Aorta Ale (Double Red Ale) - Short's Brewing Company

samyoung

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cost Plus Wine Shop in Eastern Market is the best place to get beer in Detroit. Picked up a single of Aorta there; no date on the bottle.

Pours very deep ruby; no sediment or murk,completely clear. Has a caramel malt smell with bread and hops mixed in. Has a great roasted malt and piney taste with a wonderful bitter hop finish. The mouthfeel in thick and clingy and transitions into an smooth bittersweet finish.

I have not had many imperial amber ales so its had to compare Aorta to anything. All in all this is an excellent beer. High ABV, smooth malt character with just the right amount of hop kick.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 19:57:10 | More by samyoung

AlMarzo

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-18-2013 07:08:27 | More by AlMarzo

ajzy

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-14-2013 02:04:05 | More by ajzy

kirbmeist

Florida

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-13-2013 19:08:10 | More by kirbmeist

zach60614

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -61.4%

05-10-2013 19:53:32 | More by zach60614

Slay40

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bought this and poured into a snifter, really enjoyed it. Its appearance is very nice and it has a great taste. Very nice brew for a chilly evening, thought it seemed to kinda have a warming effect, that i welcomed for a February release. Will buy again without a doubt

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 04:05:01 | More by Slay40

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-07-2013 10:42:56 | More by BlackBelt5112203

dudecandle

New York

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-03-2013 05:01:09 | More by dudecandle

rsenters29

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

05-01-2013 19:44:27 | More by rsenters29

swtchuck

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -10%

04-21-2013 15:06:40 | More by swtchuck

chugalug06

Colorado

4.46/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Deep blood red brew. Straw colored foamy head. Lacing is mild.

Apricot, mango, caramel, toffee, bready.

Dry, well finished, lingering well-done bitterness, zero heat, nice flat sweetness, lots of dry apricot and mango flavors. Matches the nose very well. High carbonation that matches very nicely.

Highly recommended, should be considered near top of it's class. I wish all ambers/reds were like this. Simply delicious and easy drinkin'.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 22:58:11 | More by chugalug06

Twoheartedzombie

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

04-16-2013 11:12:13 | More by Twoheartedzombie

JimGlonke

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.8%

04-14-2013 21:09:36 | More by JimGlonke

robwestcott

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured super cold from a 12oz bottle to a shaped sun king pint a semi-translucent deep amber with a wisp of a short lasting head.

aroma of big earthy hops and brown sugars in the wayback.

very subtle, almost non-existent carbonation, yet it's not at all flat (?), medium bodied and hot.

big hops all over the place, as advertised, sweetness almost covered up entirely, but evident after its down the hatch.

interesting, but probably not going to down a sixer of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 19:09:08 | More by robwestcott

rkf1976

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -10%

04-05-2013 23:46:29 | More by rkf1976

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.8%

04-04-2013 21:02:47 | More by Lurkerson

kscaldef

Oregon

3/5  rDev -22.9%

04-04-2013 02:44:55 | More by kscaldef

tectactoe

Michigan

3.96/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've been wanting to try this one for a pretty long time, finally excited to finally get the chance to do so. Typically haven't been a huge fan of "red" ales in the past, but I'll never turn down a Shorts beer I haven't had. This one pours a lighter ruby-red color with hints of copper and maybe even a touch of purple. The cap is off-white showing decent retention and leaving some generous lacing through the top half of the glass.

The aroma's pretty light overall, or at least at first. I pick up quick on a few, sweet and malty aromas. Some citrus and juicy fruits; tangerine, melons, raisins, and plums. I know, a strange combination of fruits, but the aroma isn't "dark" enough to be comprise of all "dark" fruits. There are lighter and juicier aromas abound, I'm thinking tangerine is the biggest suspect. Hops aren't as vibrant as I'd like, but I have no idea how old this beer is, so what can I say? Mild hop oils with a very small hint of pine and resin. This one is certainly dominated by the fruity aromas and the sweet malt, though.

Up front, the first sip is a little boozier than I would have guessed it to be, but it comes hand in hand with a big sweetness to provide some balance. Very juicy and fruity like the aroma would have you believe. And when I say fruity, I don't mean in a "fruit beer" kind of way, I mean it in a "red ale" kind of way. Make sense? Didn't think so. Heavy tangerines, candied raisins, plum juice - this one is definitely sweet, but the hops quickly do their job to bring harmony to the table. Pungent, oily, and some lightly resinous pine needles with a herbal and almost ashy finish.

As the beer gets warmer, I get more and more caramel from the malt - by the last few ounces of this brew, the caramel was one of the biggest flavors, and the aftertaste was dominated with heavy caramel malts, toasted bread, and sugary graham crackers with some diminished, ashy hops and a fading, fruity sweetness. Excellent finish, actually, and maybe even better than the beginning and middle portion of the sip. Body is medium with a lightly sticky and moderately slick feel to it, medium carbonation.

Leave it to Shorts to make a beer for every style that ever existed. I'm sure this isn't the first "double red", but there probably aren't too many out there. Pretty good overall, maybe a little heavy on the sweetness - I would have liked more of an offsetting, bitterness balance. However, for not being particularly fond of the style, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 11:55:20 | More by tectactoe

rjcoy06

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

03-25-2013 14:42:18 | More by rjcoy06

DruRho

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

03-19-2013 00:44:43 | More by DruRho

wyatt13

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

03-18-2013 02:27:58 | More by wyatt13

robhbest

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into tulip glass.

A: Pours a copper red with 1 finger white head. Some lacing, head fades pretty quickly.

S: Sweet, malty, not much going on here, expected a little more hops to come through.

T: Sweet and malty again, with enough bitterness from the hops at the end to balance out. Some caramel. Bitter piney hops finish.

M: Medium bodied, carbonation is good.

O: A nice beer from Shorts, nothing mind blowing by any means, need some work but wouldn't pass one up if offered to me.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 20:13:22 | More by robhbest

TheConnMan

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2.8%

03-14-2013 17:19:36 | More by TheConnMan

MichPaul

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

03-10-2013 23:54:08 | More by MichPaul

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.51/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks saisonrichbiere for the hook up

The beer pours a clear, darker than expected rusty brown (more harvest orange in the light) topped by a wispy white head that fades quickly with minimal lacing. The nose is relatively caramel forward with a touch of earthy hops (not very citrusy for a beer boasting copious amounts of cascade hops). Honestly, the hops are very overpowered by the caramelized malts. The taste presents more bitter spiciness than expected with even more overpowering malts to follow. I understand this is an imperial beer, but someone missed the imperial grade hopping memo...although I must admit, the slightly spicy hops, smooth toasty caramel malts, and big %abv does provide for a nice mouthfeel. I'm glad I tried this beer, and tend to enjoy the style, but would probably pass on another opportunity to try this again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:04:34 | More by ThePorterSorter