Good Humans - Short's Brewing Company

inilegna

Michigan

4.72/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

One of my favorite seasonal beers from Short's. Poured from a bottle into a glass. Seth Bernard did the drawing on the label with lyrics from his song "We're Humans", both of which I love.

A - Opaque, dark reddish brown, very thin head.

S - Orange peel with a very malty sweetness. Mild hop aroma and a very smokey molasses.

T - Rich maltiness, mild hoppiness. Strong coriander on the finish and very dry on the finish. Has that signature Short's finish that I can't put my palette on -- we'll just call it the Short's umame.

M - Soft, bitter, and frothy.

D - High -- very smooth, goes down quick.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 21:02:10 | More by inilegna

MIMicrobrews

Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

As I poured this brew into my nonick pint glass, out came a cloudy brown ale with a slight bit of an orange glow in the light. There was a nice, white, full head on top with great retention as I tipped the glass. Upon dipping my nose into the glass, there was an overwhelming hop aroma; beautifully hoppy. There's a tinge of malt backing, but the majority of the scent is a nice, cirtusy, floral hop goodness. The brew has an uncommon, yet delightful, flavor to it. You can taste the brown ale, you can taste the hops, but there's a quality, citrus balance in between it all. It tastes more like a well-balanced IPA than it does a brown ale; however, the amount of malt and slight bit of roastiness I taste within, makes it switch back and forth on my palate. The citrus/fruit undertone mellows out all the flavors and brings it back to earth. I really enjoying this brew's flavor. After each sip was a fruity sensation that almost had the essence of a lime zest. Little heat after-the-fact as well... I mean, it is a double afterall.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 03:55:55 | More by MIMicrobrews

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

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.

an absolutely exceptional beer to say i was thrilled to death to be able to try this would be the understatement of the night. pours out a nice medium brown color with a short lived head of off white that has just enough to it that it is able to coat the sides of the glass with a light lacing.

a really nice and healthy dose of hops great you as you take the first breath in. warming with a definite alcohol nose but this is shunted by a ridge caramel malt that balances it perfectly against the rest of the profile. smooth, rich and much fuller then one would expect the richness of the flavor wastes no time at all in coming across here. really well done the brown sugar and earthy base is cut by deep, piney hops and a resonant alcohol touch that really warms the belly. smooth finish leaves a dry touch that is both a nice and clean finish but has a small hint of roasted nuts that pops up.

overall would take this any day over an arrogant bastard or other strong ale. just really, really well done.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 17:42:01 | More by mikesgroove

B0bD0bbselbock

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into tumbler pint.

A- Lovely amber brown color, small, tan white head, with nice, medium lacing.

S- Nice, forward citrusy hop bouquet, with sweet, malty overtones.

T- A delicious synergy of sweet, malty, and hoppy flavors leap into the palate. The hops shine through nice in the finish and aftertaste, as well, with a grapefruit-esque flavor coming through (reminds me of fruit ring cereal, in some sense).

M- Smooth, creamy, and pleasantly carbonated with a mild-medium body.

D- I find this one very drinkable, and would gladly several more.

To my mind, an excellent brew. Its a wonderful marriage of IPA and brown ale elements which i enjoy immensely. This pairing really seems like a great beer for hopheads and lovers of brown ales alike, as it offers a nice palate of both worlds. I recently gave one of these to a good friend who usually tends towards macro pilsners, and he loved it. I look forward buying another 6-pack before its next brewing :)

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 07:03:33 | More by B0bD0bbselbock

MichiganBrews

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into pint glass

This beer has grown on me since last years seasonal release. I enjoy a good hoppy brown ale and this beer has become a favorite this season. Pleasant sweet hoppy aroma and great color and a smooth finish.

Very smooth for 8% with lots of flavor and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 20:58:29 | More by MichiganBrews

JordanEllwanger

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A very dark amber nearly burgundy with a smooth off white head. Smell is hopped with small hints of roasted malts. Taste is a whirl of the smells. Malts, hops, and roasted goodness playing tag across my pallet. Sweet brew. Another triumph from Short's.
Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 07:25:54 | More by JordanEllwanger

DrDoitchbig

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Poured out a fairly dark brown typical of the style, but with some pleasant amber highlights not often seen. The sticky, off-white head started off at about two fingers and faded down to about a half a finger fairly quickly. There was enough left over to leave some very nice lacing.

Smell: What a wonderful aroma of fruity hops. Pineapple, apricot and grapefruit! Oh my! This stuff smells like a basket you'd get from a fruit of the month club. The fruit basket hops are almost completely dominant, but there is some tasty toffee malt in the background. Would have been a perfect 5 if the smell was just a bit stronger.

Taste: Starts off with all the same delicious fruit orientated hops from the smell and they aren't quite as dominant this time around. They peel back in the middle and it's the malts time to shine. Some excellent toffee and perhaps even some nutty malts poke their heads up if only for a second. The beer finishes with a crisp floral bitterness that makes me want more.

Mouthfeel: A nice medium body with just a hint of resiny slickness. Carbonation is spot on. Perhaps the slightest suggestion of creaminess, but I could be imagining things.

Drinkability: I'm actually quite upset that this is my last bottle of Good Humans. I could really go on to drink a couple more of these. It has some fantastic hop flavors and just the right amount of malt to balance it all out.

Overall this is hands down my favorite beer from Short's and I commend them for doing a great job fusing an IPA with an American Brown. Though the split is probably about 75/25 with the IPA ahead. It definitely works very well.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 06:17:56 | More by DrDoitchbig

rtepiak

Poland

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Coined as an imperial brown fits the definition most of a american strong ale. Abv at about 8.2

Had it about a month ago at hop cat

The pour look like that of their regular brown but with a suprisingly sticky large head of off white caramel. A retention of a good double IPA. A nose of lemon zesty floral qualities and at this point i thought this beer was going to be a one dimensional hop bomb of a beer. but its takes a few seconds for it to open up into intense blood orange notes. The nose just indicated the clearing hop palate quality the beer had. This was at first visited in the nose. The palate was versatile to say the least in between. A definite nougat and nuttiness to say the least that blended with a hop character of passionfruit citrus and candied pineapple. but first and foremost bitter blood orange and baker's chocolate. The malt was broad enough that it would pick up different characteristics with what i ate. Toffee, plum and black currant. And when i had some mild dairy the nutty malt, nougat, and subtle chocolate would shine. I have had few american beers with this sort of innovation. A great beer. Will seek this one out again.

had it again about a year later and have to say that its a brown ale jam packed with all the possible qualities. great thing is that it evolves into something with each sip with food. a unique earthy fruit blend. pine resin, chocolate, bittle blood orange with a dry ender. this is the prefect time to have it. somewhat of a hop unique beer. somewhat of a malt unique beer too. and i like that. may be a tad sweet for some. but its suit well for the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 07:35:10 | More by rtepiak

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

thanks, kzoobrew. Gotta gotta have my Shorts. 12oz into Bells tulip.

A- Low carbonation on the pour, I'm able to swirl up a 1/2 finger of sticky off-white foam. Deep, dark brown base beer. Lacing is nice.

S- Deep malts on this nose. Very nice. Caramel/molasses, bit of grassy/earthy hops and a bit of sweet fruit.

T- Nice hop snap on the tongue. Good brown ale maltiness too, the malt sweetness and piny/zesty fresh hops go well together. Grapefruit, orange hops. Not much lingering bitterness.

M- Good carbonation, nice body, spot-on.

D- High. I would drink this a lot if I had it in my local stores. One of the better Am. brown ales out there, I'm loving the hop bite.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2010 02:47:35 | More by ShogoKawada

DannyDan

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours into a brownish red colored body with a tan head that has good retention and some of the best lacing I have seen on a beer. The carbonation is also good on this one. The smell is a nice fruity smell, along with some hops, pine, toffee, some citrus too. Love the smell of this beer. The taste is of pine, coffee, chocolate folloed by some hops and citrus. It is not too strong in any tastes and is well balanced. The mouthfeel is a nice smooth medium body feel and this is so good and smooth that how could it not be a very drinkable beer?

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 08:06:30 | More by DannyDan

JizackFH

New York

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a nice medium brown color with a nice off-white head that left good lacing on the side of the glass. It smells surprisingly hoppy. Also there are notes of lemon zest, a little roastiness, and floral hops. The taste is great. There is a nice earthy hop bite right up front. There is also some roastiness that is cut by some malty sweetness. There is also some alcohol notes that come in at the finish. The taste of this beer is pretty well balanced. The mouthfeel is good on this. It has a good medium body with nice carbonation. The drinkability is good on this. I could drink these quite often. This beer was a definite surprise. I have never had a brown ale like this before, and I hope to find more brown ales like this. If anyone knows any please recommend some to me! Anyways, all in all I thought this was a great beer. Good job Shorts. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 01:46:12 | More by JizackFH

webmanspidey

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is one of the newly released bottles from Short's. The label on the beer calls this a "Dry Hopped Double Brown Ale", no indication of ABV.

12 ounce bottle poured into a chalice. Caramel / amber brown color.. translucent with medium head. Smell is very faint, but caramel with some slight fruitiness and hoppiness lying underneath. Taste is balanced, with loads of fruit and caramel-ish malts but a rush of bitterness and alcohol break through at the end. Mouthfeel is fairly fizzy and medium bodied. Pretty drinkable, although this does seem to be fairly high ABV.

This is much stronger and more bitter than the typical brown ale. Still, this is pretty refreshing and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 05:05:01 | More by webmanspidey

WeisGuy

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a - deep copper color, somewhat hazy with fine suspended sediment, one-finger light tan head, decent retention and lacing

s - big citrus aroma jumps out of the glass, lots of orange mixed with a lighter maltiness, some roasted nut notes and light booze

t - moderately sweet maltiness up front with a little caramel and roasted nut, big orange citrus flavors develop quickly and mix well with the malt, citrus hop flavors extend into the moderately bitter finish, the bitterness and maltiness are well balanced leaning toward the hoppy bitterness, slight sweetness and hints of booze on the finish as well

m - medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, fairly dry finish, some alcohol warming

d - quite drinkable, without knowing the abv (I'm guessing it's on the higher side b/c the bottle says imperial), the taste suggests a lower abv than I'm guessing it is, pretty hoppy for a brown (which I enjoy), but overall a well-balanced beer that's easy on the palate

Very good American brown and it's not too far behind Surly Bender in my book. One of the best of the new Short's bottle releases.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2009 16:26:57 | More by WeisGuy

BMoney575

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on 1-6-10

Pours a hazy orange/brown color, with a thin white head and a few bubbles of lacing. Looks thick and strong.

Smell is strong spice and hops, tons of booze and a great fermented character. The end is all hop resin, with a sweet malty kick. Absolutely outstanding.

Taste is slightly smoky malt, followed by a spicy alcohol kick. The hops add huge fruity flavor and massive bitterness. The finish is tart and a little drying.

Mouthfeel is very slick, with lots of sharp carbonation.

Drinkability is tough, the flavors are huge and the aftertaste is thick and bitter.

Overall, an awesome beer that will only get better with time in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 23:30:29 | More by BMoney575

danielharper

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Amber/brown body, thin brown-white head that dissipates slowly. Transparent body. Looks appetizing.

S: Interesting. Grassy notes, very unexpected for a brown. Underneath notes of coffee, toffee, and hints of chocolate. Quite nice.

T: Sweet earthy flavor, with those same grassy overtones. A nice nuttiness follows, and a strong alcohol astringency resides in the finish, leaving a not-unpleasant burn on the way down.

M: Moderate thickness, no significant hops, slight alcohol bite on the tongue.

D: This has got to be at least eight or nine percent ABV, but it goes down smooth anyway. Clean and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2010 01:07:19 | More by danielharper

bmanning

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Thorpe429 for bringing this to a recent tasting.
Pours light brown with a beige head.
Smell has a lot of citrus, with orange, pineapple, lemon, apples. Also very floral and grassy. I love what the dry-hopping has done for the aroma.
The taste is very different for a brown ale. The floral and citrus hops are the main component here, and the typical brown ale flavors of toffee and caramel are in the background.
This is a very unusual beer, but I really like it.
The mouthfeel is pretty good - light to medium body with moderate carbonation - very drinkable.
This is now one of my favorite brown ales, and I prefer it to Surly Bender. Great job, Short's!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 20:46:03 | More by bmanning

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle. sampled feb 6/2010.

pours fairly dark brown, but surprisingly a shade lighter than the belaire brown. plenty of ruby and garnet hues when held to the light. the small light tan head drops quickly and leaves spotty lace.

aroma is good. yep, definitely more hops than in the belaire. pine and a big herbal presence. bit of grapefruit. the caramel and toffee from the brown seems a bit muted. less buttery too. lightly toasted multi-grain bread. cracker. touch of alcohol. bit of smoke.

taste is great. starts off with a punch of pine, herbal hops, and a touch of grapefruit. this quickly fades to the toasted multi-grain bread and biscuit of the belaire. dark chocolate. caramel and toffee, but a little more dry than in the belaire. light alcohol. bit of coffee coming through now, probably mostly due to the combo of hops with chocolate+roasty aspects.

mouthfeel is good. medium body. medium-low carbonation level.

drinkability is great. i really liked the belaire, but love the extra depth and character that the hops lend this one over the belaire. that one was delicious, but this one just has a little more "pop" to it. great balance. super tasty. good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 21:14:19 | More by grub

alleykatking

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle. Many thanks go out to Eric (gratefulbeerhead) for this bottle.

A- Pours a brown color with red hues as it is held to the light. Half finger tan head shows medium retention. Lacing was good with light streaks on the sides of the glass.

S- Piney earthy hops in the front of the nose. Some light citrus hops in the ending of the aroma. Middle of the aroma is base beer notes of caramel, toffee, and light chocoalte malts.

T- Piney hop bite in the front of the beer at first. Caramel base malts show up toward the ending front. Toffee malts with a light nutty flavor in the middle of the beer. There is chocoalte malts in the ending of the beer that have a splash of citrus hops in it. The alcohol kind of show up there as well in the ending before dying off quickly.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Carbonation is good but seems a little light like most Short's beers. Piney hops with toffee malts and light nutty flavors left on the palate. Aftertaste is light alcohol, chocoalte malts, and other base brown ale flavor. Light drying on the palate from the alcohol. Flavors were clean and I thought very well balanced.

D- This beer is drinkable not a problem. The ABV I would suggest is higher making it kind of a deadly combo with the drinkability. I don't think Short's really makes a beer that is great in the carbonation department which I expect from them. This alone makes it drop half a point in this category.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 21:12:32 | More by alleykatking

vande

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - a rich thick looking brown with a nice retention of sandy white foam floating along the top, waiting to be sipped

S - Carmel, toffee, brown sugar??

T - A nice blend of sweetness from that brown sugary carmel flavor and a dose of hops... a sweet treat

M - Thin to medium bodied.. an easy target for the palate

O - If I'd be guaranteed a good bottle each time, I'd pick it up again. I know that they've had a run of issues with beers going sour, or infected at times... Not sure? Either way, worth a pick up though!

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 05:40:02 | More by vande

sommersb

Tennessee

4.29/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted On: 04-20-2013
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Wellington
Purchased: Received in a trade

A: Pours a clear and dark brown-reddish beer, with a small off-white head that diminishes quickly. Lacing is minimal.

S: Aromas have caramel malt sweetness as well as earthy and citrus hops; simple but very pleasant.

T: The taste has an initial impression of hop spiciness and then notes of bready malts. The bitterness is moderate and seems just right. The ABV gives a nice touch of alcohol warmth.

M: Body is medium, with an average amount of carbonation. The finish has the sweetness of the malts balanced expertly with the earthy hops.

O: Overall a simple but very satisfying beer; one that I wish I had more of, which is a sign of a great brew!

Thanks to DrewShal9 for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 21:59:55 | More by sommersb

Lillenk

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Grill One Eleven.

Appearance was a very nice dark brown color with a creamy head.

Smell was a ton of hops. I know they said dry hopped but this was way more than I was expecting (in a good way).

Taste was very good. Started out very sweet and malty then changed to the bitterness of the hops with a great balance on the finish.

Mouthfeel was a little bigger than I prefer, especially for a brown but because of the nice balance you could easily drink more than one or two.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2011 19:32:52 | More by Lillenk

koleneack

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured out a nice dark carmel color. Pretty typical for Browns. Loved the Dry Hoppped flavors. Good cure for boring browns. The smells doesn't give you a whole lot but it does have a good carmel smell with just a bit of flower in there from the Hops. Very sweet smell. Probably one of the best tasting beers I've ever had. Didn't expect it given the smell. Very smooth given the high alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 23:49:40 | More by koleneack

zoso1967

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you to TCHopCraver for gifting me this tasty ale!

Pours a dark rosewood hued brown color with a medium tan head. There is pretty low carbonation, but a firm pour yields a decent little head that leaves wispy lace.

The aroma is very appealing with plenty of caramel and chocolate notes. This beer has a very sweet aroma that also carries a hint of fruit and some nutty toffee aromas. The more I sniff, the more I think that fruitiness might be some American hops.

The flavor is just as enticing as the aroma. Caramel, toffee, chocolate, a bit of coffee and a slight grapefruityness all mingle in my mouth. It has just a touch of buttery nuttiness. There is just enough dryness to keep it from being too sweet and setting off the coffee flavors with a bit of a coffee and cream type vibe. Very well crafted.

The mouthfeel is medium with a fairly low carbonation that gives it a nice smoothness. It finishes quite cleanly with just a bit of dark malt astringency lingering on my palate.

This beer is very drinkable and tasty. I could drink multiple of these in one sitting, though the richness might fill me up after a bit. The verdict: Good Humans = good!

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 01:39:11 | More by zoso1967

nickadams2

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A_Dark brown with a half inch khaki colored head. Good retention and thick lace.

S_Grapefruit,,hops,vanilla and brown sugar.

T_Same as nose. Pine and citrus hops upfront then make way to smooth vanilla,brown sugar,and molasses.Very solid imperial brown with a good kick from hop addition.

M_Medium bodied,moderate carbonation,smooth and creamy.

D_Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 01:29:54 | More by nickadams2

minterro

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2012:
Bottle got from Keweenaw Co-op, pretty nifty store in Hancock MI.

Very cloudy dark copper colored beer. Not much but bits if off white lacy head

Lots of maltyness and caramel, but there is also a lot of sweetness.
Caramel and floral hops.

Pretty sweet flavored beer, Upfront very bready and caramely but then the finish is bitty and has floral hop qualities.

Medium to full bodied, moderately low carbonation but it works really well with the beer.

It grew on me while I was drinking it, it was overall very good.

2013:
Head died very quick. beer not as cloudy as noted last year. Many of the normal brown flavors just amped up.

Overall: decrease appearance and mouthfeel and increased taste and overall

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 02:22:52 | More by minterro