Short's Brewing Company

Last updated
Short's Brewing Company
Industry Alcoholic beverage
Founded2004
FounderJoe Short
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
Michigan
Products Beer
Production output
34,443 Barrels (2014)
Website www.shortsbrewing.com

Short's Brewing Company is a brewpub and microbrewery in Bellaire, Michigan, United States. Registered in 2002, the company opened its pub in 2004. In 2008, a production facility in Elk Rapids, Michigan was purchased and renovated to accommodate larger scale batches. In July 2017, Short's sold 19.9% of the company to Lagunitas Brewing Company, which is owned by Heineken International.

Contents

History

Short's Brewing Company was registered as a business in 2002 with the State of Michigan by 22-year-old Joe Short. [1]

In 2003, a 100-year-old empty hardware store in Bellaire, Michigan was refurbished for use as a brewpub. The pub opened on April 26, 2004, initially housing a seven barrel brewing system utilizing five fermenters and five serving tanks. First year production totaled 178 barrels. [2] During the fall of 2006, Short began work on The Imperial Beer Series. By 2007 the 13 series beers were released, each one with its own trading card and story. [3] The pub offers space for community gatherings, local art, and live performance. [4] The pub has 20 beers and Starcut Ciders on tap. [5]

Short's purchased an old manufacturing building in Elk Rapids, Michigan in January 2008, to accommodate larger scale batches separate from the brewing done on-site at the brewpub. [6] The first Elk Rapids batch of beer was brewed in January 2009. With the Elk Rapids warehouse facilities, production capacity increased to 30,000 barrels per year. [7] The bottling line is designed to process 800 cases per day. [8]

In 2014, the company set a Guinness World Record for the largest tap takeover when it served 120 Short's beers for the opening of HopCat's new location in Detroit. [9] In 2014 the company produced 34,443 barrels. [10]

Production site

The Elk Rapids production site is a 30-barrel brewhouse. The site has 21 fermenters and 6 bright tanks. Short's beer is brewed with natural ingredients and is unfiltered. Every bottled product and some kegs are flash pasteurized. The production site is geared to brew and package 56 different beers in 2014.[ citation needed ]

Availability

The beer is distributed mostly in Michigan, [11] and is sold in over 3,200 locations statewide. In addition to its year-round "flagship" brews, it bottles over 40 seasonal and specialty beers annually. In January 2016, Short's announced that it would expand its distribution territory for both brands (Short's Brew and Starcut Ciders) to include additional states. [12] In March 2016, Short's began distribution in Indiana and Ohio markets through Cavalier Distributing. In January 2019, Short's partnered with Cavalier Distributing in the greater Orlando area and J.J. Taylor Distributing Florida, Inc. in the greater Tampa area to bring Short's brews to Florida [13]

Awards

2009 Great American Beer Festival [14]

2010 RateBeer Best Beers In The World [15]

2010 Great American Beer Festival [16]

2010 World Beer Cup [17]

2011 Draft Magazine Top 25 Beers of the Year [18]

2014 Great American Beer Festival [14]

2015 Great American Beer Festival [19]

Notes

  1. "Our Story - Short's Brewing Company - Michigan Brewery Short's Brewing Company". Short's Brewing Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. "History of the Brewpub - Short's Brewing Company Short's Brewing Company". Short's Brewing Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  3. "Imperial Beer Series". Short's Brewing Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. "Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week: Short's Brewing Company". Inc.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  5. "Michigan's Best". MLive.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  6. Milligan, Beth (February 2008). "Brewer taps into Elk Rapids expansion". Traverse City Business News. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  7. "VIDEO: Short's Brewing Co. brewmaster Joe Short talks about his company's expansion into Elk Rapids". MLive.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  8. Shorts Brewery products to be on grocery shelves soon
  9. Allen, Robert (26 October 2015). "Dark Horse plans record 130-tap takeover at HopCat". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  10. "Short's overtakes New Holland in 2014 production" . Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  11. "FAQ". Short's Brewing Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  12. "A letter to Short's Friends from Joe" . Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  13. "WE'RE BRINGING SHORT'S TO THE SUNSHINE STATE". Short's Brewing Company. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  14. 1 2 Brewers Association. "GABF Winners". Great American Beer Festival. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  15. "ratebeer best 2010". ratebeer.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  16. Brewers Association. "GABF Winners" (PDF). Great American Beer Festival. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  17. "Past Winners". worldbeercup.org. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  18. The Beer Runner (1 November 2011). "Top 25 beers of 2011". DRAFT Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  19. "Great American Beer Festival" (PDF). Great American Beer Festival 2015 Winners List. 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craft beer</span> Brewery that produces small amounts of beer

Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewing in Oregon</span>

The U.S. state of Oregon is home to more than 200 breweries and brew pubs that produce a large variety of beer.

The Michigan Brewing Company was a brewery operating in Webberville, Michigan. It operated from 1996 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcadia Brewing Company</span> Defunct brewery in Michigan, U.S.

The Arcadia Brewing Company was a brewery with facilities in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, in operation from 1996 to 2019. At the time it ceased operations due to financing problems, it was one of Michigan's 25 largest craft breweries and distributed to eight states.

Pizza Port Brewing Company is a brewpub with five locations in Southern California: Solana Beach, two in Carlsbad, Ocean Beach and San Clemente. A former Pizza Port location in San Marcos spun out of Pizza Port in 2006 and is now an independent operation, the Port Brewing Company / Lost Abbey brewery. It has received multiple awards, including "Small Brewpub of the Year" for both 2003 and 2004, by the Great American Beer Festival and six awards for its beers at the World Beer Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph Brewing Company</span> Regional brewpub operator

Triumph Brewing Company is a regional brewpub operator with locations in Princeton, New Jersey; Red Bank, New Jersey; New Hope, Pennsylvania; and formerly Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian River Brewing Company</span> Brewery and brewpub in California

Russian River Brewing Company is a brewery and brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa, California, with a second location in Windsor. The company is known for strong India pale ales and sour beers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Founders Brewing Company</span> Michigan-based craft-style beer brewer

Canal Street Brewing Co., LLC, doing business as Founders Brewing Company, is a brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, known for producing several highly rated and award-winning craft-style ales, including KBS, Centennial IPA, Dirty Bastard, and Founders Porter. Since its founding as a craft brewery in the mid-1990s, it has grown to become the 15th largest brewery in the United States, and a prominent member of the West Michigan brewing industry. It is now majority-owned by Mahou San Miguel of Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon River Brewing Company</span> Brew pub and restaurant in Savannah, Georgia

Moon River Brewing Company was a brew pub, restaurant, bar and brewing facility located at 21 West Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikkeller</span> Danish brewery

Mikkeller is a craft brewery founded in 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark that was originally based on the so-called "cuckoo", "phantom" or "gypsy brewer" ethos; that is, the company does not operate an official brewery and, instead pays a brewery in Belgium to produce their beer. The company now operates several brewpubs, such as Warpigs in Copenhagen and Mikkeller Brewpub London. Mikkeller was founded by two home brewers: Mikkel Bjergsø, a high school teacher, and journalist Kristian Klarup Keller. Both sought to introduce their home-brewed beer to the public and to "challenge beer friends with intense new tastes", drawing inspiration from the American breweries that "aren't afraid to play and break all the rules".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peg's Cantina</span>

Peg's Cantina and Brew Pub was a bungalow turned into a restaurant in Gulfport, Florida, established in 2004. Peg's was family owned and operated by founders Peg Wesselink and Tony Dodson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolution Brewing</span> Brewery in Chicago, Illinois

Revolution Brewing is a brewery in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded as a brewpub in 2010 on Milwaukee Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood. A separate production brewery, with canning and bottling lines and a tap room, opened in 2012 about a mile from the brewpub, on Kedzie Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in San Diego County, California</span> Beer in San Diego, California

San Diego County, California, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". As of 2018, the county was home to 155 licensed craft breweries – the most of any county in the United States. Based on 2016 sales volume, three San Diego County breweries – Stone, Green Flash, and Karl Strauss – rank among the 50 largest craft brewers in the United States. San Diego County brewers pioneered the specialty beer style known as Double India Pale Ale, sometimes called San Diego Pale Ale. Its beer culture is a draw for tourism, particularly during major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week and the San Diego International Beer Competition. San Diego County breweries including Stone Brewing Co., AleSmith Brewing Company and Ballast Point Brewing Company are consistently rated among the top breweries in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun King Brewing</span> American brewing company

Sun King Brewing is a brewery in the Cole-Noble District of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is the largest brewery in Indianapolis and the second largest brewery in the state. In 2011, Sun King won eight medals, including four gold medals, total at the Great American Beer Festival. Sun King was the first commercial brewery to open up in approximately 30 years in Indianapolis.

Tired Hands Brewing Company is a brew-café founded in 2011 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania by Jean Broillet IV. The current location at 16 Ardmore Ave produces 1,000 barrels per year and its capacity is 150 chairs/seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat Head's Brewery</span>

Brewmaster Matt Cole partnered with Glenn Benigni, owner of Fat Head's Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to open Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in Cleveland, Ohio in 2009, with Cole supplying beer to the Pittsburgh location. A production brewery opened in Middleburg Heights, Ohio in March 2012 and another brewpub location opened in Portland, Oregon in November 2014, which has since closed. Fat Head's is known for their signature beers Head Hunter IPA and Bumble Berry Honey Blueberry Ale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragonmead</span>

Dragonmead is a U.S. microbrewery, meadery and brewpub founded by Earl Scherbarth, Larry Channell, and Bill Wrobel in January 1997. The small brewery produces many varieties of beer, wine, and mead, and has received awards including gold medals at the World Beer Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experimental beer</span>

Experimental beer is beer that is produced in or as a new style, using a new recipe, or as a type of beer that does not fit within present beer style criteria or definitions. The term also encompasses minor beer styles that are not covered under any of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) categories, with the exception of Belgian beers. Such minor beer styles may serve "as an incubator" for new potential categories, and may attain an official category if the style becomes of interest to the general public at a sufficient level. The Great American Beer Festival has an experimental beer category as a part of its competition, for which awards are given, as does the World Beer Cup, which also provides awards for beers in this category. The Oregon State Fair has a home brew competition that includes a category for specialty and experimental beers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keweenaw Brewing Company</span> Craft brewery in Michigan

The Keweenaw Brewing Company (KBC) is a craft brewer with a taproom in Houghton and a production facility in nearby South Range, Michigan. It is named for the Keweenaw Peninsula, which projects out to the north of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.