Goodbye, everyone!! I’m disappearing into Tomato World.

For the last several weeks, it’s been same old, same old. Another pilsner, another amber, maybe a couple pale ales. Three stouts. So, while at the bar this past weekend, I couldn’t help bemoaning the sad fact that I’m WAAAAY overdue for something different, something one-of-a-kind. That’s when the bartender kindly informed me there indeed was something different, something one-of-a-kind available: something from Short’s Brewing, a brewery known for their exceptionally unique (if not downright wacky) hand-crafted beers. I at once became agitated with excitement and started pacing the room, glass in hand, like a caged jungle cat (with glass in paw).

Here’s what hit the bar:

BEER: Short’s Brewing – Bloody Beer

“Specialty Beer fermented with Roma tomatoes and spiced with tellicherry peppercorns, celery seed, fresh horseradish and dill.”

Jesus Christ.

One of my drinking colleagues wouldn’t even give the bottle a second glance, noting “that shit sounds made-up” before storming out of the room in a huff. I can’t entirely blame him, either. I was certainly inclined to agree, but rather than cuss the sad bastard out or throw some sort of tizzy, I just poured myself a tall glass and knocked it back, man. Knocked it right the fuck back!

Goodbye, everyone!! I’m disappearing into Tomato World.

Bloody Beer sports a clearish, amberesque body with a small, though lasting, white head. OK, well, it doesn’t exactly look like a Bloody Mary. Cool by me, though, as it’s an absolute treat to smell. The various components come through full and distinct in the nose; you can easily pick out the tomatoes, horseradish, dill, and various spices. Yes, yes, it’s all coming together, it’s starting to remind me more and more of… a Red Eye (basically, a cocktail made with lager and Bloody Mary mix). At the fore is a nice, distinct, though not overdone horseradish and black pepper spiciness. Don’t worry, though, the roma tomatoes are totally in the hizzy, but they simply impart a somewhat mild, lightly sweetish tomato character for the spices and seasonings to rest on. Along the way you also pick up hints of sugar and rock salt. It’s relatively light in body, thankfully not sitting nearly as heavy on the palate or in the stomach as a regular Bloody Mary. And for those wondering: no, it never abandons the charade, tasting of Bloody Mary from start the finish.

All in all, I liked it, but I wouldn’t make a habit of it. That being said, Short’s set themselves a definite goal to reach and really delivered in terms of honest-to-goodness Bloody Mary taste. Unique specialty beers hit the beer scene all the time and oftentimes they fall way, way short of delivering on their promises, so kudos to Short’s in that regard.

If I’m ever fortunate enough to cross paths with some of their other beers, such as the Abnormal Genius (brewed with sunflower seeds and honey) or the Smoked Apple Ale (an amber ale jacked up with seven bushels of apple wood smoked apples), I’ll greet them with an open mind and heart.