Shorts Brewing Co. Imperial Spruce India Pilsner
I am fortunate enough to call Joe Short my friend. He has been kind enough to help me out with various events we have put on in the past as well as participating in my "Cooking Live" series in aerie restaurant, here at the resort.
Recently he dropped off a few of his limited production "mperial Series" beers for me to sample. This is the first I have tried.
It pours kind of like a double IPA. Haze-infused light brown body, with a creamy soft white head that reduces to a layer, leaving an abundance of lacing on the side.
The smell is like walking in the forest after a sunshower. Fresh spruce pine needles. Smells just like an evergreen tree, with light citrus notes that hide in the background. A nice malt sweetness lingers as well.
The taste is good, but slightly overpowering. Tons of lilac and a malt sweetness that becomes intense after a few sips. You won't be tempted to chug it.
If you like gin, you'll probably love this beer as it's got that powerful juniper aroma and taste- but sharper and sappier, that gin gets from juniper.
Body is thick and robust for a Pilsner, and there's a spicy tingle on the finish, that must be what chewing on spruce needles tastes like.
Tastes better than it smells. Sweet malt flavors up front are joined almost immediately by pine flavors, and not pine hop flavors but straight off the tree pine needle flavors. However, somehow the pine manages not to overpower and carries through until a mildly bitter ending leaving a nice aftertaste.
I thought carefully about what I might pair with it food-wise. I decided to stay simple and go with steaks off the grill, topped with melted strong Italian blue cheese.
I used hanger steaks (real Onglet, not what you see in the grocery store) which I tenderized first and brushed with garlic oil. When the steaks came off the grill I brushed them with some porcini oil from Fustini's and liberal amounts of black sea salt, crushed peppercorns and gorgonzola cheese.
Back on the hot grill, off the flame, covered for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
This turned out to be almost a perfect match for the beer. (I love it when a plan comes together) The unctuous, slightly sweet blue cheese played off the pine flavors perfectly.
All in all a great beer and food experience.
Join me Tuesday August 18th in aerie restaurant for the next installment of "Cooking Live" my theme will be cooking with beer, and Joe Short will be my special guest.
Filed under Beer
