Shorts Imperial Spruce India Pilsner

Radiant yellow. Fine, tight white froth. Pungent yet refined scents of spruce needles and dank, spicy hops dazzle the olfactory senses. Bright notes of mandarin oranges, black pepper and cannabis. Gentle effervescence. Bottle conditioned. Dense resins coat the palate with a pleasantly composed sappiness. Vibrant spruce needles dig deeply into the palate, colliding with the sappy hops to create a black-pepper effect as they prick the tongue. Clean sweep of alcoholic dryness is bolstered by the minty, candylike spruce as it cleans up some of the sappy residue. Hops are dense in flavor and far from acidic, yielding a lustrous note of candied lemon zest which remains bright throughout. Supportive malt sweetness is relaxed yet firm and crackery, and plenty sturdy enough to withstand and complement the ever forceful bitterness. Finishes dry, minty and zesty with a tight medley of spruce and hops, and a prolonged crackery malt afterimage. Hop character is a bit raw (not enough succulence to match the bitterness), and the spruce needles deaden much of the overall brightness. Does have a deeply enticing aroma which is mesmerizing in its freshness and zippiness, as well as a beautifully airy yet dense mouthfeel. Love the concept here. Extremely solid, as is, but this could be otherworldly with a few tiny adjustments.

25.6 oz bottle. Fogged honey with streaming bubbles and a long-lasting, puffy white head. Quite pretty in a pilsner glass. Nose is dough, lemon zest, grass and spruce. Crisp medium light with biting carb. Taste is an odd citrus and lychee? Hops and iron with spruce adding a sweet touch. Dries with increasing bitterness. Crazy. Once again Shorts intrigues me with a unique brew that pushes the edge of beer boundaries.

Bottle. Pours a clear deep golden color with a soapy white head. Aroma is spruce, caramel, citrus, lemon, floral. Flavor is spruce, citrus, caramel, floral. Palate is medium to full bodied, medium carbonation, finished bitter and piney. Very unique brew, I thought it was great when cold, as it warmed more of the spruce flavor poked through and I didn’t like it as much. I gotta give em huge credit for pulling this off as well as they did, cuz this had disaster written all over it. Last one to finish their glass eats the pine cone in the bottom!!

Bottle shared by ogglethorp: Pours a clear gold with a white head. Aroma, smells like a freshly cut pine tree, like sawing off the end of the christmas tree and taking a nice whiff of the stump, there are some floral elements as well. Flavor, very floral and piny almost like a potpourri, some bready malts. It was very interesting, not something I could drink a whole 750 of on my own, but it’s a nice beer to share. Really unique.

750ml #139 of 886 Recieved this bottle in a great trade with Hoppymeal, thanks a million Derek! Short’s Imperial Spruce India Pilsner pours like I’d expect of a pilsner (although not one that weighs in at 10%). Beautiful golden body with a glass full of large carbonation bubbles swirling and rushing to the surface. Every other Imperial Pilsner I’ve sampled has had some viscosity and you really noticed by the crawl of the carbonation. This on the other hand looks more like a standard pilsner. The dense head grew to three fingers on the pour and is cotton white. Falls to a finger plus at it’s lowest and leaves big chunky patches of lace. The smell of this beer is intense! I’m sure the flavor will be too. There’s a quick flash of biscuity malts upfront but the Blue Spruce neddles come fast and hard. Rosemary like at first but morphing into a glassful of Christmas tree. I’m not getting much in the hop department. Possibly some pine upfront but that’s most likely the Blue Spruce. Wait! As it warms there are some citric hop qualities that wave faintly in the background. A touch of earthiness rom the spruce needles. I can feel my sinus’ clear each time I inhale. Very interesting! The nose doesn’t lie! Just as intense on the tongue as in the nose. Slightly sweet biscuity malts flash through again but the spruce needles take over quickly. My mouth all at once becomes earth, resinous, and sappy like I’m chomping on a Christmas tree. The spruce rides roughshod over my tongue. There is more hoppiness than the smell led me to believe, but doesn’t show itself until the swallow. That hoppiness is lightly sweetened grapefruit and keeps the spruce from running away with things. I’m growing extremely fond of the bitterness the spruce needles leave in their path. Most Imperial Pilsners I’ve sampled in the past have had far too viscous bodies for the style. This has a medium body but the lively carbonation keeps it moving at a fast pace. I can’t imagine the mouthfeel being any better then what it is right now. This bottle is going down pretty easy but the flavors are so intense one bottle is all I could handle in a sitting. The bitterness does a number on your tastebuds too so be ready. I’ve been fortunate to have sampled three of Short’s beers, all thanks to Derek, and everyone of them has been excellent. This is one of the most unique beers I’ve encountered and would love to get my hands on some more spruce infused beers. 3/2/08