight grapefruit bitterness. The grapefruit is a bit odd though, a bit off. It comes through as a bit of funky sourness instead of zesty rind or raw juiciness. It doesn't crash the party but it just doesn't play that well.

O- Not a bad beer at all, quite good actually; it has the potential to be a really good beer, it just doesn't quite get there.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 14:19:09 | More by sentomaster

hiphopipa

Maine

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Portsmouth Brewing branded tulip.
Love the label concept-named for a ghost that haunts Hemmingway's old stomping grounds.
Pour hazy burnt amber with a head that dissipates into a thin lacing on top and along the sides. Muted earthy citrus hops smell. Resiny and piney hops with a dominating yet clean toasted malt back bone. Tastes like a solid pale ale at first, malty but I can see why it's classified as an IPA. It's got a nice sharp grapefruit bite and yeast finish.
Thanks to Another6Pack for a change to give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 19:59:14 | More by hiphopipa

GRG1313

California

2.63/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Developed for City Park Grill. Clear amber with a firm and bold and thick pure white head.

Nose is lightly assertive cooked pineapple/nothing special.

Mouthfeel is medium full with light "fizzy" carbonation and good hop heavy balance.

Flavors are a dull bitter burnt toast hop. Not very bright. Light malt, pine flavor undertones.

Finish is the big ticket on this one. Big assertive bitter pine finish that is long lasting and the most lasting impression of this decent but nothing special brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 23:35:11 | More by GRG1313

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - hazy amber body, with some suspended streams of things floating about. Great head retention, good lacing from the white foam.

S - Nice hop profile, nicely balanced, good complexity. Citra hops, some grapefruit and pine.

T - Bit of a let down, kind of bitter, citrusy, something of a chemical hop taste, a weird malt balance, hints of chocolate? Not quite right for a standard IPA, but this is Shorts, afterall...

M - smooth, medium body. Feels good, nothing spectacular.

O (D) - This is a fine beer, nothing special, I wouldn't prefer it over the other Shorts IPAs I've had, but this isn't too bad.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 03:42:14 | More by ColdPoncho

cr0ckett

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz Bottle to Pint glass
A: Hazy amber
S: Surprisingly strong and enticing aroma of piney hops. One of the strongest aromas I've smelled in a while, but in a pleasant way.
T: Because of the really good aroma and the fact that this is an IPA, the taste was disappointing at first. What hop character there is to begin with, the earthy malt character dominates pretty quickly.
M: Medium bodied and medium carbonation. Not very viscous, but pretty smooth.
O: Frankly, this beer surprises me as an IPA. With the strong aroma up front, I felt the taste was lack luster. The hop character was dominated too much by the earthy malt character. Although, I will say that half way through this beer I found myself it enjoying it more. It definitely grew on me; fun brew to try, but not what one would expect.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 03:40:19 | More by cr0ckett

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Kegatron for picking some of this up in MA.

A-Pours a rich orange amber with a quickly dissipating off white head.

S-Heavy biscuit malt outshines the hops. Some earthy hops peek through.

T-Lots of grainy malt in the front. Is there rye in this? Earthy hops leave a bitter finish, but the hop character is lacking here as well.

M-Medium bodied, moderate carbonation.

O-Not bad. I would have liked a more ready hop presence here for the style. I'd like it better if it were a pale.

HV

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 00:35:26 | More by sholland119

alleykatking

Indiana

4.3/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle.

A- Pours a coppery orange color that shows light haze to it. One finger light tan head shows light retention. Long streaks of lace left on the sides of the glass.

S- Tropical fruits galore. Tons of citrus, pineapple, and mango. Caramel malts show off more of a sweetness as well that goes along with the hops. Ending shows a little bit of alcohol which tingles the nose and light piney hops.

T- Sweet tropical fruits right off the bat in the hop bite. Caramel malts come out and stay with this beer being a good undertone overall. The piney hops come out a little bit more in the ending with the alcohol showing up in the very end for a nice crisp bite.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Tropical hops and light caramel malts left on the palate. Aftertaste is mostly light alcohol, piney hops, and caramel malts. No real off flavors in this beer. Balanced overall with a perfect combo of sweetness and bitterness. Medium alcohol drying on the palate.

O- This was a very drinkable IPA and I drank a sixer very fast! The ABV is low enough that it doesn't do too much to destroy the palate and drinking many in a row is good. Another great beer from Short's!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 03:31:30 | More by alleykatking

GRPunk

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into an imperial pint glass.

A- A normal pour left a 1-finger, khaki head that dropped to a full film that left really good sticky spots on the glass. The body was a clean, deep gold-amber sporting medium-light carbonation.

S- Really interesting. Lots of citrus right off the bat. There's a definite fruity aspect. Something like pineapple/mango/peach (maybe some tropical fruit I don't even know about yet). A little earthy/herbal/tobacco quality peeks in. Sweet malts combine with the tropical fruit to even things out.

T- Nice, grainy backbone. Solid hop punch that's a combination of grassy and citrus. Bone dry finish. Not quite what the aroma suggests. A little more straight forward, but nice all the same.

M- Very dry feel. A solid hop bite. Moderate carbonation. Maybe, just maybe, a touch thin.

O- It's an easy drinker. I could see putting back a few in a single sitting. Pretty straight forward as IPAs go. One of Short's more traditional brews.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 02:01:16 | More by GRPunk

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle served in my Harpoon IPA Willibecker. No freshness dating. Pours a semi-hazy coppery-orange with a loose, frothy, half inch bright white head. Head eventually settles into a fairly consistent skim - tiny spots and thin slashes of lacing are revealed during the tasting. I'm really digging the nose on this - sweet citrus, grapefruit seeds and a suggestion of tropical fruit (perhaps mango). There's also a faint herbal quality that helps dissipate the fruity sweetness. Taste is interesting - characteristics present in the nose are also present in the flavor profile; however, there's something else going on as well - there's a slightly acrid character - piny hops and an earthiness akin to tobacco? Mouthfeel is light-medium with an assertive carbonation and a semi-dry finish. All and all a pretty good IPA, but the taste doesn't deliver on what is suggested by the nose.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 21:41:09 | More by Jwale73

THECPJ

Delaware

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: copper orange yellow with 1 finger white head

smell: citrus, pine, hops, malts

taste: citrus, hops, malts, bitter dry finish

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body

overall: Wasn't a bad IPA just wasn't top notch. enjoyed it and would have again for sure.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 15:35:19 | More by THECPJ