Short's The Liberator
Liberator was made as a 30th birthday gift to Joe Short. As a double IPA, this beast employs a sizable malt bill, but it is the crazy amount of hops added to the boil every 4 minutes, for 120 minutes, that really make this beer special. Fruity, floral, and piney hop flavors penetrate throughout the caramelized malt profile. Liberator is a well-balanced, full bodied brew that has a bitter finish due to the post fermentation addition of lemon and orange zest.
The original batch brewed on the Bellaire system had 42lbs of hops in it, compared to Huma, which has around 20lbs of hops per batch. Today’s Elk Rapids batches have up to 138lbs of hops. The name, Liberator, came from Joe’s name for the Short’s employees who carry out our company’s mission statement as “Beer Liberators”, freeing the masses from their misconceptions surrounding beer.
The original batch brewed on the Bellaire system had 42lbs of hops in it, compared to Huma, which has around 20lbs of hops per batch. Today’s Elk Rapids batches have up to 138lbs of hops. The name, Liberator, came from Joe’s name for the Short’s employees who carry out our company’s mission statement as “Beer Liberators”, freeing the masses from their misconceptions surrounding beer.
3.7
185 reviews
Bellaire, United States
Community reviews
I love drinking beers that make me say, "Oh fuck, I need to rate this one." Siting here at Crunchy’s in East Lansing and this was the 5th pour on my 8 beer flight. Honey colored pour, no head and no lace. Aroma is grass and verbena. Taste is has the qualities that make you get out your phone, log into Ratebeer, and start typing. Floral and lemony hops abound. Malt is sturdy enough to prop up those big hoppy flavors without getting lost. Very bright and lemony. The ABV is pretty subdued. Very tasty stuff. Best in show this week which included pours of 9 Bells beers, 13 others...and this one tick.
12 oz bottle into tulip. Minneapolis.
Appearance: orange/copper color. Slightly hazy. Very little head.
Aroma: very citrusy, some piney hops.
Taste: bitter throughout with a mild sweetness laid under. Really nicely balanced.
Palate: medium body. Thick texture. Light carbonation. Good flavor retention.
Overall: a very drinkable ipa. More balanced than most. More of a citrus, which I prefer.
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/13/2013. Pours moderately hazy orange amber color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange zest, orange rind, floral, grass, pine, light caramel, and floral earthiness. Fantastic aromas with big citrus peel and citrus hop presence with moderate malt balance; and great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, orange zest, lemon zest, orange rind, floral, grass, pine, light caramel, bread, and floral earthiness. Large amount of pine resin bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, orange/lemon zest, orange rind, floral, grass, pine, light caramel, bread, and floral earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice flavors with huge citrus peel and citrus/pine hop flavors with moderate malt balance; with a great malt/bitterness balance and minimal cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slightly creamy, smooth, and very sticky/resinous mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent DIPA. All around great balance and complexity of citrus/pine hops, citrus peel, and moderate malt flavors; and nicely smooth to sip on even with the big bitterness that is present. A very enjoyable offering.
Pours a clear orange copper with a light tan head. Nose is caramel and citrus. Body is medium with initial sweet caramel quickly turning into resinous pine hop flavor with good amount of spice.
Pours a hazy golden with orange hue. Nice two finger foamy head that settles into fine lacing. Smells sweet of malts and zesty hops. Tastes very balanced with the sweetness of the malts hitting you first, some roasted nut, a touch of caramel, then the citrus from the hops jumps in. Gives you a nice sharp flair of the nostrils as you get the lemon and orange zest notes. Pungent and bitter, yet delicately balanced with the hefty malt bill. Finishes with the lingering zest of the citrus. Moderately dry. Not my favorite Short’s brew, but a good one.
Pours a cloudy amber-orange with a thicker cream-colored head that settles to a ring and a film and leaves some spotty, dripping lace. Nose involves spicy hop notes, heavy citrus (grapefruit), some toasted malt, very fruit forward. Quite sweet flavor, very bitter. Light to medium bodied, oily, bright with hops, average carb, with a long fruity and drying bitter finish. Awesome brew, very flavorful.
on tap at Ashleys- citrusy nose on a rich golden
brew with a decent well lacing head- firm caramelly
malt backbone but citrusy hops dominate with a
solid medium bitter finish- a fine brew indeed!
On tap at the brewpub. Golden pour with a white head. Lots of citrus and piney hops in the taste and aroma. Another solid IPA from Short’s
Bottled 12/13/13 and drank 12/22/13. Poured into a shaker pint.
Appearance: An orange color with maybe a slight haze, though I don’t exactly remember. Poured perfectly into the glass with a two/three finger head on it, and some really nice lacing throughout.
Smell: Phew! Pine and fruit. Lots of both of them. Bursting with freshness... it seems pretty obvious to me that this was a newly bottled beer, and the 12/13 date proves it. Really outstanding, and it’s quite potent as well.
Taste/feel: Not quite as great as the appearance or smell, but still super tasty. I found it to be very bitter initially, but as I sipped it, it gradually felt like it got sweeter and sweeter with more citrus sorts of flavors and a very solid malt+pine finish. Drying, and begs you to drink more. Not a really high ABV either, so you can enjoy a few of these. Feel is medium with about a medium carbonation as well... not too heavy, which also helps. A touch too bitter for my taste at the start, which keeps it from being what I’d consider exceptional.
Excellent beer! I’ve had some of my favorite Short’s beers recently, and they’re showing more and more why they’re probably my favorite brewery. They can make some good experimental brews, but then they can make really damn phenomenal "normal" ones like this one. If you can get it, get it -- worth it.
12 oz bottle - pours a deep orange with nice lacing . Big citrus aromas . Taste of citrus rind . Resiny . Good beer .
Bottle to half-pint glass (shared with the Mrs.). Looks good; a mostly transparent vibrant orange with off-white lacing. Smells nice and hoppy with otes of citrus zest and a pale malt backbone. Tastes like it smells with an average mouthfeel. A solid DIPA.
Bottle, aroma through one nostril is big citrus oil, taste is super bitter and citrus with a big dry finish and sticky
Wonderful piney aroma, striking hop bite with nice citrus tang. Great balance and lasting bitterness.
Bottle. Clear dark gold. Huge off white head. Huge citrus aroma. Awesome. Taste isn’t as citrusy more hop but pretty smooth and enjoyable.
-- rated with beerbasher
bottle. Deep golden with one finger head. Big citrus/grapefruit hops. Delicious. One of those beers where the hops almost seem smooth.
I dont remember this beer very much. I am transferring my beer advocate rating. I should try this one again because I definitely liked the session version of this one that I had more recently.
On draft at HopCat in East Lansing Pours a dark gold, hints of orange. Decent head, essentially no lace. Smell is typical of an IPA. Lack of detection on the nose is a little disappointing. Somewhat sour at first contact, lemon zest immediately present. Flows through the butter tones and finishes very dry. Mouth feel is clingy, moderately thick for style. Intense dryness finishes it off with the orange zest taking prominence.
Pours a slightly opaque amber color with a very small head that’s settles to a film. Smell is caramel malts, bit of alcohol and some grapefruit and citrus notes. Taste follows as this is malt forward... Good bitterness and slightly sticky aftertaste
Draft. Large beige head that leaves nice lacing atop hazy amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, grapefruit, light herbal. Taste is medium sweet, grapefruit/herbal, some lemon peel. Medium body, low carbonation, some resin.
Amber in color with white head. Aroma is very good. Very strong bitter aftertaste. Not a very sweet IPA...not as citrusy as I was hoping for since it said on the front "made with lemon and orange zest".
12 oz. Bottle to DFH pint glass, pours a very amber almost red with a thumbs worth of barely off-white head. Nose is zesty citrus mixed with piney resin-ey notes. As to be expected the taste follows suit... Very citrusy, very very bitter, much more bitter than I remember this being (to much orange and lemon zest in this batch?) I love the bitter, but this is borderline that bad chalky feeling in your mouth. Not so bad that I don’t like it, just abrasive in that way that sets it apart from other DIPA’s out there. Maybe I am a freak and I like abrasive sometimes. Mouthfeel is mediumish and carbonation ways on the heavy side. That super dry chalk feeling comes at the very end of the palate and last for a while. Overall I remember being much more pleased with this last year, that being said this beer isn’t bad it’s just needs a tweak I feel, joe less lemon zest?
Abrasively bitter and oddly sweet all at the same time. Not very good at all. As with most Shorts beers its just oddly sweet and not clean tasting.
Nice DIPA. The lemon and citrus are present in the aroma and the initial taste. The beer finishes quite bitter though. If the aftertaste could be improved this would be one of my favorites.
12oz bottle, thanks to umich03jm. Hazy darker orange color. Thin light khaki head, leaves decent loose lace. Citrus zest in the nose. Some piney hops. Orange - lemon citrus flavor. Good citrusy hop profile, lighter caramel malt. Medium to bigger body. Light carbonation. Sort of crisp texture to it. Mostly dry finish. Very tasty and easy to drink. Light bitter, good zesty taste, particularly in the finish. Freakin’ great DIPA. Intensely drinkable... Sure, it was the first beer of the night, but I went through this in all of 10 minutes. Could have happily chugged it. Markedly more drinkable than the Mikkeller DIPAs I’ve been trying lately. Shorts delivers again.
Thanks to mike for being my secret santa. Large zest notes, malty body, off.
12oz bottle, pour is a medium hazy orange. Taste is piney hops and citrus, aftertaste that really wallops the palate with bitterness.
355ml bottle shared by jsprime. deep orange with a soapy off white head. big nose of hops and zest. the body is lean which accentuates the big bitter finish. this is a sipper.
Great hoppy aroma and dark golden pour with a balanced citrus taste and decent lingering mouthfeel.
On tap.Pours light orange in color with a white head that is gone immediately with almost no lacing. Grapefruit is the dominant character in this beer that I find less intense than many other DIPA’s. Good beer.
On tap. Good, mild for a DIPA, but strong and good flavor. A nice happy medium, would definitely have again.