Short’s Brewing Company is a little joint in Bellaire, Michigan. I was handed a bottle of their PB & J Ale, which is really a combination of a Peanut Butter Stout and a Fruit Rye Ale. Interesting combination … a good brewer is always creative. I could not find any information about this beer on Short’s website … not sure what that means. We’ll see how the brew fares.

Pours dark, like a porter/stout, with a tan head that is not at all dense and diminishes to nothing pretty fast, leaving some good lacing on the glass. I expected the nose to smell like, well … peanut butter and jelly: bready, nutty, and fruity. In reality, the nose conveys some burnt nutty tones and a little fruity sweetness … I couldn’t tell if it was grape or strawberry. So far so good.

I consider myself a master of detection when it comes to peanut butter and jelly. Most of us grew up on these sandwiches … some of us were pansies and had the crust cut off. Regardless, we know the smell and tastes associated with PB & J. When I took a sip of Short’s concoction, I had a flash of nostalgia, followed by a twisting of the face. You see, the peanut butter comes through faintly, and the beer is definitely packed with a fruity flavor, but unfortunately it was sour. Not at all balanced in the least. Now considering the fact that I’ve heard about this beer from a couple of friends who didn’t like it either, I am hesitant to say that I definitely got a bad bottle. I kept mine in the fridge, and in the dark.

This could have been a good, interesting beer, and there were some faint remnants of that, but overall the bitter (not hops) puckering this beer made me go through has tainted forever my thoughts of PB & J in a bottle. I think the only possible way I will drink this again is if it’s on tap … and on the house.

ABV: No idea … maybe in the 7-8.0% range?

Grade: C-