Short's Brewing Company: Featured at Sunset Grill and Tap

My beer flight of Short's Brews

I don't often talk about the imbibing of beer here, mainly because much of my beer swilling is around the "light American" variety, and well, there isn't much to be said.  However, that is not to say that I don't enjoy a good pint (or two) of some of those fabulous micro brews around.  I love the depth of flavor that their beers can provide, the variation of flavors, and the range between hoppy and not hoppy, heavy malt and light malt, etc.  We are lucky in Boston to have several of our very own brewers who make some mean beers.  However, when I know I want to try out some seriously rare or unique beers or just want some serious variety, I know that I should head over to Sunset Grill and Tap located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

A massive cup of coffee to start the day off

Sunset sits proudly on Brighton Ave just past Packard's Corner.  It sits proudly knowing that it houses upwards of 500 different beers from breweries all over the US and beyond.  Their beer menu is longer than their food menu, and it is clear that their focus is providing some of the best and most unusual beers out there.  This past weekend, and until the kegs last, Sunset Grill and Tap is featuring a brewery from Michigan known for their unique beers, Shorts.  Shorts opened in 2004, and despite some hardships along the way, have been brewing ever since, creating some of the most uniquely flavored beers I've ever tasted.

I was invited to dine at Sunset for their Beer Brunch celebrating the Shorts Showcase this past Sunday morning.  I headed over unsure of what to expect, and was shocked to find that beer enthusiasts from all over Boston (and beyond?) were lined up outside Sunset ready to dig into beer inspired brunch menu items, and, of course a some of this legendary beer. One heck of a way to start off a Sunday Fun day right?

Sunset's Brunch Bread Basket

I felt as though I HAD to order a beer flight (four 5 oz glasses of self selected beers) to get the the full experience.  Tough work right? I chose four that sounded as diverse as you can get- starting with their Bloody Beer (a play on a Bloody Mary), their Joyous Almondo, their Cup of Joe Coffee Creme Stout, and their Hopstache.  For my first taste I went with the Bloody Beer as it seemed the most fitting for a Sunday Morning.  The first flavors that came through were the clean acidic taste of the tomato, similar to the taste of a bloody Mary, but with the consistency of a refreshing beer. It was accented with dill, horseradish, peppercorns and celery seeds, to create that full bloody Mary feel, though the dill was the most prevalent flavor behind the tomato.  

I decided to go to the sweeter variety next and picked up my glass of Joyous Almondo, touted to having the same flavors as an Almond Joy.  Chocolate was definitely prevalent here, resulting in a sweet beer that was not unpleasant, but remarkable.  The expected almond and coconut flavors took a backseat here, and weren't as prevalent as I had hoped, but it was a delightful dessert wine.

Special for the Day: Malted Barley Blueberry Pancakes!

Next on the list was the Cup of Joe-which was my least favorite of the beers.  It definitely had coffee flavor to it, but to me it tasted more like imitation coffee syrup flavor rather than fresh coffee and left a rather poor taste in my mouth..

My all time favorite however was the Hopstache.  This was touted on the menu of having real grapefruit flavor, and I looked forward to seeing if they were able to achieve this result.  I was beyond impressed with how much grapefruit flavor they had jammed into this little beer.  The initial flavor made me feel as though I was simply drinking a glass of real grapefruit juice, as the liquid made its way down my throat then I began to get the familiar beer flavors.  This was an intensely flavored beer, but incredibly refreshing.  I would love to drink a nice pint of this one on a hot summer day.  

Another look at my beer flight

Shorts has stocked Sunset with quite a few kegs of their tasty beers for tapping, and even a few bottles, however quantities are limited and so if you want to get in a taste-go quickly.  They had already sold out of their Carrot Cake brew when I was there on Sunday- to my extreme disappointment.