Short's Anniversary Ale 2009-
Anniversary Ale is a high-gravity wheat wine made with blood oranges. Flavors range from the spiciness of green peppercorns to the tang of blood orange zest. Aggressive dry hopping of Simcoe hops amplifies the citrus overtones and spiciness found throughout the beer. Anniversary Ale typifies Short’s Brewing Company by embodying all of the complexities that come along with another year of brewing.
3.6
216 reviews
Bellaire, United States
Community reviews
12oz bottle into tulip. Minneapolis.
Pours golden with orange tint. Mostly transparent. Small white head.
Aroma has a wheat backbone. Notes of orange and spice. Alcohol. Pretty nice.
Taste is mostly sweet with a little sharpness from the alcohol.
Palate is medium-light. thin texture. Long finish.
Robe orangée légèrement trouble, aucun col de mousse, dentelle inexistante, apparence liquoreuse. Arômes de liqueur d’orange, moût bien sucré, un peu de citron et alcool. Malgré un nez intéressant, je suis tout de même surpris par la simplicité de celui-ci. Ne semble pas d"une grande complexité et je me serais attendu à des effluves plus puissantes. Voyons ce que le palais en pense. En bouche, encore là, la liqueur d’orange domine. Beaucoup citronné (trop de houblon?) et je cherche la présence du poivre vert se trouvant dans la recette. Le goût sucré qu’on recherche dans ce type de bière est aussi relegué au second plan. Aussi, saveurs d’herbes et d’alcool. La finale permet d’apprécier l’amertume du zeste de citron. Texture assez mince, faible effervescence, rondeur ordinaire. Quoique la base du liquide est intéressante et originale, il y a un manque de complexité évident. J’aurais aimé que le côté "vin" ressorte plus. À essayer pour l’originalité, mais je n’en ferai pas un rendez-vous annuel.
Tap. 2015. Murky dark orange. Scattered lacing and lingering bit of head. Smells like grapefruit, orange. Super full body. Tastes like Donald Duck orange juice (in a good way).
12oz bottle...some crazy a$$ $hit here...a symbiosis of wheat, orange, hops, and green peppercorns with all of them assertive yet co-mingling in harmony. This is a decidedly different wheat wine. Refreshingly easy to drink, it finishes with a surprisingly bitter-tart finish. Way good.
12oz bottle. Pours orange with almost no head. Aroma is of oranges, pepper, and wheat. Taste is big on acidic blood orange with a very peppery finish. After a few sips, you get even more orange. Finish very dry and peppery. The peppery, acidic taste makes it hard to really enjoy. Not my thing.
2010..Bottle...Pour is red with a fading white head...Nose is orange, wheat, spice, grain...Taste is big blood orange, wheat, spice, bitter, very low carb, grapefruit..
Bottle. Pours a very lightly hazy, brilliant golden orange with a quickly dissipating head. Aromas of oranges, bubblegum, yeast, spice, alcohol -- smell is an interesting mix between fruit wine and ale yeast. Complex and interesting taste, as well. Citrus, orange, peppery/spicy, "bubblegum" yeast, alcohol. Moderately bitter. The alcohol is definitely apparent. Lightly peppery finish. Definitely a sipper. Really an interesting beer.
Ok, let’s make a 9th rule of Fight Club.
If you’re a hemophiliac, please let us know before you fight. Now can someone get Jerry a towel?
Draft. Pours a dark copper color. Aroma is citrus, malts, and some caramel. Taste is citrus, sweet with some spices.
Bottle from trade. Pours hazy orange with little to no head. Aroma is a nice punch of blood orange. Really vibrant citrus notes here. Also getting a Hawaiian Punch vibe. Taste is soft, velvety with little carbonation. Blood orange again features nicely here with some barleywine traits coming through. Syrupy. Not getting a lot of the peppercorns though there is some faint spiciness in the background.
Heck yes, awesome gift. Pours a hazy orange golden with a thinner eggshell head that settles to a ring and leaves some spotty lace. Nose is a blast of citrus like fresh-squeezed juice, sweet orange, tart grapefruit, some zesty spice and florals, sweet nectar, some underlying coconut. Fairly sweet, somewhat tart, quite bitter. Medium to full bodied, oily, softer carb, with a drying toasty yet tart and bitter finish accentuated by some alcohol warmth. A really cool brew, drinks more like a DIPA than a barleywine. It’s not thick or hefty, definitely more juicy, oily, and zesty.
Draft at Logan's Alley - pours a cloudy golden yellow . Big juicy citrus aroma . Taste is huge blood orange , faint pepper spice note . Juicy and refreshing , possibly my favorite offering from Shorts .
Oh, what a nose! Blood oranges all over the place both in the nose and the color which is amber with a litlte orange twist. LIttle to no foaming at all. There is an unfortunate sort of maybe hoppy edge.. Maybe just the alcohol which in that case will be nice to age out of this one. The above comments came from drinking it very cold. Now then, letting it warm , the flavors come out nicely although still a bit boozey. Mouthfeel is sublime and it is what it is described as...wheat wine with slight blood orange inclusion.
Aroma is sweet fruit, oranges, hops, peppercorn comes at the back for sure. Appearance is also orange, super light orange head. Taste is sour orange, light hops, grapefruit, and the peppercorn spice is subtle but nice at the end. Mouthfeel is nice, solid carbonation, somewhat thick, got a great orange peel aftertaste. Overall, this beer is on point. I am a huge fan, and I am happy with how many beers Short’s will bottle. Cheers!
Bottle. Pours a hazy dark orange with a small white head that fades to a thin ring. Aroma is all juicy, overripe blood oranges. Taste brings in some nice complexity. Big blood orange taste but there’s also pineapple, wheat, peppercorns, flowers, and grapefruit. There’s also a nice orange juice sourness to counter the light sweetness. Possibly the juiciest beer I’ve ever had. Very interesting and intense.
Bottle. Probaly from Mikem409. or Blowofftube. Or one of the many awesome Michigan folk. Poured into snifter. almost no head, some white bubbles. Nose is full of sweet honey and lift caramel. Smells like a diabetic coma waiting to happen. Taste is a very complex, or mix, of spicey peppercorn, with the citrus from the oranges, dry hopped dankiness and a ton of alcohol boooooost. I’m afraid there is just too much going on here to comprehend. wow. just can’t say much. besides the conglomerate of flavors, the alcohol boost lasts long into the finish and kicks you in the chest. ugh. wow. hurts.
Pours a delicious looking bright red orange color. A foamy egg white layer on the head. A very juicy blood orange aroma that really jumps out. The tastes really follow along with blood orange based flavors. A citrus candy like taste mixed in. A pepper note/small spice make an appearance in the back mouth feel. A really nice aftertaste with that berry orange flavor. A slight hop bitterness closes out the flavors. Really good. Very unique.
Bottle: Very slightly red-tinted copper; decent clarity, topped with a slightly off-white, wispy head. Aroma has a huge pungency of juicy blood oranges, a little sweet & nicely tart with a back-end of mild peppery spice that mixes really well. Faint alcohol phenols & a slight, sweet maltiness throughout. Even bigger blood orange presence on the palate; a slight tartness that turns into a sweet orange flavor sprinkled with a little bit of pepper. Slight leafy & herbal hop presence in the back-end, though it might be partially from the peppercorns as well. Boozy, but not overwhelming. Soft malted wheat with a zesty, spicy finish. I love this beer, & each year it seems to vary a little (more orange, more peppercorn, etc.) but it’s always delicious.
The 2013 batch has been my favorite so far, with the largest blood orange presence & a perfect tartness that even induces a bit of pucker up front. Solid peppercorn & spiced coriander finish. Very tasty.
Pours light clear orange, finger white head.
Smell big sweet tropical fruit, orange peel, juicy
Taste mild, very fruity, almost tangy, no real heat or wheatwine qualities, like an triple ipa
Lighter body for a wheat wine, insanely drinkable
Very interesting, I like it a lot
Bottle shared at Ale Alpharetta. Aroma is massive blood orange and the citrus aspects that come with it. Booze was perhaps there with some spiciness. Taste on the otherhand made it quite difficult to drink bery much. The blood orange was still quite strong, but the booze and a medicinal quality made it tough to get past a couple ounce pour much less than the full bottle. Interesting for such, but the taste was just too boozy and medicine like for me to enjoy.
$2 bottle poured into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint".
Appearance: Pours a sunset sort of orange color with about a finger of a white head, that dies down pretty quickly. Decent bit of carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass. Quite significant alcohol legs.
Smell: Grapefruit, orange, and mango dominate the aroma... very fresh smell. Pleasant and inviting.
Taste: Interesting ... I’ve never had a Wheatwine, so I didn’t know what to expect. This is very distinctive. The peppery note coats the mouth but isn’t too pungent, and there’s also a citrus flavor with quite a sour quality, which I’d assume is the yeast used in this beer. The aftertaste is heavy on the wheat, with almost a briny flavor as well... Summit hops? A strange mix, but it’s manageable. Peppery, sour orange juice brine is the essential flavor here, with a wheaty, minorly burning finish. The feel is surprisingly light, as I was expecting a thicker beer. I’m glad it’s not too thick though, as this beer could easily become cloying if that were the case. The aftertaste is probably my favorite part about Anniversary Ale. Love the wheat, orange, pepper flavor.
This just isn’t quite my style. It’s not bad by any means, though. In fact, I’d consider it to be a VERY GOOD beer just because I never thought "Peppery, sour orange juice brine" would be an appealing flavor. Definitely glad to have tried this, and it’s a unique beer, but I’d not have it often.
A nice orange pour with a small white head. Orange, peppercorns, and a nice citrus zest. Pretty damn tasty.
No mistaking the orange smell. And big orange taste too. Very tart to almost grapefruit lengths.
bottle. pours clear bright orange with a solid white head with solid retention. big orange popsicle aroma and a slight pepper note. taste is very sweet with lots of orange and hops. there is a slight alcohol burn
Bottle thanks to mikem409!
The aroma was lively with the blood orange really coming through and a subtle smell of pepper. It really piqued my interest. The taste didn’t disappoint. The blood orange was just as strong as it was in the nose and the peppercorn gave it just the right kick. Really a unique beer that I’ve got to have again!
Fantastic peppery orange aroma! Copper orange color with a small white head. Has a pleasent orange flavor for a beer and kind of spicy too. Here comes the bad part. The body is very light and watery. I am very happy to try it. If you like a full flavor light beer you will like this one.
12 ounce bottle. Pours a translucent copper with no head. Orange zest and sugary malt with just a hint at peppercorns. Candied orange peel comes through as well. A little tartness sneaks in there in the finish. Interesting stuff.
12 ounce bottle. Pours a bright amber color with a medium white head. A interesting nose with floral, pepper and orange notes. The flavor has tartness, orange peel, spicy pepper, a bit of kick in it and alcohol. Unusual. Almost like a well made cocktail. A thin palate.
12 bottle, drank slightly below room temp. Whiskey like color with almost no head. Scent is orange and alcohol. Taste is similar, very heavy on orange, but also with some pepper, booze noticeable but certainly not in a bad way. Pretty good one to sip on.
Bottle to snifter (shared with the Mrs.; thanks mikem409). Looks good for the style; a transparent vibrant orange with thin white lacing. Smells solid; sweet and boozy with a bit of pepper and a nice orange backbone. Tastes like it smells with a solid mouthfeel. Enjoyable.