Short's The Wizard - Short's Brewing Company

DersOne

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

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

A-Pours a muddy brown with a shallow toffee-colored head, small bubbles with very thin lacing that dissipates quickly.

S-Sugar sweetness, licorice and sweet raisin, dark fruits with a hint of maltiness.

T-Malt and booze up front with a bit of bitterness, carbonation tingle (almost champagne-like) and raisins, finishing sweet with some dry bitter dark chocolate notes.

M-Smooth, contrasting with effervescence, minimal dryness, very pleasant.

O-4.25/5, it was interesting to see an over-sweet variation of a barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 14:06:01 | More by DersOne

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"Demons worry when The Wizard is near." - Black Sabbath

@ Lord Hobo for the Shorts tap takeover

Triple mashed, boiled for 6 hours and 66 minutes (wouldn't that be 7 hours and 6 minutes? Hell, why not 426 minutes? Why spoil the novelty I guess) and fermented in raisins.

Black with eggplant highlights (I think, it's dark in there). Arrived on a nifty Shorts Soft Parade coaster which is now protecting my Gatorade bottle from leaving moisture rings on my computer desk. Thin head is quick to dissipate. Foamwise it's a lackluster beer but so were many of the beers sent out tonight. Not sure if it's, Short's ,the bartenders, or the setup.

Not a subtle nose: blackberry brandy, black cherry and cocoa nibs erupt from the glass. Tastes like brown sugar coated raisins, blackberry and chocolate. One of the most raisin-y beers I can remember (Smuttynose Gravitation being of comparable raisin saturation). Bold, sugary, and awesome.

A very different barleywine due to the extreme dark fruit but also one of the best, off the top of my head.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 13:00:29 | More by donkeyrunner

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is dark brown, with a thick head that leaves plenty of lacing behind.

The aroma is malt forward, with caramels soaked in alcohol, and dark fruits.

The flavor is nice, with the 11% abv hidden very well. Malt driven with raisin and caramel flavors, this is a solid example of an American barleywine. The beer is sweet, making a snifter sized portion just right for me.

The feel is full bodied and pretty smooth for a double digit abv brew.

Good stuff. I would have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2011 00:50:02 | More by Huhzubendah

CuriousMonk

Virginia

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

On tap at ChurchKey poured into sampler glass. Pours dark brown with nice thin off white head. Malty, tannic caramel, fig newtons, banana, hints of tobacco and leather with warming alcohol backing. Raisins and tobacco, leathery peat, quite a bit tannins, leathery bitter finish. A hard to describe tartness that is mid to late palate that is almost wine like, but makes way quickly. Some abv warmth on the way down. Decent mouthfeel and carbonation throughout.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2011 20:41:38 | More by CuriousMonk

drabmuh

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a pretty good beer. Interesting. Beer is dark brown with an average head that leaves good lacing behind.

Beer is forward with the malt but not in a syrupy sort of way but in a more balanced here I am sort of what with some caramel and mild roast at teh back. The hop character is light overall and the doughiness of the yeast comes through in the midpalate. The beer hides the alcohol well incorporating it into the beer. Overall I really liked it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 19:15:46 | More by drabmuh

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ the Sunset Grill & Tap (Allston, MA) on 3/11/11. Served in a tulip glass. This was listed as 13% ABV on the tap list here.

Pours a clear deep copper, topped with a ½ finger cap of stiff off-white head. This has a very robust looking retention going on with it, leaving back a rich cascade that settles into some thick spotty swathes of lacing. The aroma smells freshly floral, piney, and citric, which is layered on top of a powerful mix of chocolate, toffee, and burnt roast. The malts are big in the nose but those fresh American hops are even bigger here and pretty much control things. The high alcohol that is present gives this some robust heft in the nostrils.

Malts take over a bit more in the taste here, with notes of cocoa, brown sugar, and toffee and roast character that combine to give off a bit of a sweet molasses flavor. Hops add a good bit of citric fruit (bitter grapefruit is in abundance) and sticky pine resins to the profile. That big 13% ABV gives this warm notes of sweet alcohol and spice, which linger in the finish with leftover burnt malts and pithy bitter fruit. The mouthfeel is full bodied, with a big creamy feel that fills the mouth but then dies down some as you near the swallow. Overall, this is pretty lively in the mouth and succeeds in showcasing off all of those fresh hop flavors. As mentioned before, the hefty alcohol presence keeps itself confined to adding some extra complexity to the profiles and keeps any stinging heat out of the equation for the most part.

Well I'm glad that I got to experience this beast of a Barleywine on draft, where all of that fresh American hop character could shine but luckily not outshine those thick delicious malts and sweet spicy alcohol notes that were present as well. At 13% ABV, this is a sipper, but I was pleased to find that it was a smooth and complex one. I was really looking forward to this one during this Short's takeover and it did not disappoint.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 16:58:33 | More by Kegatron

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at sunset tap and grille in boston during the post-EBF brunch

Poured a deep caramel brown with some reddish hues. Nice froth of beige head sits on top, retaining with a layer of film and some webbed lacing on the glass.

A decent spike of thick bready malts, followed by light hoppiness, brown sugar, caramel, and some faint edges of raisin, date, and booze.

Rich malt flavors up front with brown sugar and some syrupy caramel. A bit sweet with some dark fruit such as raisins and figs. Decent hop presence, especially towards the finish. Alcohol warmth and fruit sweetness at the end.

Fuller bodied, a bit sticky and syrupy, coats the palate. Drinks pretty nicely, decent flavor, although a bit sweet like many of their beers are. I'd still drink this one again though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2011 00:22:42 | More by xnicknj

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12oz bottle into a snifter. The brew appears an amber mahogany color with ruby clarity when held to the light. A yellowish head composed of big bubbles sits atop about a finger strong leaving spotty lace.

The aroma is liked candied raisins. Sweet toffee, molasses and hints of fruity alcohol. This brew is all about the burnt sugary character ans alcohol. Despite letting it warm up, there isnt much other character emitting from the glass.

The taste is toffee and molasses with raisins and chocolate. A bit of earthen aspect with the alcohol being quite aparent. It boasts almost a tangy whiskey inclusion into the aftertaste. The flavors meld well together but overall it seems a little one-dimensional. Sugar + alcohol and nothing else sadly.

This is a medium bodied brew with a low amount of carbonation. It is boozy and a decent sipper. I am glad I got to try this but I remain unimpressed with most everything ive had from Shorts. Some of my friends seem really nutty over this brewery, maybe one day ill understand why.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 19:05:36 | More by stakem

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you, Namarsha82!

Appearance. pours an opaque orangey-brown with a skim of off-white head.

Smell. Sweet caramel, some dank and piney hops, brown sugar and raisins.

Taste. Caramel malts, molasses, raisins and some piney hops. Quite dry, which I wasn't expecting. High alcohol is dangerously well hidden.

Mouthfeel. Medium-full body with medium carbonation.

Overall. A fine barleywine. The raisins add a really nice flavour and the lack of big sweetness makes it quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 02:22:18 | More by Rutager

Pahn

New York

3.3/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into Duvel tulip. Thanks to BA mob2332 for including this as an extra in a sort-of trade.

Appearance: Free pour yields a 1/3 inch light tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves some lacing. Pours a very dark maroon and leaves spots of lacing.

Smell: Caramel malt, raisins, brown sugar. Mildly boozy, but no indication of 11% ABV. Pastry sweetness. Very inviting.

Taste: Raisins and lots of hop bitterness up front. Brown sugar and raisin skin finish. Second sip brings a kind of pruny tartness that's unpleasant. In subsequent sips, it's sort of grape and raisin and a bit of cola up front, with pastry malt sweetness wayyyy in the background that gets obliterated by alcohol heat and a powerful medicinal astringency. Astringent aftertaste.

Started out 3.5~4.0 for taste, quickly went down to 2.5~3.0 for that huge off flavor. With time and warmth, it gets a bit sweeter, but never lives up to the aroma nor overcomes unpleasantness of the astringent finish. This isn't a "3.0-for-average," it's a "3.0 for lots good with one glaring bit of bad."

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Bit watery. Low to moderate carbonation.

Overall: I'm ambivalent about this beer. Great aroma, and I like the grape/raisin flavors mixing with the sweet malt. However, it's hard to get past that awful medicinal bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 00:33:30 | More by Pahn

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Eh. This is an okay barleywine. Too boozy and the raisins seem to chip in oddly with that too, somehow. It certainly is smooth, but it seems to lack any distinct interesting character. At least that which would make it interesting and unique. Nice to drink, but could have been more inspiring.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 02:47:42 | More by RblWthACoz

GeezLynn

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown with a deep red hue and a sparse white head.

S: Brown sugar,butterscotch, roasted barley and a bit of alcohol. Smells like a sweeter, low-hopped barleywine.

T: Basically a dry, moderately hopped American style barleywine, with a very pronounced raisin flavor. While not particularly sweet, hopping in this beer is also somewhat restrained, which gives the raisins greater prominence. There’s also a slight roastiness that distinguishes it from typical. Alcohol shows up on the finished, but is pretty well disguised in this bottle (for 11%).

M: Medium-bodied with light carbonation. A bit dull.

This one pretty much falls in line with most Short's beers. Unique. For me half of their beers fall in the “that was interesting, but I won’t have it again”, and half fall into “that was pretty good. I’d have another”. This one is in the latter. Pretty nice beer, though I'm guessing it might be a bit gnarly fresh.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 04:36:47 | More by GeezLynn

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.3/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into a Kate the Great snifter. No bottle date.

Appearance - Deep dark body. Not black, but a very dark burgundy. Small off-white head.

Smell - Brown sugar. I guess that's raisins I smell, but it's more of a generic dark fruit. Hops, but barely aromatic.

Taste - Sweet raisin flavor throughout. The malt isn't as dominant as a 6 hour 66 minute boil might suggest. Intensely bitter hop finish. Dry finish.

Mouthfeel - Alcoholic bite. Medium body, which seems light for the ABV. Crazy bitter. Slow to drink.

Overall - Definitely a sipper. Tastes ok, but really tough to drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 02:06:43 | More by Alieniloquium

chugalug06

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Small, straw colored, foamy head. Brew pours purple with lots of browns.

Lots of brown sugar and raisin sweetness.

Big, bold bitterness. Lots of dry raisin and fig flavors. Not much sweetness. Medium-high carbonation. Slightly distracting thickness. Lacks a strong hop profile.

A good brew, but I won't seek it again. Recommended, but I wouldn't go crazy for it... Thanks Adam!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 00:13:17 | More by chugalug06

madeofsteel

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter, picked it up for New Year's and am eager to see how it's aged (slightly).

A - Pours a thick mahogany, almost purplish-brown, very minimal carbonation, spotty lacing.

S - Raisins, maybe dates? And fruity booze. Lots of spicy booze.

T - Syrupy sweet raisins, slight sour pucker, and the alcohol packs a little bit of heat. A little bit of bitterness that isn't entirely pleasant.

M - Certainly warming, thick and syrupy. Quite dry.

O - An overall pleasant brew, but it will whoop you if you're not careful. I can probably drink two reasonably in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 01:41:39 | More by madeofsteel

Naugros

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a lovely brown color, like a raisin, but not the darker, icky ones that look like they've been steeped on. The head is light tan and rises higher than most barleywines, but doesn't last too long before it's just a ring and a slight haze.

So I'm thinking that so many strong, dark beers taste and smell like raisin anyway, why would anyone ADD them to a barleywine? Let's see if it paid off.

The smell is really malty and smells like bread pudding made with dark rum and, tada!, raisins. A little clove-like phenol to spice it up a bit.

A ton of mole asses in the flavor...sorry, that should read molasses...right up front. Cloves hit the roof of the mouth in the middle. It's really bitter in back, like burnt wood. As the molasses continues to assault the tip of the tongue, the burnt flavors trickle down the back of the throat. None of this really comes together as a cohesive whole, but it still remains tasty, if not a little over the top.

Not as viscous as some barleywines, but definitely full-bodied.

I'm really new to Short's Brew but I can tell they really like to deliver a ton of flavor. In so doing, they made a bit of a mess out of this one but I've definitely had worse barleywines. This one could use some time to settle down and let the flavors marry...in this case it would be common law...but I'd be afraid to do so as the bottle reads "Keep Refrigerated". That's usually a sign that the beer is unfermented and would not take well to cellaring. However, 11% ABV is 11% ABV and it would be hard for critters to get much of a foothold.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 00:03:48 | More by Naugros

jbuddle

New York

3.25/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received as an extra in a trade -thanks! Poured out an opaque deep reddish brown with a small amount of head that slowly disappeared.

The aroma is amazing - dark sweet caramel and butter, dark fruit, sweet malt and raisins.

Wish the flavor followed the nose a bit better but I get a lot more bitterness than expected with some dark fruit, toffee and raisins. The bitterness really cuts in about halfway through and disrupts the good things going on; its more of a medicinal, aspirin type of bitterness than a hop bitterness so it's mildly unpleasant. finishes bitter and not very clean.

Good mouthfeel, slick and buttery with good carbonation. Overall a nice barleywine but something about that medicinal bitterness really messed things up for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 14:08:21 | More by jbuddle

emerge077

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a big bastard... served in a tulip glass, it pours a deep ruddy chestnut color, with crimson glints in the light. A thin layer of yellowish ecru foam sits on the surface and slowly dissipates into clusters of bubbles around the edges.

Piney herbals, dates, specialty malts, and vinous alcohol in the aroma.

Rich and resiny taste, massively dry and bitter with a middle full of different flavors. Peanut butter, pine needles, aspirin, dried fruit. Burly body, creamy texture, low to medium carbonation levels. Bitterness is somewhat abrasive, more so than the alcohol which is surprisingly hidden. As i warms, the maltiness comes out a bit more, enhancing some raisin bread flavors. Intensely hoppy though, sort of a different riff on the Bigfoot school of barleywines.

Thanks to Amanda & Justin for sharing this one!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 22:58:10 | More by emerge077

mdfb79

New York

3.1/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From 03/09/12 notes. Thanks to Thorep429 for opening this one.

a - Pours a dark reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of raisins, dark fruits, figs, sugar, and fruity malts. Lots of sugar and fruit; a bit too sweet for me.

t - Tasted of dark fruits, raisins, sugar, molasses, alcohol, fruit malts. Same as the nose with a little bit of alcohol as well.

m - Medium body and moderaye carbonation. Little bit of alcohol to it.

o - Overall an okay beer, though a bit too sweet for me. Also a little too much alcohol in the taste, probably wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 17:35:09 | More by mdfb79

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle to Duvel tulip. Bottle date is partially rubbed out - appears to be 10(?)/19/11.

A - Medium murky brown with a big ruby glow during the pour. One finger of light brown head formed from the pour.

S - The nose is very smooth and muted for the style. Brown sugar, dark caramel, raisins. Fairly prominent.

T - A big sweetness up front - toffee, dark caramel and brown sugar are the prominent flavours. The raisins show up in the middle, providing a nice compliment to the malt base. The finish is bitter with warming alcohol. The bitterness cuts through the sweetness nicely and becomes more and more evident as I continue to drink.

M - Medium to full body. Sludgy. Light carbonation.

O - A good and very interesting barleywine. The raisins add a nice unique flavour but something didn't quite come together to put this over the top.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 02:46:26 | More by TheSevenDuffs

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

One of my favorite beers from Shorts Now

A - Cloudy dirty brown and about a 1/4 inch of mocha colored head atop with mild carbonation bubbles throughout. Lacing is good.

S - As expected mostly raisin in the smell with plums and figs but some sweet malts and chocolate also. Little to no hops

T - The hops are mild but do assert their way into the finish along with a brown sugar sweetness, natural raisin flavors and some bitter chocolates.

M - Insane how well this drinks for the ABV. Medium to heavy but my guess would be 9 or 10 at most.

Overall the only thing better would have been if I got a six pack and am now envious of Michigan folk being able to buy this right off the shelf. Smooth body, natural flavors, and little to no noticeable ABV. What a world class barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 23:00:59 | More by DrDemento456

biglobo8971

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

premise number 1: this is from 2010
premise number 2: this is the first beer reviewed of my 38th birthday.
so if you hate this one, wait until you see the fourth.
poured from bottle into tulip
A - very dark, no head, a couple of bubbles, no lacing.
S - a lot of fruit (plum, prune, and blackberries) some sugar back tone
T - a lil bit of malty sweetness, lots of fruit sweetness, a lil bit of hop presence, but I believe the age took the hop presence out.
M - easy to drink, easy mouthfeel
O - easy beer to drink, especially with the age and me not being a fan of the style. I can tell this is a well crafted beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 01:29:21 | More by biglobo8971

cavedave

New York

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to seeswo for yet another stupidly fine beer.

Very cloudy and nice brown, red hints, not much head, spome spotty islands and a ring, but stupid legs on glass after a gentle swirl

Smell is full of prune and raisin, some candi, gentle alcohol which adds rather than detracts, hints of toffee and floral hop. Like perfume.

Taste starts caramel and toffee picking up some darker roast notes, nothing charry by any means, just a touch of darker sugars and toast, into lots of fruit that comes into the sip with herbal bitter, and the bitter stays with a lingering sweet and dark ripe fruit that taste a bit vinous as it warms. Nice.

Mouthfeel is light despite its look of light syrup, very low carb. alcohol very well hidden, lasting flavors, they stay pretty clean, could be a touch cleaner, nice finish, could be a bit better to play with the big boys in this style.

Overall a delicious beer that pushes the boundaries of flavor blasts, from a brewer who specializes in it.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 19:43:53 | More by cavedave

Tod28

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A little different then the majority of the barley wines I've had.

Has a raisin/fig taste to it. With a slight citrus hint. Tasted better on palate after letting air hit your tongue. Had a much more complex taste.

Deep copper color, light brown. Had a nice amount of head(served extremely cold). Though it didn't last all to long. Has a nice rich look to it.

Would drink and will drink again. Recommend drinking two!

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 02:41:49 | More by Tod28

BeRanger

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours a murky brown, has sort of a red/amberish hue. About a half finger of off-white head. No real lacing.

S - Very sweet, lots of dark fruit - you can certainly smell the raisins. You can certainly smell the alcohol.

T - Slight hop taste, almost has a pepper flavor profile. The raisins and dark fruits are there, just not very bold. It has a dry finish, no real alcohol flavor however.

M - Medium body with a little carbonation. Finished very dry.

O - This wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I'm fairly new to barleywines and I was worried this wasn't going to meet expectations. The flavors were pretty good and the alcohol was hidden well.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:52:13 | More by BeRanger