Short’s Brings Home Silver From 2015 Great American Beer Festival

Bellaire, Mich. – Short’s Brewing Company received a silver medal at the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO this past Saturday. Melt My Brain, an Experimental Golden Ale took the silver medal in the Experimental Beer category. This is the first medal for Melt My Brain, originally brewed in honor of Short’s 11th anniversary in April, 2015.

Melt My Brain is an Experimental Golden Ale brewed with coriander, juniper berries, limes and blended with tonic water to create the tasting experience of drinking a gin and tonic cocktail.

Additional medals received in previous years at this national competition include silver in Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter (Autumn Ale, 2006), silver in Experimental Beer (Bloody Beer, 2009), and gold in Experimental Beer (Key Lime Pie, 2010 and 2014).

When asked about the inspiration behind Melt My Brain, Joe Short, Short’s Brewing Company founder, CEO, and Creative Engineer explained, “I thought about making this beer when I was mowing my lawn about 4 years ago. I was chopping some juniper bushes with the mower. In that process, aromatics of juniper filled the air and got me thinking about gin…and tonic.”

Short’s has proven to be a strong contender in the field of Experimental Beers, receiving 4 awards in the category at GABF beginning with Bloody Beer in 2009. According to Joe, “We kind of thrive in that area. Like many of our beers, they are developed from many different inspirations.”

The Great American Beer Festival is a truly unique experience for brewers across the country. As reported by Joe Short, “The spirit of craft beer is alive and well in Denver. Being able to witness thousands of people experience what we do so well, is enough to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and send ripples of goosebumps over your body.”

The Great American Beer Festival evaluated 6,647 competition entries from 1,552 breweries in 92 categories; and hosted nearly 750 breweries pouring an estimated 3,500 different beers at the  Colorado Convention Center. In addition to Melt My Brain, Short’s poured nine other brews including Pinball Whispers, Pistachio Cream Ale, and Freedom of ‘78.