Pure Michigan Pints

Short’s Brewing Company

Bellaire, Michigan

This is my own subjective review. I’m highly opinionated. It’s out of 20 total (based on Beer Selection, Vibe, Service, and Beer Quality; I grade harshly and my 4 is probably most people’s 5. Also, I don’t count food against breweries in the total because not all breweries need food to be good and some are in a partnership with nearby restaurants.

Short’s Brewing Company gets tons of hype and praise throughout the beer community. Founded in 2004, they’re one of Michigan’s OG breweries. It’s basically the entire life of Bellaire, Michigan. Sure, now there’s cidery (hope that’s the correct word?) and a distillery, but it all started with the magic of beer.

And Short’s does live up to their hype and reputation.

The brewery is in the middle of nowhere. It’s one of the only reasons I have not been to this brewery more; you generally have to be heading somewhere in the northern reaches of Michigan (at least from where I’m at) and even then you might have to go an hour out of your way to make the trip to Short’s.

Beer Selection—5/5

Prepare for not only the bases to be touched, but to be dazzled with some interesting and often times experimental beer choices. Put simply: they make damn good beer. You’ll get a wide variety of choices from light to hoppy to stouts. (And expect a few surprises.)

Vibe—3.5/5

I’ve gone to Short’s a decent amount over the years. Gradually, the place changed. It’s grown even more spacious. The place itself feels like a regular pub, which is not a bad thing.

Check out their gift shop as well. I got some serious cool shit here, including a spooky T-shirt and some awesome coasters.

Service—3/5

I’ve never had bad service at Short’s. Do some of the waitresses appear less interested in the beer and serving you more like it’s a sit-down restaurant? Absolutely.

Have I ever been crazy impressed by their beer anecdotes? Not exactly.

In short: you feel some of the warmth but get the impression they’re just doing their jobs.

Beer Quality—5/5

Short’s makes good beers. Even their light lager is a bit tastier than the typical pilsner and is worth replacing the light beers in your fridge with. They’ve surprised me before with a delicious S’more stout with a flaming marshmallow on top.

Their mainstays are pretty legit. Only complaint I have in that department is when it comes to Huma Lupa Licious—A complex hop and malt theme park in your mouth. Short’s website boasts it’s the first beer they served on draft in 2004. The problem: they changed recipes. Huma used to come in at 6.8% abv. Now it is 7.7%. Alcohol by volume is NOT an indicator of how good a beer is. However, it cues me in immediately when a recipe changes. They went for a bigger, bolder flavor, and thought cranking it up was better; it’s simply not an IPA I purchase anymore.

On my last visit to Short’s (Spring 2023), I liked their Pistachio Cream Ale. I know, I know; it sounds weird. In a beer? Are they out of their minds? Am I out of my mind for liking it?

The answer is “maybe” to both. But they managed to surprise me with their choices and overall they have a good brewery going.

Food—3/5

The sandwiches are good from what I remember. I tried a Mac and Cheese last time; I don’t recommend it—stick with a sandwich. They also did make a good mushroom soup. Their food overall is good, but it’s not epic.  

Overall

Short’s Brewing Company is awesome. It’s well worth stopping in if you’re in the area. (I know, not a given normally.) But this continues to be a brewery I’m willing to travel out of my way for.

Total—16.5/20