Controversius Maximus

Origin Story

A clear glowing copper colored double version of our beloved ControversiAle: American India Pale Ale. Brewed exclusively with two times the amount of Simcoe hops, a fresh citrus blast and sticky evergreen aromas flood the senses. Sweet fruit flavors of apricot and nectarine combine with prominent toasted biscuit qualities from the skillful addition of special roast malt. The impressive nature of the duel purpose Simcoe hops provides a marveling combination of intense aromatic pleasures interlaced with a striking bitterness that cuts the palate with a piney reminder of the enhanced purpose of this ale. Last year's Anniversary party showed us the potential that an extremely limited one of a kind bottle release can have, when we decided to unveil the Aww Jeah: Double Huma Lupa Licious, and sell it exclusively out of the pub. Not only is Huma our best selling brand, but it's one that so many Short's fans identify with as defining the persona of our company. Therefore, when it came time to brew the 1,000th batch of our renowned flagship IPA in Elk Rapids, it was decided that we would celebrate this momentous occasion by brewing a double version of it. By utilizing two times the amount of brewing ingredients that would go into a regular batch of Huma, the brewers created a beer that was most easily described as "to the face!" Insinuating that the intensity of malt and hop complexities would be felt like a slap of flavor to ones dome. Something of this magnitude was surely going to draw a lot of attention, so the next challenge was to figure our a fair and equal way to get this incredible beer to the many Short's fans who would want some of this very limited brew. Considering the investment of ingredients needed to brew this Hercules of a Huma, only one batch was brewed, so it was decided that it would all be put into bottles, yielding just over 300 cases. In order to ensure that this beer would be received by only the most dedicated and loyal Short's fans, all of these cases were sold out of our pub on the morning of last year's Anniversary party. Not knowing what to expect for our first pub exclusive timed release12oz bottle sale of this nature*, we considered imposing a limit on the number of cases that could be bought by each individual, to make sure that anyone who showed up that morning to wait in line to purchase some would be able to. Thankfully, despite the impressive turn out of fans, everyone who came was able to buy as much as they wanted, and even a small amount was left to sell out of the pub over the next few weeks. The Aww Jeah timed release was a huge success! Considering the incredible feedback we received from the Aww Jeah, it was determined that this could not be a one time only affair. Not only did the brewers and cellarmen, have a good time creating a beer of such epic proportions, a really fun vibe was present throughout the company as people anxiously waited to taste a beer that sounded too good to be true. So for this year's Anniversary party, we wanted to create a similar feeling of excitement for our fans and coworkers, by finding another beer that has a similar reputation as being one of the Short's "greats" and allow us the opportunity to explore what a beefed up version would do to our palates. We did not have to look far before the idea to brew a double version of our highly sought after spring seasonal release, ControversiALE, was brought up. The decision was unanimous. For our second annual exclusive timed bottle release that would feature a double version of a popular Short's brew, the brewers will unveil Controversius Maximus: Double American India Pale Ale brewed exclusively with Simcoe hops! At 1:45 on the day of the Anniversary party, a pre-sale of these cases will be available for Short's fans who are dying to see what a double version of our well known ControversiALE will taste like. Similar to last year, only a limited number of cases were produced, but wanting to provide people with a greater opportunity to obtain this excellent beer through slightly longer pub availability, a total of 600 cases of the Controvesius Maximus were created.