Shorts Brew presents : Hangin' Frank India Pale Ale

First blog about ale, one of my loves.  Be kind my friends, and here we go.

First sip is hard, almost a soured taste, very hoppy and bold almost java.  As it courses over my palette heading towards my tummy, a burst of fruit fills my mouth, and of course, the joy begins.

The second taste is completely different from the first.  The hoppy flavor remains and fills your mouth like a bouquet of flowers, bringing out a slightly citrus  finish on this 'sip'( A word I use lightly as a man.)
For the True beer geeks out there, the real info you are looking for is all in the abbreviations, that's right ABV and IBU's baby.

ABV = Alcohol by volume, or how much alcohol is in the bottle compared to how much liquid is in the bottle.
IBU= International Bittering Units.  Think of this as a scale of how bitter your beer is, the higher the number the more it'll make your tongue tingle...

Well while Hangin' Frank might be quite high on the rope in IBU's( at a 67) the ABV on this fine brew is 5.5.  This beauty is an amazing example of what a brewery is capable of.  This offering is only around for a short time in spring, and is perfectly placed in the season I might say.  Just as the buds begin to start to form, this beautiful ale is there to greet you and welcome you into spring.  like so many ales from shorts this finely crafted regular pour ale comes with a great story...

Legend has it, they named the beer after a ghost of one 'Frank Fochtman' a Petoskey local, that haunts a grill in the area(the eatery not the cooking device.)
I do love a good story attached to ale, and it would appear Shorts from the Northern part of Michigan is a big fan as well.  On the whole Shorts is what I dream the beer world to embody in 10 years.  They are a radical brewery making some of the best ales on the market, and hopefully will continue to do so for a great while!

Well there you have it, my first beer review and maybe not the last, this has been a great little adventure into the world of ales, and hopefully I'll hang around long enough to do another.