Strap on your snowshoes and head out to Timber Ridge Resort in Traverse City this weekend to experience world class microbrews from Short’s outside, under the open sky. We love this event because it combines our love of being outdoors in Northern Michigan with beer! You can’t go wrong! Another great thing about this event is that our booth in the forest really allows us to express our winter creativity. We love building things out of ice and snow! For this year’s event, we are working on something special that you won’t want to miss!
Our beer selection for this event is a perfect encore and compliment to a day of snowshoeing in the woods:
Huma Lupa Licious
Bludgeon Yer Eye IPA
Carrot Cake
Mama’s Strawberry Milk
Whiskey Sour
Snow Wheat
Good Samaritan
Along with the breweries that will be present, there will be food from local restaurants, and live music. Tickets are $20/person in advance/$30 on the day of the event. Tickets include a trail pass, a commemorative pint glass, and a complimentary pint of beer. All proceeds benefit local charities. Don’t forget to put on your Short’s gear! Click here for more details. We’ll see you there!
Help us celebrate another year of beer liberation as we gather at the Hopcat to honor the “liberator” himself. For the past 3 years, Hopcat has honored Joe Short by…
Fifteen members of Team Huma recently successfully competed in the 2011 White Pine Stampede.
40k Classic: Joe Short, James Short, Jeff Short, Nick Fairbanks, Jon Wojtowicz and Matt Drake
40k Freestyle: Mark Dressler and Todd Gyulveszi
20k Classic: Mark Mueller, Stephanie Lockman, Ryan Hale, Tony Hansen, Leah Short, and Kathy Koerber
10k Classic: Kelly Short
Race morning dawned sunny and relatively warm (about 30 degrees). As the 40k racers gathered in the starting corral near Mancelona High School, Nick Fairbanks pulled his iPod out of his pocket and began to get his game face on. Totally joking, we asked him which NPR podcasts he was going to fire up. Nick’s reply: “All Things Considered for the flat sections and the Diane Rehm Show for the hills.” Though many of us are not super fast on skis, we have good senses of humor.
But before you go thinking that we are all slow, we actually had some significant success stories:
Mark Dressler finished 24th overall in the event with a time of 2 hours and 3 minutes.
James Short finished first in the 40k classic for his age category.
Leah Short finished first in the 20k classic for her age category.
Here’s an interview with Team Huma member, Matt Drake:
Q: You finished the 40k in last place. How do you feel about that?
A: I feel pretty awesome! I mean, I finished. I’m alive. And everyone was there to cheer me on at the finish. But on a serious note, I just skied 40 kilometers for the first time in my life. That feels pretty awesome. It isn’t how fast or skilled Team Huma members are at these events that counts, it’s the fact that they are outside enjoying Northern Michigan and getting in shape. That is what we’re all about. I am glad I came in last because hopefully it will inspire others to be last in the future, which would then make me not be last. Which could be cool, also.
Q: So not being last is also good, in your eyes?
A: Yes. As long as you have fun and drink a celebratory Huma at the end. Which you can also do if you are last.
Q: What was your favorite part of today’s event?
A: They had aid stations with free cookies and oranges set out buffet-style. Oh, and in the 37th kilometer there was this huge S-shaped downhill. I missed the first part of the S-curve and superman-flew headfirst into some deep powder. The snow was so deep I couldn’t get up. So I just kind of flailed around in the woods for about five minutes. About 75 yards away, these course volunteers were just watching me and waiting for me to get up. I’m sure they thought I was pretty awesome. I did finally manage to get up and keep going, though. So that was good.
Q: And that was the best part of the event?
A: It was pretty hilarious! But actually, now that I think about, getting back to the Pub afterwards for a pint of Huma was probably the best.
Q: Was it a complex malt and hop theme park in your mouth?
A: Of course!
Enjoy our video recap below. Video credit: Aaron Smith
Tuesday, July 19 Come join Short’s Brewing Company at the Blue Pelican Inn as we participate in another 2 for Tuesday event with a special fundraiser tie to saving our…
In case you missed it, Fox 32 came out to Short’s on Wednesday to talk to Joe Short about our new concept beer called “Carrot Cake.” Reporter Alex Jokich also interviewed Jon Wojtowicz about some of other concept beers. If you’ve never been on a tour of our Bellaire Pub Brewery, these clips provide a glimpse behind the scenes.
These reports were originally broadcast by Fox 32 on Thursday at 7pm and 10pm:
Hey Short’s fans! We have a few announcements we’d like to make, with more information to come soon. The 2011 Short’s to Short’s paddle will take place on Friday, April 29th. Be sure to schedule that day off work and join us for one of our favorite events of the year. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Short’s to Short’s paddle is an event that allows participants to paddle through the rivers and lakes that connect our Bellaire Pub to our Elk Rapids production facility. The total 27 mile trip includes three lakes interconnected by three different rivers, all of which are beautiful and challenging in their own ways. For participants interested in a less challenging day on the water, we offer several drop out points. We hope to see all of you there! Also, plan to stay for the weekend because we will be celebrating our 7th anniversary at our Pub on Saturday April 30th.
On Saturday, February 5th, Short’s Brewing Company’s Team Huma will compete in the White Pine Stampede cross country ski race. To prepare, the team did some training on the local trails at Shanty Creek Resort this past weekend. Please watch our “Movie Trailer” to see our team members demonstrating their cross country skiing skills! It’s pretty hilarious!
Back in 2004 when Joe Short opened Short’s Brewing Company in the old Bellaire Hardware Store using a 7 barrel (bbl) brewing system, he believed that unrelenting standards of excellence would allow him to one day carry his vision to a much larger audience. Joe’s original business plans from 2002/2003 contain several statements that have held true to Short’s through the years, like: “be outrageous, dignified and delicious.” Joe understood that if these principles were maintained, we would draw people who appreciate quality.
As Short’s has grown, we have maintained our core belief in the “Power of the Smallness” — that the art of making truly world class craft beer can be best achieved on a small scale at the local level. At the same time, when you make truly exceptional beer, people will want it! Lots of it! So, in 2009, we began operating a production-only facility in Elk Rapids to meet the dual objectives of increasing production while retaining our exacting standards and “Power of the Smallness” mantra. Over the past two years, we have designed and developed our Elk Rapids production facility to accommodate these objectives. While our Pub in Bellaire continues to brew its own beer, the Elk Rapids facility brews beer for both bottling and keg distribution to the rest of the state.
Back in October, we received 4 new 90 bbl tanks designed specifically for Short’s and built by Sprinkman Mfg. in Wisconsin. These new tanks hold 3 batches at once and are classified as unitanks, which means that they enable us to ferment, carbonate, and package beer from the same tank. As awesome as these tanks are, getting them into our plant presented a logistical challenge. Since they didn’t fit through the door, we had to take the roof off the building and “drop” them in. The 90bbls tanks are now at full production capacity.
We are truly humbled by the support of our loyal friends, family, and all the loyal Short’s fans that have made our success possible. So, it is to you that we dedicate our video tribute to our new 90 bbl tanks. Thank you!
Our philosophy here at Short’s is to embrace “the power of smallness” to bring you the highest quality craft beer you can get your hands on. To that end, we work overtime to keep our operation small and awesome, even as our demand increases. There are a lot of moving parts to operating Short’s, and keeping it all running smoothly is a burly task sometimes. To keep our creative juices flowing, we embrace our Northern Michigan heritage. One of the key ways we do that, is our health and wellness program.
On February 5th, many of our employees and friends will be skiing in the White Pine Stampede cross country ski race (see update, below), which Short’s is sponsoring. To get ready for the race, Joe Short has been leading training operations at Camp Huma. Here, we have a 5k course with lots of challenging features, all of which are named after Wilco songs (one of our favorite bands). So, for instance, here is a picture of Joe expertly navigating Handshake Drugs, a long descent that suddenly jogs left, then right.
The course ends with Impossible Germany, a long, steep descent that suddenly arrives at a 90 degree turn and nowhere to go. Ah, but the ride down is like a long, sweet Nels Cline guitar solo.
Those of us here at Short’s know that Joe is up to some pretty amazing things in the Brewery (stay tuned), but it is nice for us to see the kinds of things he can achieve when he turns his focus and determination on other things. For example, today Joe debuted a new “ski jump” style of cross country skiing that involves self-propulsion through sheer mindpower, though some of us theorize it may also involve flatulence.
Stay tuned for more “health and wellness” updates as we prepare for our 2011 events, including the Short’s to Short’s Paddle, Iceman, and more.
5th Annual ISLAND Benefit Concert and Silent Auction Featuring: Airborne or Aquatic, Seth Bernard and May Erlewine, Josh Davis, Gifts or Creatures, Mike Shimmin, & Special Guests. Silent auction of…
Strap on your snowshoes and head out to Timber Ridge Resort in Traverse City this weekend to experience world class microbrews from Short’s outside, under the open sky. We love this event because it combines our love of being outdoors in Northern Michigan with beer! You can’t go wrong! Another great thing about this event is that our booth in the forest really allows us to express our winter creativity. We love building things out of ice and snow! For this year’s event, we are working on something special that you won’t want to miss!
