Every year, Northern Michigan brewery Short’s Brewing Co. rewards their legions of fans with a very special release at the start of the holiday season—The Super Hoppy Holiday variety pack. This year, recognizing the challenging world their craft beer patrons are facing, Short’s is making the variety pack bigger and better than ever: The 2020 Super Hoppy Holiday variety pack is going from a 12 pack to an 18 pack, and includes some of the hoppiest beers in their portfolio.
In a larger format than previously released, the 2020 Super Hoppy Holiday offering comes in an 18 pack of 12-ounce cans. There are six IPAs from Short’s vast portfolio, and three of each can.
Pulling off a pack like this is a huge undertaking for the Michigan brewer, demanding tons of tank space and two days spent hand-packing each individual case. It’s truly a labor of love for their consumers.
“With the increased demand we’ve been experiencing, it would have been easy for us to skip this variety pack to catch up on flagships. But after the insanity of 2020, we wanted to spread a little extra holiday cheer this season,” says Scott Newman-Bale, chief executive officer of Short’s Brewing Company. “We did our best to select some of our most sought after brands and give some love to products we haven’t put out in a while.”
The Super Hoppy Holiday variety pack will be available starting in early November in Meijer stores across the Midwest (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin) and in retailers across Short’s distribution footprint—including Colorado. This is a super limited release, so if you see some, you better get it.
So, what’s on deck?
Juicy Tree: ABV: 10.1% – IBU: 80
Juicy Tree is an experimental India Pale Ale made with blue spruce tips, juniper berries and cranberries. Big aromatics of piney evergreen and sweet berries tingle the senses. After some slightly tart and tangy flavors upfront, a harmonious balance between pleasant fruit sweetness and bitter pine is reached. The finish is laced with a resiny stickiness that flows naturally into a lasting bitterness.
NEW: Double Psychedelic Cat Grass—ABV: 9.7% – IBU: 75
Your favorite triple dry-hopped IPA, but twice as crazy. That’s right—this brand new offering has the tropical fruit and bitterness you love from the OG PCG and is accompanied by a boozy maltiness you’d expect from a double IPA, balancing the bitter hop profile and doubling your pleasure.
Slurm Lord: ABV: 7.3% – IBU: 70
Slurm Lord is a double New England style India Pale Ale brewed with oats and a blend of Citra, Azacca, Amarillo, El Dorado and Mosaic hops. Slurm Lord employs the largest dry hop to date in Short’s history. Deep orange in color with a permanent haze and a minimal head, a glass of Slurm Lord resembles a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Aromas of dank passion fruit, mango and pineapple are accompanied by bold flavors of citrus. This medium-bodied India Pale Ale is incredibly juicy from start to finish. A final sip leads into a slight, warming bitterness.
Yoda’s Blend: ABV: 8.6% – IBU 73
Yoda’s Blend 2020 is an IPA made with a complex blend of hops never to be replicated again. Copper in color, this beer has currant, spruce/pine and tropical notes in the aroma and flavor. Using The Force, the brewers have concocted an out-of-this-world brew only to be seen in the 2020 Super Hoppy Holidays Variety Pack.
The Liberator: ABV: 8.0% – IBU: 95
The Liberator was made as a 30th birthday gift to Joe Short. As a double IPA, this beast employs a sizable malt bill, but it is the crazy amount of hops added to the boil every 4 minutes, for 120 minutes, that really make this beer special. Fruity, floral, and piney hop flavors penetrate throughout the caramelized malt profile. The Liberator is a well-balanced, full-bodied brew that has a bitter finish due to the post-fermentation addition of lemon and orange zest. The name, The Liberator, came from Joe’s name for the Short’s employees who carry out our company’s mission statement as “Beer Liberators,” freeing the masses from their misconceptions surrounding beer.
Batch 10,000: ABV: 13.2% – IBU: 50
Batch 10,000 is a Double Brut IPA with mango and black currant celebrating the 10,000th batch brewed at Short’s. Powerful flavors of mango fruitiness and black currant tartness blend with alcohol notes from the high ABV. A huge amount of hops contributes to a palate coating body that smooths as you enjoy more. The burnt orange color is indicative of the warming finish.
