Short's Cast: Recent Episodes
Joe Short
Short's Cast is here to tell the story behind the beer and characters of Short's Brewing Company. Short's began as a brew pub in Bellaire, Michigan in 2004 and has grown to be one of the largest breweries in the great state of Michigan. The show is recorded from the brew pub in Bellaire, or the bottling facility in Elk Rapids. Joe Short and his crew are here to educate you about the process of brewing and distributing over 200 unique beers. www.shortsbrewing.com
It's been real Short's Cast listeners. After 144 episodes, we're going to press pause on the podcast to go out and make some new stories. Take a little trip down memory lane with this final (for now) episode, hosted by the one and only, Woj.
On this episode, you'll also hear from our trusty Producer, Mike Moran and a few of our other favorite characters like Joe, Jack, Seth Bernard, and Ralph Whistler as we listen back on some of our favorite Short's Cast moments.
Before we go, we'd like to say a big thank you to all of our friends out in the Short's-i-verse who've faithfully listened to the Short's Cast and all those friends who've joined us for a recording. Don't fret, our episodes will remain live online so you'll be able to go back and listen to those nuggets of knowledge at any time.
While this is goodbye for now, we doubt this is goodbye forever. And in the meantime, we hope we can fill your ear balls again over a pint at the pub...CHEERS!
It's whiskey time! On this week's episode of Short's Cast, Tyler Glaze and Woj hit the road and sit down with Chris Fredrickson and Moti Goldring of Traverse City Whiskey Company in Traverse City, MI.
Located off of 14th street in the suburbs of Travesrse City, sits this beautiful little distillery that Northern Michigan has come to love. Chris and Moti, tell the backstory of how TC Whiskey Co came to be, and their plans for growth. We encourage you to check out their website www.tcwhiskey.com to read up on what they have to offer and to find a time to enjoy a craft cocktail.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast is by Abigail Stauffer. Catch "Alone To Dream" and "College, Love, and Cheesecake". She'll be performing at the pub in Bellaire on Thursday, September 22nd, at 7:30 pm.
We're throwing our 2nd Annual Oktoberfest Celebration to toast good beer and good people. Speaking of good people, Tyler Glaze, and Woj sit down with brewstorian, Jack Archiable, and head pub brewer, Ryan Hale, to talk about the history of Oktoberfest as well and the beers that are planned to be released at the pub for the celebration.
The Hacky Turtles who provided the songs "Take Me There" and "Atlas", will be performing at the party. You can find more music from them at www.thehackyturtles.com.
Keep your eyes on www.shortsbrewing.com for more information on Oktoberfest, as well as upcoming beer releases scheduled to hit store shelves this fall.
On this week's episode of Short's Cast Jon "The Woj" Wojtowicz and Tyler Glaze sit down with a group of veteran pubtenders to talk about summer and the influx of business the pub takes on. It's only fitting to chat with this crew post Labor Day fun! Emily, Taylor, Ash, and Jason share stories about the challenges the pub faced including the recent expansion and much more...
The music you'll hear on this episode is from Michaela Anne who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on September 16th at 8:30 pm. Catch the tracks "Luisa" and "Won't Go Down."
Football season is upon us, so we decided to throw it back to an episode we recorded in 2014, "Tailgating with Short's." Before Woj joined the show as a host, he often made guest appearances and wowed us with his beer and food knowledge. This episode is no exception.
Tune in now to get all your tailgating tips prior to the kick off of the college season!
On this week's episode of Short's Cast Woj and guest host, Gillian Cobb, are joined by the award-winning editor of All About Beer Magazine and author of Dishing Up New Jersey and the American Craft Beer Cookbook, John Holl. We get the scoop on his new podcast, After Two Beers, his books, and the evolution of All About Beer Magazine.
We want to thank John for taking the time to speak with us not only about food and beer pairings, but about the growth of the craft beer industry as a whole. John is always willing to be candid with us, and we're grateful to have him join us on this episode of Short's Cast.
If you've been to a Short's Anni Party or Short's Fest you'll most likely notice Woj slinging hot dogs over at the Woj's Weiners tent. Well today we're making dreams come true. John Koegel, CEO of the family owned Koegel Meats, Inc. of Flint, MI joins Short's Cast for an interview all about Michigan's favorite dogs. Woj and Bridgett get an education on Viennas and Frankies in the final episode of our summer cookout series.
We want to thank John for joining us on Short's Cast. Congratulations to Koegel's on 100 years of business!
Fall is just around the corner and that means Autumn Ale will soon be available! This beer took home the silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival back in 2006. Bridgett and Woj bring in head brewer Tony Hansen and Brewstorian Jack Archiable to discuss this ESB (Extra Special Bitter), which always deserves a little edumucation because whenever you throw the word "bitter" in to the mix people get all emotional, you know who we're talking about.
Another award winning beer is hitting the shelves this week. In fact this beer took home the gold medal at GABF in 2010 and 2014, and that would be Key Lime Pie! It's in a bottle people and you better pick yourself up a sixer if you see one because they'll be going fast. Tony Hansen tells the story of the beer, and what his wife thought of the idea. Don't you dare doubt Tony Hansen, the dude has got skills.
Speaking of skills, lets talk a little music. Luke Winslow King is playing at the pub on Sunday August 14th at 7:30pm. Luke has been featured on the podcast before and you'll hear his songs "Domino Sugar" and "Swingin That Thing"...hmm.
So there you have it Short's Cast listeners, another podcast jam packed with craft brew information. No go find yourself some Key Lime Pie!!!
Back on the road with another installment of our Summer Cook Out Series. First we went to Northwoods Soda's who's dishing out the non-alcoholic beverages for the good DD's of the world, and now...oh man. You've had them at the pub, you've seen them on the shelves, and if you live in Northern Michigan you're most likely addicted to Great Lakes Potato Chips! We knew they were special and now the world knows with the recent national awards they have won.
Bridgett and Woj meet Ed Girrbach and Kevin Paveglio who lead a staff full of motivated potato peelers into battle everyday, processing up to 40,000 lbs of Michigan potatoes a week! The Original flavor, which was just chosen as the #1 kettle chip in America by the Chicago Tribune, accounts for 60% of Great Lakes Potato Chip's sales. Michiganders consume more potato chips then any other state in the good ole U.S.A., and if you've tasted a Great Lakes Potato Chip you'll understand why.
We'd like to thank Ed and Kevin for their time and hospitality.
Short's Fest is sold out which is a total bummer for those who don't plan ahead, but you can always listen to jams from the bands that will be performing at Short's Fest. Who knows, they might be coming to a town near you. You'll hear the song "We're So Lonely" by Vox Vidorra, and "Sinking Faster" by AOK Music. If these bands are coming to a venue near you, we highly recommend you check them out. Thanks to Vox Vidorra and AOK for permission to use their fantastic music.
Damn it's hot outside, so we're cranking up the AC and jumping on Skype to interview Shannon Long, the host of Pure Brews America. Shannon and her team attended the Short's 12 year anniversary party in April. They got to see just about everything there is to see at Short's and then some. You can watch their experience on the Short's episode that will air July 30th and 31st on the CBS Affiliates across Michigan or on the Pure Brews website www.PureBrewsAmerica.com.
Shannon is young and ambitious, so ambitious that she started her own international exporting business for craft beer called Brew Export. You'll learn a ton about exporting and all of the hurdles one has to jump over in order to get their beloved Michigan craft beer into a country like China.
We'd like to thank Shannon for joining Woj and Bridgett on Short's Cast and we encourage you to watch Pure Brews America sponsored by our friends at Meijer and HopCat.
We've got music from two of Short's Brewing Company's favorites playing at the pub this upcoming week. Breathe Owl Breathe takes the stage on July 30th at 9:30pm. You'll hear their song "Swimming" which is fitting for this time of year.
The Crane Wives give us the track.....off their new album "The Fox Tales." They'll be performing at the pub on Saturday July 28th at 8:00pm. There's always great live music going on at the pub and in order to find out who's playing make sure you go to our events page!
Craft Beer and Craft Soda are pretty much cousins right? Well we're rolling with that and bringing in the family owned Northwoods Soda from just up the road in Williamsburg. Bill Fosdick started this local soda company over 20 years ago and later on as the business grew he was joined by his son David. Michigan restaurants are loving it and so is Short's! We recently used the Northwoods Soda Lemonade in our new summer shandy, Power of Love.
You're going to learn yourself quite a few things about soda as well as where you can find yourself a bottle throughout the great state of Michigan.
Our music in this episode is kindly provided by the band Valentiger, they are performing at the pub in Bellaire on Friday night, July 22nd at 8:30pm. You'll hear the song "What Makes A Heart."
We want to thank Bill and David for their hospitality and we encourage you to find yourself some Northwoods Soda. Let us know what you think!
It's been awhile since we've mixed science and craft beer and it's time we get our fix. Quality is what we strive for here at Short's and our QC team is always working hard to make our beer taste the way it should: fresh, clean, and full of flavor. Sam DeCamp is back from completing his Master Brewers Program in California and he sits in with Bridgett and Woj on the ultimate quality discussion. You'll get to meet Leslie Nagy for the first time - who plays a vital role on the Quality Control and Quality Assurance team.
You'll hear about what the team has recently been testing in the lab and what shiny new tools they are using that make Short's beer top notch. You'll look at and taste your beer with a whole new perspective after downloading this info into that big brain of yours.
Our music in this episode is kindly provided by Levi Britton who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on Friday, July 25th at 8:30pm.
Flint town! We're back and talking with one of the biggest craft beer enthusiasts the state has to offer, Bill Gravanis, the owner of Churchill's Food & Spirits and The Red Baron, located in Flint and Burton, MI.
Bridgett and Woj sit down with Bill to talk about his passion for craft beer, how he came into ownership of these two fine establishments, and his opinion on the craft beer industry in Michigan.
We want to thank Bill and his staff at Churchill's Food & Spirits and The Red Baron for their hospitality.
The Music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast is made possible by The Way Down Wanderers who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on July 7th at 8:30pm. You'll hear their songs "Dead Birds" and "Your Will is a Wildflower."
We're back on the road with Short's Cast and luckily we just have to drive about ten minutes up the road from our production facility in Elk Rapids. King Orchards is a family owned business started by two brothers, John and Jim King. Bridgett and Woj got the opportunity to interview the second generation of Kings involved in the family business, Jack and his wife Courtney.
King Orchards grows everything from cherries, apples, plums, and apricots. Their concentrate has been used in Short's beers and by many other craft breweries throughout the country. We want to thank Jack and Courtney for the opportunity and their hospitality. You don't get many opportunities to record a podcast in the middle of an Orchard, and we appreciate the experience.
Our Music in this episode was kindly provided by The Moxie Strings. They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on Thursday June 29th, at 8pm.
Short's Cast is on-site at Brewery Terra Firma in Traverse City, Michigan to talk with Head Brewer and Owner John Niedermaier. You've heard of John before within the tales of Jack Archiable. John was the head brewer at Traverse Brewing Company and when TBC closed he moved on to become the head brewer at Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City.
John's overall plan was to start his own sustainable brewery on a farm somewhere in Northern Michigan. Well, a few years ago that dream came true. Brewery Terra Firma is a self sustaining brewery a few miles south of Traverse City. It sits on a 10 acre farm that grows hops, barley, pumpkins, you name it, they'll grow it and brew it up in one of John's delicious recipes.
Speedcult, Speedcult, Speedcult!!! Do you know what the hell we're talking about? Well you're about to find out as Joe Short and Jesse Den Herder are on-site in New Boston, just outside of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where strange and amazing things are being built, burned, and crafted with vintage love.
Tina and Len join Joe and Jesse to talk about the great city of Detroit, the home of Speedcult. Short's and Speedcult have joined forces to release and promote Vintage Premium Lager, an industrial lager for industrious people. This relationship started over an Instagram account and has blossomed into a real life collaboration between two companies that create and craft with care here in Michigan.
You'll hear some of Len's music from his band Snakeout. The songs played are "Rode Hard," "Soul Train," and "I was a Teenage Goiter." If Snakeout is your jam their music is out there, but you're going to have to work for it.
This week's beer release is Nicie, an American Wheat Ale brewed with orange zest, lemon zest, coriander, and a hint of peppercorn. It's a summer favorite around Northern Michigan and we think it's time you bring some into your world. Nicie is available in six-packs of bottles and cans in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
That's right, it's time to reveal the team that is responsible for all the crazy, beautiful, edgy designs that Short's throws out in the world. Bridgett and Woj venture into a land where words are spoken in Adobe, and spot color is a fundamental.
You've met Jesse Den Herder, our art director and skateboard enthusiast, but now you get to meet Laura and Libby, designers who work with Jesse on a day to day basis to bring the Short's culture in visual form.
Our music in this episode is from Benjamin James and the Old Mission Collective, a young up-and-coming band out of Traverse City. You'll hear their songs "Mr Busy Body" and "Runaway." They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on June 10th, Friday night at 8:30pm.
If you have any questions or subjects you would like to hear covered on the podcast, hit us up on the ole email at Shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
Time for a history lesson folks, a field trip, and a few current events when it comes to Casks and Real Ales. Word is that Short's now carries Real Ales on Cask at the pub! What are they? Where did they originate from? Who drinks these room temperature craft beers? Let's bring in head pub brewer Ryan Hale, production brewer Curt Guntzviller, and Short's historian Jack Archiable to discuss these beautifully crafted beers.
Bridgett and Woj take us on a trip all over Northern Michigan and we start at the pub in Bellaire for our first segment. In our second segment we talk to Graeme Leask, owner of the Little Traverse Inn out in Leelanau County. Little Traverse Inn is a must stop along the infamous M-22 highway. It has that old english gastro pub feel and it's a great place to watch a soccer or rugby game.
Graeme loves his real ales and being that he is originally from England, we thought it would be great to hear his personal history in regards to real ales, and how he serves them up in his gastro pub at the Little Traverse Inn.
Our music in this episode is from Steve Leaf & the Ex Pats, they will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on June 4th, at 8:30pm. You'll hear their song "Blood in the Snow".
Short's was recently in downtown Flint for the Short's on the Road tour. Flint is a major industrial town in the state of Michigan and it's fallen on hard times, but the people of Flint are doing everything they can to overcome the water crisis and the challenges that come with it.
In order to help the fundraising efforts, Short's donated a portion of the sales from fan favorite Superfluid during their Superfluid for Flint campaign. Special thanks to other Michigan establishments that joined in the effort: 7 Monks, Stardust Lanes, and Corner Bar & Grill.
Bridgett and Woj had the opportunity to sit down with Kathi Horton, President of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. As you'll hear, Kathi is very close to the Flint water crisis and it's a powerful interview. We hope you listen to this episode because you can make a difference to so many people who were affected by the water crisis.
If you would like to make a donation to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, please visit www.cfgf.org.
Bridgett and Woj finally have the chance to sit down and talk craft beer with the Executive Director of the Michigan Brewers Guild, Scott Graham. If you've listened to this podcast you've probably heard Scott's name come up as an influential figure in the Michigan craft beer industry.
Scott talks about his days of being brewmaster at Big Buck Brewery in Gaylord, and a plethora of various jobs in the brewing industry. You'll get a good history on what the Michigan craft beer scene looked like at the very beginning, where it stands now, and where it's headed.
We would like to thank Scott Graham for making the trip to Bellaire and sharing a few pints with the Short's Cast crew.
Our music in this episode is from Vox Vidorra, you'll hear their song "We're So Lonely." They will be performing some straight up soul music at the pub on Friday May 20th, at 8:30pm.
Lots of events to keep you up to date on in this episode, especially you Chicago listeners, we hear ya, and we'll see you soon.
That's right you've tried the beer, you've watched the YouTube videos, and now it's time for Ralph Whistler to join the podcast world. If you don't know the story of how pub brewer Luke Whitley named a beer after Ralph Whistler you're about to hear the truth. Seriously, it's a pretty candid interview. Luke and Ralph meet for the first time to talk about Ralph's career as the greatest whistler in the world.
Ralph has performed all over the world, he was even on the Johnny Carson show. Now he's performing around Michigan with his band the Whistling Muthers. You'll hear a live performance from Ralph and his guitar player Brian. They pull out a tune called "Peanut Butter Baby."
We want to thank Ralph for making this interview happen, and for coming up to Bellaire from Port Huron to help Short's Brewing Company celebrate 12 years of brewing. It was an honor to meet the real Ralph Whistler!
Bridgett and Woj head north to Petoskey to visit one of Short's Brewing Company's longtime accounts, City Park Grill. A historic restaurant in the heart of downtown Petoskey. You'll hear from manager Mike Zagaroli as well as chefs Erin Conger and Jeremy Pomeroy.
They chat about the long history of City Park Grill which was a frequent hang out of Ernest Hemingway. There are rumors that the restaurant is haunted by one of the original owners and this story inspired an infamous Short's beer which is now known as ControversiALE. Do you know what the original name was?
It's a history lesson on the city of Petoskey and a must stop if you're ever in the area.
Our music in this episode is brought to us by Blake Elliot and the Robinson Affair who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on Friday May 6th at 8:30pm.
Short's has cans, shiny, fancy, and colorful new cans full of delicious Short's beer. This is big news for us so Bridgett and Woj sit down with the men behind the cans; Quality Manager Tyler Glaze, and Art Director Jesse Den Herder.
Tyler drops the knowledge of why Short's decided to can their beer and the impact it has had on the production facility. He also gives an in depth analysis on how the can handles that Space Rock you're about to consume. We're talking ESPN breakdown analysis.
Jesse Den Herder talks about the challenges of converting the Short's label art from bottle to cans, and he did a mighty fine job with the designs. There was a major debate within the company on the color of the Soft Parade can, and Jesse was forced to make a decision that would change Short's Brewing Company forever.
In the spirit of the 12 Year Anni Party taking place this weekend, April 30th, in the streets of downtown Bellaire - we spliced in a little music from Vulfpeck, and The Go Rounds who will be performing at Anni Party. You'll hear "1612" a Vulfpeck classic, and "No Rivals" from The Go Rounds which is off their new album "Don't Go Changin."
Joe Short stops by to talk about the collaboration beer with Vulfpeck called Compression. It's a sour ale designed to the liking of each Vulfpeck member. There are a limited amount of bottles available at Anni Party so make sure you get there early to snag yours.
Pub manager and talent buyer Rob Lewis is back with another Live Music Series episode and we're featuring The Crane Wives out of Grand Rapids. We were lucky to have the full band in studio right before they performed a show in Traverse City.
Dan Rickabus, Emilee Petersmark, Kate Pillsbury, and Ben Zito talk about their heavy tour schedule, the evolution of their music, and the release of their new album Foxlore. The timing is perfect for this interview because The Crane Wives will be performing at the Short's Brewing Company 12 Year Anni Party!
You'll hear two tracks from Foxlore, "Ribbs," and "Down The River." The album is a must listen and so is this interview. We would like to thank The Crane Wives for making this happen despite their busy schedule and we can't wait to hear them at the 12 Year Anni Party!
One of the more anticipated beer releases of the year is featured in this episode. Melt My Brain was a silver medal winner at GABF in 2015 and it's labeled as the gin and tonic beer because it really does taste like a gin and tonic...nailed it. Melt My Brain is available in six packs in Michigan and other nearby states now carrying Short's!
That's right, two power houses are combining forces to make some amazing grooming products for men and women! On this week's episode of Short's Cast we're giving you the low down on our collaboration with Damn Handsome Grooming Co. Founder, Jarrett Blackmon travels north from Kalamazoo to visit Bridgett and Woj at Short's Mart. Joining this pow wow is Short's Art Director, Jesse Den Herder, and Short's Mart General Manager, Michael Wahlstrom, to talk about an exciting line of soaps and grooming products available at Short's Mart!
Our music today is from the band The Last Revel who will be performing at the pub on April 16th at 8:00 pm You'll hear their songs "Iron and Ore" and "No Compromise."
Vintage Premium Lager is now on draft throughout Michigan! Rumors are swirling about this refreshing brew making its way to cans soon. You'll have to listen to Tyler's beer release segment for more info. You won't be disappointed.
Short's Cast is on the road again and this time we're headed to Saginaw to go BOWLING?! Stardust Lanes is a family owned bowling alley committed to craft beer. They've carried Short's brews since 2011.
Bridgett and Woj sit down with Owner, Derek Richards and Food & Beverage Manager, Mike Sassone. They give us insight into the growing craft beer culture in Saginaw and the process behind Stardust's 41 taps that are all devoted to craft beer.
Stardust Lanes was built by Joesph Deisler who had a love for Las Vegas. So much so that he built a bowling alley inspired by his favorite casino, the Stardust Casino. Mr. Deisler must have had some good times in Vegas, because we had some great times in Saginaw. Thanks to the Stardust Lanes staff for their hospitality and for joining us on Short's Cast.
The music you'll hear on this week's episode is by our Anni Party headliner, Vulfpeck! You'll hear their songs "Adrienne & Adrianne," and "Back Pocket" from their new album, "Thrill of the Arts."
This week's beer release is a beer that debuted at Short's 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza. If you listened to the podcast dedicated to last year's party, you heard a lot about a beer called "Mr Fusion." It's a green tea and mint infused IPA with light, sweet lemon-lime aromas and it's available now in six-packs. Tickets are now on sale for The Short's Anni Party XII. Visit shortsbrew.com/anniparty for all the details!
It's time for another installment of Short's Cast's Live Music Series! We're stoked to be talking to Graham Parsons of The Go Rounds. They hail from Kalamazoo and will be performing at The Short's Anni Party XII taking place in downtown Bellaire on April 30th, 2016.
The Go Rounds have been touring the great state of Michigan since 2009 and Graham is the lead vocalist and songwriter. They are known for their highly energetic and well crafted songs. On this episode, Graham talks about their latest record "don't go not changin," and you'll hear the tracks "Make it Sweeter" and "Texas Desert Rose."
Pub Manager and Talent Buyer, Rob Lewis, joins Woj in the hosting chair and the ensuing conversation with Graham is light hearted, but extremely candid. Listen now to hear all about the inspiration behind the music and Graham's path to becoming one of Michigan's most respected songwriters.
It's time for another field trip kids! This time we're heading just up the road from our production facility in Elk Rapids, to a little town called Kewadin. That's where, deep in the woods, lies the legendary Dog Farm and the home of our dear friend and co-worker, Jack Archiable.
Today Short's Cast is learning all about Michigan maple syrup. It's an ingredient that is vital to a favorite Short's brew, Woodmaster, (going on tap at the pub soon). Jack Archiable guides Woj and Bridgett on a hike into the woods to talk about his hobby of producing maple syrup. You'll hear tales of Jack coming face to face with a huge buck and learn the difference between burning hardwood and softwood while boiling sap.
This week we've added a new segment! It's all about job opportunities at Short's Brewing Company.
After learning a little bit about the process of tapping maple trees from Jack, he suggests we head up the street to a neighbor's commercial maple syrup farm called Out of the Woods Farm. We meet Grant Woods, who tells the story of his family farm that produces an average of 650 gallons of maple syrup a year. You'll hear that Michigan production levels in 2016 are steady, but not thriving due to volatile weather.
Michigan Maple Syrup Weekend is taking place this weekend all over northern lower Michigan. If you are interested in visiting Out of the Woods Farm in Kewadin this weekend, just visit michiganmapleweekend.com where you can find the times and locations of participating farms.
The Short's Anni Party XII is next month! Be sure to order your tickets today and follow the Short's crew on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest Anni Party info.
On this week's episode of Short's Cast, Bridgett and Woj travel to Traverse City to meet with our friends at Higher Grounds Trading Co., Director of Marketing Jennifer Yeatts, and Co-Founder and Director Chris Treter. Higher Grounds Trading Co. is a local coffee roaster that works with small-scale growers to bring the world's best coffee to Northern Michigan. Short's and Higher Grounds have collaborated on beers like Cup A Joe and the recently released Snake Juice.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast comes from The Appleseed Collective who will be performing at the pub on St. Patty's Day, Thursday March 17th. You'll here their song "Crazy, Madly, Darlin".
To purchase tickets to The Short's Anni Party XII taking place in downtown Bellaire on April 30th, check out Shortsbrewing.com/anniparty.
People love the pub. They love the beer, they love the atmosphere, and they absolutely love the pizza! Short's is currently in the midst of a pizza revolution of sorts. On this episode, you'll hear about the years of research that have gone into crafting the perfect Short's pizza.
Woj and Bridgett sit down with Head Chef, Luke Meredith, and Cellar Manager, Forrest Moline, to talk about Short's pizza menu. Throughout a thorough and lengthy development process, the Short's crew has taken road trips to far away places to research a wide variety of pizza styles before developing, and now fine tuning their new recipe. If you're a lover of the ZA, give this episode a listen. We're always looking for feedback on the conversations, and the pizza at Short's!
Snake Juice (6.9% ABV – 64 IBU) is a pale orange-colored IPA brewed with Sidama and Yirgacheffe coffee beans from Higher Grounds Trading Company hits store shelves this week. It's a truly unique beer that is getting rave reviews all across the great state of Michigan. Pick up a sixer at your favorite local beverage purveyor.
Short's Cast has been traveling all over the great state of Michigan and this episode is now exception! This week takes us to the home of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Bridgett and Woj stop into Ashley's where they sit down with co-owners and brothers, Jeff and Roy More, who we're recently knighted and own one of the best craft beer bars in America.
Ashley's opened up back in 1983. During this interview you'll hear stories from Jeff and Roy about what the craft beer industry looked like in the 80's and the evolution of their business.
We would like to thank Jeff and Roy for their hospitality and their commitment to showcase amazing craft beer from around the world. If you find yourself in Ann Arbor, we highly recommend you stop by for a brew (or two). Visit their website, www.ashleys.com, for more information.
Just a few short weeks ago, the Short's crew let the world know that they would begin distribution of both brands, Short's Brew and Starcut Ciders outside their home state of Michigan. A big change from the company's stated plans, we set out to gather all the details for Short's Cast listeners far and wide.
To address the news that Short's will be expanding out-of-state we brought in CEO; Joe Short, CFO; Brian (Beri) Beckwith, COO; Matt Drake, and Partner slash "Magician"; Scott Newman-Bale. They all sat down with Marketing Director, Bridgett Beckwith and Head Beer Liberator, Jon Wojtowicz, to talk about Short's Brewing Company's distribution plan, why they changed the plan, and what states will see Short's beers and Starcut Ciders first.
The music you'll hear on this episode was provided by The Moxie Strings, who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on February 27th. Today's episode features their song "Two Dancing Pears."
We've got lots of amazing events going on throughout the great state of Michigan, so make sure to keep an eye on our website for all the fantastic live music, festivals, and beer releases.
We're right in the middle of it...winter that is, so it's fitting we bring you an episode of Short's Cast dedicated to winter beers. Specifically, a history of wintertime brews with Woj and Jack Archiable, Short's very own "brewstorian."
When Jack isn't leading Short's loyal customers on tours of the pub and production facility, he can be found educating staff on the history of craft beer through out the mid-west.
This week's beer release is the one, the only, Superfluid! Find this Double American IPA on store shelves throughout the state of Michigan beginning this week.
We want to say a big "thank you" to Vox Vidora for granting us permission to use their song "We're So Lonely" on this episode of Short's Cast. See Vox Vidora live at the Starcut Ciders Celebration taking place on Saturday, February 20th, at Short's pub in downtown Bellaire.
Short's Brewing Company is rocking the Short's Brewing Fat Bike Series right now, which is also known as SBFBS. We go on site to Einstein Cycles and talk with Cody Sovis, who is race manager for Einstein cycles and all their events. He links us up with someone we'll call Chet, a character you'll remember for the rest of your life.
In order to tame the ego of a the legend named Chet we bring in the big guns. Our Festival and Events Director, Tim Reicha, and Short's CFO, Brian "Barry" Beckwith who are both fat bike enthusiasts. Bridgett and Woj hold down the hosting chairs and give us the info on the upcoming series as well as a new beer debuting called Haterade...What?
We hope you enjoy this episode that takes you to outer space and back again and again and again.
In the fall of 2015 Short's Cast did a little traveling and East Lansing was on the destination list. Not only is it the home of Michigan State University, but it's also the home of Crunchy's. Crunchy's is one of Short's longest standing accounts. Local's is always on tap at Crunchy's which is famous for its burgers, beer, and karaoke.
Karaoke enthusiast Woj and Bridgett have a chance to talk with Owner/General, Manager Mike Kruger, and Manager, Ellen Leonard about the nostalgia of Crunchy's and their relationship with Michigan craft beer. Crunchy's is a big part of Michigan State's culture and if you're in the area you should stop in, order a burger, a Local's, and think about what song will best showcase your vocal chops.
Our music today is from the Ragbirds who will be performing at the pub on February 6th, at 9:00 pm. You'll hear their songs "Six Wheels" and "Tarantula" on this episode. FUN FACT: The Ragbirds hold a special place in the hearts of Joe and Leah Short as they we're the band that performed at their wedding.
We've got two beer releases this week. One is hitting draft lines all across the great state of Michigan! It's a new sour ale called Peachy Pom Pom.
Our other beer release is one of the biggest beers that will every cross your palate. It's a special Triple IPA we're calling Batch 5000. We've brewed up 5000 batches of craft beer at our Elk Rapids Production Facility. Batch 5000 is the perfect beer to celebrate this achievement. If you're lucky enough to find a 22oz bottle of this beauty, your taste buds will be the ones celebrating. Cheers and thanks for listening to Short's Cast!
It's finally sinking in that 2016 is really here. Before we get too far in to the new year, we wanted to take one last look back at the triumphs and tribulations of 2015. On this week's episode of Short's Cast, Marketing Director, Bridgett Beckwith and Head Beer Liberator, Woj sit down with members of the Short's Crew to get the full 2015 recap.
We're joined by CFO, Brian Beckwith; Partner, Scott Newman-Bale; Fest and Events Director, Tim Reicha; Project Manager, Chris Clore; Pub Manager, Stefanie Drake; and Marketing Coordinator, Gillian Cobb to talk all about the past (and maybe even give a glimpse in to the future) of SBC.
It's a full house and there is a lot to talk about so keep your ears focused for the nuggets revealed in this interview.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast comes from the band Stolen Silver who will be performing at the pub on Saturday, January 30th at 8:30 pm. You'll hear the song "Please Stay Strong." Check them out on the interwebs at www.stolensilver.com.
This week's beer release is the second beer up on the 2016 bottle release schedule, "Love Knife." It's available now all across the great state of Michigan in six-packs.
Welcome to the wonderful land of Short's Mart, the retail store just a few doors down from the pub that showcases all of the wonderful merchandise Short's Brewing Company has to offer. This week we're on-site with Bridgett and Woj who introduce us to Short's Mart General Manager, Michael Wahlstrom and Operations Manager, Nick Lockman who tell us about the store's history and future plans.
There's a lot of great pictures of new merchandise on the Short's Instagram page, so keep an eye on their feed for your next SBC purchase. You can always find Short's merch at shortsbrew.com/shortsmartonline.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast comes from the brother sister duo out of Grayling, MI, Oh Brother Big Sister. They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on January 23rd at 8:30pm. Purchase their new album at www.ohbrotherbigsister.com.
We would like to extend a big thanks to Michael and Nick for hosting us at Short's Mart. Next time you're in downtown Bellaire, make sure you stop in. They've always got beer on tap and an amazing line up of Short's and Starcut Ciders goodies.
Charcuterie is making a comeback and you heard it here first on Short's Cast. In this episode, Bridgett and Woj get to sit down with Butcher James Westbrook, and Head Chef Myles Anton of The Franklin in downtown Traverse City, MI.
This interview was recorded before a Charcuterie and Short's beer pairing that took place during Traverse City Beer week organized by Imperial Beverage. We learn a ton about the art of preserving meats known as Charcuterie. Chef Myles Anton and Butcher James Westbrook are Michiganders but have taken their skills all over the world and they now work and live in Northern Michigan.
We would like to thank the Franklin staff for their hospitality. We had an amazing experience learning about charcuterie and experiencing it at the craft beer pairing. Thank you to Butcher James Westbrook, and Chef Myles Anton for sharing your time and knowledge.
This week's beer release is Swirl Stout. Swirl Stout tastes just like a twist ice cream cone, but it's been adultified and made into a delicious stout that will keep you company during the cold days of winter. Swirl Stout is now available in six-packs all across the great state of Michigan.
We're taking a trip back to episode 4 to re-release one of the core stories that kicked off Short's Cast. It's the story of Joe and Leah Short and it's a damn good one. It's always good to hit the refresh button and see where it all began. On this episode, you'll hear the voice of former host Matt Gacioch, who help kick-start Short's Cast.
You'll also hear from our Brewstorian, Jack Archiable, who's a familiar voice and a legend here in Northern Michigan. He's going to keep you up to date on all our Short's events and this week's special beer release...it's a big deal.
We're currently designing and developing our third season of Short's Cast and we look forward to bringing you more episodes in 2016. If you have any questions, comments, or an idea for an episode...please send us an email at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com. Cheers and Happy 2016 good humans.
This episode has been talked about for a long time among the Short's Cast team. We've always wanted to gather our team of Liberators together to talk about beer liberation. The Liberators play a huge role at Short's and because their responsibilities take them all over the state it's extremely rare we get to share a conversation with them face to face.
On this episode, you'll hear from Rachel Payne, Pauline Knighton, Sean Cuddahy, Brian Talpos, Eric Haycock (via Skype) and of course, our Head of Beer Liberation and Field Representation, Woj. You'll learn that it's a job that is fueled by a passion for Short's, but also a passion for craft beer. It's a job that never stops - with Liberators clocking in across the state at all hours of the day, 7 days a week. We're proud to bring you this interview with a the team that's out in the field educating Michigan about craft beer and sharing the Short's love.
The music on this week's episode of Short's Cast is kindly provided by Seth Bernard who is performing at the pub on New Years Eve with a great group of friends. You'll hear two songs from Seth's band Airborne or Aquatic?, "Field of Life" and "Where The Tall Grass Grows." Check out Seth's work at www.samuelsethbernard.com.
Our beer release this week is read by some dude named Forrenesto and it features "Twisted Cain." Twisted Cain is an American Black Ale and it is now available in six-packs all across the great state of Michigan.
It's been a great 2nd year of Short's Cast. With We thank you all for tuning in and listening to all 103 episodes. We wish you a safe and happy new year celebrated with family, friends, and a couple of Short's beers or Starcut Ciders. We're excited to bring you interviews, craft beer lessons, and stories from Short's Brewing Company via the Short's Cast next year. Cheers!
Space, tasty nuggets of alien technology, sweet refurbished snow mobiles, and the meaning of life… all things you should be thinking about while you enjoy your Space Rock Pale Ale over the holidays. Damn it’s a good beer and we’re bringing in Head Brewer Tony Hansen, CEO Joe Short, and Chief Scientist and Skeptic of Aliens Sam DeCamp to discuss the mighty Space Rock. Bridgett and Woj captain the hosting chairs while leading us in a conversation that takes us to galaxies far far away.
Our music in this episode is from The Go Rounds, who will be rocking out at our Ugly Sweater Party, and are a staple here at Short’s. They consistently release great EP albums and their music is phenomenal.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you Short’s Fans and Short’s Cast listeners. We hope you enjoy a Juicy Tree over the holidays which is what we’ll be doing while cleaning our microphones in preparation for 2016. We’ve got a lot of great podcasts coming your way. So keep your Ear Balls fresh bcuzaliens exist!
CHEERS!
We're excited to bring you another installment of our Live Music Series from Short's and it's with Cadillac native and New Orleans 2015 Blues Artist of the Year, Luke Winslow-King. Luke sits down with our Pub Manager and Talent Buyer, Rob Lewis, to talk about his start with Earthwork Music, what it was like to play in the pub back in the late 2000's with Hi-Lo, and his many memories performing music in Michigan.
Luke is currently on tour and is recording a new album but his recent albums "The Coming Tide" and "Everlasting Arms" are timeless and available at www.Lukewinslowking.com. Luke talks about his travels, finding a home in New Orleans, and describes the direction he is taking with his new album. It's a beautiful and honest interview with one of Michigan's finest songwriters.
You'll hear Luke's song "I'm Tired" and a song that will be featured on Luke's new album. We're grateful for permission to use his songs in this podcast.
This weeks beer release read by "The Wizard," Steve Ison is The Liberator. An SBC specialty brew, The Liberator was just released statewide. Get yours today, it'll be gone in a hurry!
ailable in six-packs and twelve-packs all across the great state of Michigan!
Short's cast is on the road again, highlighting the vendors that have supported our craft beer from the get go. This week we are down in Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan and Zingerman's Creamery. One of the Zingerman's community of businesses they affectionately refer to as "Z Com."
We were joined by Jack Schleick and Tessie Ives Wilson from Zingerman's, and they talk with Bridgett and Woj about Zingerman's background, their amazing deli, and creamery. The Short's Cast crew even sampled some cheeses crafted with the Short's brews Space Rock and Bellaire Brown.
It was an educational experience at one of Michigan's most successful small businesses. We would like to thank Jack and Tess for inviting us to Zingerman's and for the delicious cheeses we were lucky to try. In the episode Tess covers a list of 7 Classical Styles of Cheese. Reference the list below for cheese names.
The 7 Classical Styles of Cheese
Lactic fresh
City Goat - Zingerman’s Creamery
Semi-Lactic “Soft-ripened”
Moses Sleeper - Jasper Hill Farms
Pressed curd
Grayson - Meadow Creek Dairy
Cooked curd
Pleasant Ridge Reserve - Uplands Cheese
Milled curd
Great Lakes Cheshire - Zingerman’s Creamery
Gouda
Marieke Gouda - Holland Family Cheese
Blue
Point Reyes Blue - Point Reyes Creamery
Our music today is made possible by Oh Brother Big Sister of Gaylord, MI. This brother, sister duo has been entertaining audiences all over Northern Michigan and is currently recording a new album. Hear a sneak peek! Their new song "Mind," (on this episode) is now available as a single on iTunes.
Sam "The Science Man" Decamp joins us at the end of the show to talk Space Rock, one of our flagship beers that is available in six-packs and twelve-packs all across the great state of Michigan. Check out our new "Michigan Only, Michigan Forever" packaging, with a sweet design of Joe Short riding a snowmobile through outer space.
It's the holiday season which means it's the perfect opportunity to celebrate and COLLABORATE! Short's is excited to announce a collaboration craft beer with Funky Buddha Brewing in Boca Raton, Florida.
In our first segment Bridgett and Woj sit down with the owners of Funky Buddha, brothers Ryan and KC Sentz to discuss the craft brewery culture in Florida as well as how they got their start in brewing.
In our second segment head brewer Tony Hansen and pub brewery Luke Whitley join in on the conversation and talk in depth about the collaboration beer that is currently being brewed. It's a great conversation about between two breweries who are very loyal to their respective states and ambassadors for their craft beer communities.
Our music in this episode is performed by the jazzy singer-songwriters Luke Winslow-King who will be performing at the pub on Saturday, December 5th starting at 8pm. You'll hear his song "You Don't Know Better Than Me" off of his album "The Coming Tide".
Make sure you keep an eye on our website for more information about this collaboration with Funky Buddha, and if you're in the area of Boca Raton, Florida, make sure you stop into Funky Buddha and try their delicious craft beers!
Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Short's and Short's Cast team! We're excited to bring you a unique episode this week, focusing on a thankful community of craft beer. First we sit down with our CEO, Joe Short, who reflects on his recent trip to Lansing for the first leg of the Michigan Only Tour. Joe also expresses his thanks to his family and the Short's family.
The Cookies just released their debut album "Welcome to the Party." You'll hear two songs "Love is Divine" and "Get It Together" on this episode of Short's Cast. They will be performing at this year's Brewski Bash where Short's will be tapping 5 stouts, and celebrating all day long. You can find more info about The Cookies at TheCookiesBand.com.
Next, Woj and Mike had the opportunity to roam the Michigan Brewers Guild Detroit Fall Beer Festival where they ran into some good humans who work in the Michigan craft beer community.
You'll hear from:
Conrad Conner, Head Brewer at Redwood Brewing Company
Chris Reester, Brewer at Greenbush Brewery
Dano' an original Short's Mug Club Member
Evan Keller, Head Brewer at Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company
Chuck Osberger, Director of Sales at Frankenmuth Brewery
Chris "Chutte" Hutte, Head Brewer at Blackrocks Brewery
Brian Confer, Head Brewer and Co-Owner of Stormcloud Brewing Company
Ben Darcie, Wandering Monk at Brewery Vivant
Jeff Sheehan, Head Brewer and Co-Founder of Rockford Brewing Company
Taylor Sargent, Festival and Events Director at Rockford Brewing Company
Steve Berthel, Head Pub Brewer at New Holland Brewing Company and Secretary of the Michigan Brewers Guild
We want to thank everyone for taking the time to talk to us at the Detroit Fall Beer Festival. We appreciate the honesty, and love working side by side with you in the craft beer community. Cheers! Annd Happy Thanksgiving!
We're on a road trip! And this time we're headed to Clarkston, MI, home of the Union Woodshop, and The Clarkston Union. First, we are grateful to the Union Woodshop staff for the delicious food we were able to inhale before our show. The Clarkston Union is well known for its world famous mac and Cheese, and the hype is real people, but it's also known by Michigan craft beer enthusiasts as one of the best craft beer venues in the mid-west.
Woj, Bridget, and our Southeast Beer Liberator, Brian Talpos, sit down with the Union Joints Beer Czar, Mike Yahner and Union Joints Beer Comrade, Scott Laufer to talk about the history of the Clarkston Union, which led to the opening of the Union Woodshop just down the street. They also own other great restaurants like the Vinsetta Garage in Berkley. You can find more information about all of their restaurants at www.unionjoints.com.
The music in this episode was kindly provided by The Pistil Whips out of Boyne City, MI. They are frequent performers at Short's and they just released a new EP. On this episode, you'll hear their funky song "Stache." They will be performing at the pub on Friday November 20th, at 8:00 pm.
Our Beer Release this week is Queen Bee and the segment is read by "The Wizard," Steve Ison, which is fitting because his wife Summer is on the label. Queen Bee is now available in six-packs all across the great state of Michigan!
Woj and Bridgett are back along with some voices we haven't heard in a while on this week's episode of Short's Cast. So when Pauline Knighton, Brian Talpos, Scott Newman Bale, and our CEO, Joe Short stop by the show it's bound to be a good time with great stories.
On this episode we're talking all about our motto "Michigan Only, Michigan Forever." What does it mean? Who came up with this contrarian philosophy? And how many bets have been placed banking on Short's leaving the state of Michigan? (Well that's not going to happen people, so if you're betting on Short's staying in the Great Lake state you got a good head on those shoulders).
First, Beer Liberators Pauline Knighton and Brian Talpos discuss plans to bring Joe Short on tour and the logistics that go into making that happen. The first tour will be in our capital city of Lansing, East Lansing (home of the Spartans), and Okemos. They'll break down the 3 day tour, so if you want to attend you should probably listen and take notes.
In our second segment Joe Short and Scott Newman Bale talk about the mind-set behind "Michigan Only, Michigan Forever" and why Short's is not budging on distribution outside the state. Remember good people, it wasn't that long ago when Michigan suffered an awful recession and people were actively leaving our state in search of work. It took ideas just like this one to turn Michigan's economy around. Creating a buzz about the breweries, the food, and the beauty, helped this great state get back to being the powerhouse we all know it is.
The music on this episode comes from one of the most acclaimed bands in the state right now, The Go Rounds. On this episode you're going to hear the song "No Rivals" from their latest album "Don't Go Not Changin." They will be playing at the pub on Friday, November 27th at 8:30 pm.
This weeks beer release is Cup A Joe, a coffee cream stout brewed with Higher Grounds Coffee. It's a delicious stout now available in six-packs all across Michigan.
We've got ourselves quite a podcast for you craft beer enthusiasts tuning in. We we're grateful to have Alec Mull of Founders Brewing Company in Bellaire to record a roundtable discussion with Bridgett, Woj, and Tyler Glaze. We learn a lot about Alec's background and about how he worked his way up through the Michigan craft beer industry.
Alec is the Vice President of Brewery Operations at Founders and has been mentored by Scott Graham and Ron Jefferies. Alec also worked at Bell's under Larry Bell beginning in 1999. In 2004 Alec started his own business installing draft systems and cleaning draft lines which he owned until 2012. Alec begin working for Founders in 2006 while still running his draft business in Michigan.
Our music today was kindly provided by our friend Seth Bernard who also wrote the intro and outro music for the show. You'll hear his song "We're Humans" which was the inspiration behind the double brown ale, "Good Humans." Seth joins the show to give us some info on the label art in our beer release segment.
It's an episode full of big hitters Short's Cast listeners and we hope to hear and read your comments using the #shortscast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
We're celebrating all things chocolate today and dedicating this show to some local businesses that marry chocolate with Short's Beer. Our first stop is in Empire at Grocer's Daughter Chocolate where we'll be talking with new owner D.C. Hayden who recently purchased the business with his wife Jody Dotson. D.C. talks about the history of the business and a new Bellaire Brown Chocolate that we were lucky enough to taste.
Next we work our way on over to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa to meet Stephanie Elwell, Head Pastry Chef for all events and restaurants at Grand Traverse Resort. She talks about her role overseeing all things desert as well as creating an IPA Tiramisu which is absolutely delicious.
Our music today was kindly provided by Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers who will be performing at the pub on Halloween night as part of Short's Annual Halloween Party. They'll be taking the stage around 9:00 pm. On this episode of Short's Cast you'll hear their song "Future Talk."
Our Beer Release this week comes from a robot who is highly enthusiastic about the release of Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. It's a Double Belgian IPA that's now available in six packs all across the great state of Michigan.
We're all in on the state of Michigan and lucky for us, over the past few years local farms have been experimenting with growing craft beer ingredients like barley and hops. In fact, just up the street in East Jordan, Valley View Farms has started to grow barley and is having it processed by our friends at Pilot Malt House. This years crop turned out to be some of the best barley Erik May of Pilot Malt House has ever seen in the state of Michigan.
We are joined by John, Jim, and Andrew Boyer from Valley View Farms who just spent the day brewing with Short's Head Brewer, Tony Hansen. All four join Bridgett and Woj to discuss how the Short's and Valley View relationship began, and the decision John Boyer and his family made to start growing barley in Northern Michigan.
The music you'll hear in this podcast is kindly provided by Bigfoot Buffalo who is performing at the pub in Bellaire on October 30th at 8:30 pm. You'll hear the song "I Don't Feel Nothin" off of their self titled album, Bigfoot Buffalo.
Our Beer Release this week is Black Cherry Porter which is now available in six packs all across the great state of Michigan.
On this episode we're also announcing the 2016 People's Choice winner. You had the opportunity to vote for one of six beers to be bottled next year and those options were... MMMKAY, Dolly Dagger, Goodnight Bodacious, Raisin Apollo, Captain Fantasy, and Chocolate Wheat. You're going to have to listen to this episode of Short's Cast if you want to know our winner!
Want to hear an interview in a hot air balloon? We know what you're thinking, podcasts and hot air balloons don't seem like the ideal recording situation. Well thanks to Gordy Schafer, owner of the Dockside on Torch Lake we made it happen.
Joe Short's first job in the restaurant industry was working for Gordy at the Dockside which is an iconic restaurant on beautiful Torch Lake. Matt Drake, Joe Short, and Jesse Den Herder join Gordy on a hot air balloon trip from The Dockside, over Torch Lake and they land in between Alden and Rapid City.
Just a heads up, you will hear the burner consistently throughout this episode, but you'll also hear stories from Gordy about Joe's first job as a busboy and working his way up to serving. We're pretty sure this is the first podcast recorded in a hot air balloon and Short's Cast is excited to give you something unique for your ear balls.
Bridgett says at the beginning of this show, "We've got an epic podcast for you" and boy is she correct! This week, we bring in members of the Short's Great American Beer Festival (GABF) crew who had the opportunity to go out to Denver, Colorado and share Short's beer with the world at GABF in September.
Short's brought home a Silver Medal in the Experimental Beer category for "Melt My Brain," a gin and tonic inspired beer. Bridgett and Woj sit down with some veteran GABF goers as well as some first timers. Pub Manager, Rob Lewis, Production Brewer, Sean Niemisto, and Art Director, Jesse Den Herder attended the festival for the first time, working alongside Kendall Fifield from Short's Festivals and Events department, "The Magician" Scott Newman-Bale, CEO Joe Short, and others.
They all get a chance to talk about the overall feel of the event, winning the silver medal, and the they time spent outside of GABF touring the beautiful state of Colorado.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast was provided by the multi-viral band Vulfpeck. We're grateful for permission to use their songs "1612" and "Outro." We hope they come back to Bellaire soon!
This week's beer release is "Devil's Lettuce," a wet hopped India Pale Lager brewed with fresh hops from Empire Hops Farm in Empire, Michigan. This is a specialty bottle release so if you see it on store shelves, you better snatch it up quickly!
Well this is about as good as it gets for September in Michigan. We've had beautiful weather and it inspired us to take a road trip out to the Leelanau Peninsula to talk with Larry Mawby and Mike Laing from L.Mawby, M. Lawrence, and Big Little. Mawby is an extremely beautiful vineyard that specializes in sparking wines and is a must stop for all wine tours rolling around the Leelanau Peninsula.
Bridgett and Woj get a history lesson from Larry about the birth of the wine industry in Northern Michigan and everything from the rise of the vineyard to self-distribution. Larry heads up the bottle fermented wine, and Mike Lang oversees all operations involving the tank fermented wines. Mike took the opportunity to learn as much as possible from Larry and worked his way up through the company. He now owns Big Little wines with his brother, Peter, which is located on the Mawby vineyard.
The music featured on this episode of Short's Cast was kindly provided by Black Jake and the Carnies who will be performing at the pub on Friday, October 2nd at 9:00 pm. You'll hear their songs "Jasper Watkins" and "Paper Outlaw".
This week's beer release is MMMKAY which is pronounced MMM-KAY, think of Counselor Mackey in South Park. Still don't get it? Check it out here...Mr. Mackey
If you have any questions for our Short's Cast team, shoot us an email at shortcasts@shortsbrewing.com.
Summer is the busiest time of year for all who work at the pub in downtown Bellaire, and keeping 20 beers and ciders on tap at all times is a challenge. On this episode of Short's Cast, Woj and Bridgett sit down with Head Pub Brewer, Ryan Hale and Pub Brewers, Luke Whitley and Mike Baltzell to talk about the challenges the Bellaire brewers face during the summer season.
For someone like Mike Baltzell, who recently became a brewer, it's about learning on the fly while Luke Whitley is now a seasoned veteran. Ryan has helped both Luke, Mike, and other Short's family members see their very own brews come to life. He talks about this and about how the pub brewers have added crafting Starcut Ciders to their daily routines.
At the end of the season, it is easy to see that it was an extremely successful summer at the pub. High fives go out to these three brewers and the rest of the pub staff for keeping the taps flowing all season long.
Short's has got a TON of events taking place this week throughout the state. We're even taking a little trip to Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival. Be sure to visit our events page for all the details.
This week's beer release is the latest edition of our Private Stache Series, Maple Bourbon Barrel Magician...yum. You should probably check out the artwork for this bad boy featuring Scott Newman-Bale.
The Music on this episode of Short's Cast was kindly provided by The Moxie Strings who will be performing at the pub on Friday, September 25th, starting at 8:30 pm. The Moxie Strings performed at Short's Fest and we are stoked to have them back on stage at the pub.
It's our annual field trip where we head out to Empire Hops Farm in beautiful Empire, Michigan. We talk with the farm manager Alex Weisen who oversees all that goes on at Empire Hops Farm and much more. Alex gives us a history of the farm and why it decided to start growing hops about eight years ago, the history of hops in Michigan, and the future of the industry here in the mid-west.
Our music in this episode is from the band "The Afterwhile." You'll hear their song "I J" from their album "These Days." The Afterwhile will be performing on Friday, September 18th at 8:30pm.
Our featured beer release this week is ERMAGERDNESS which was dreamed up by one of our Elk Rapids Production Brewers, Al Russell, who is also featured on the label artwork.
There's a lot of craft beer events going on throughout the state of Michigan this month and we appreciate you tuning in and keeping up to date with Short's by listening to Short's Cast. If you have any questions or comments you can always email us at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
As you may already know, we're big fans of Earthwork Music here at Short's. And this week, we're honored to have Seth Bernard (founder of Earthwork Music) join us on Short's Cast to talk about the upcoming Harvest Gathering, taking place September 18th - September, 20th, 2015. Short's is a proud supporter of this event and we're happy to have Seth explain to us how Earthwork Music was formed, his relationship with Joe Short, and about the jingle he wrote for Short's Cast.
In the second segment this week's episode, we welcome two members of Seth's crew to join the show and talk about the execution of Harvest Gathering. Brett (who heads up set-up and tear down) and Derek (site coordinator and the man with the answers to all your event day questions) give us the details of the upcoming festival.
We highly recommend you attend this event; it's full of amazing live music, great food, community, as well as workshops for those who want to learn about songwriting, performing, and much more. It is a truly unique music festival.
The music you'll hear on this episode of Short's Cast is from Live Harvest Archive Volume 1 which you can purchase on the Earthwork Music website. The songs you will hear are "On The Mend" by May Erlewine and "On My Way Home" by Mike and Ruthy.
An amazing interview with some amazing human beings, we hope to see you out at Harvest Gathering this year!
If you've tried Bourbon Evil Urges or Bourbon Magician, then you know that Short's has rocked the barrels a few times, but it's time to step it up a bit. On this episode of Short's Cast we bring in Short's Head Brewer, Tony Hansen, to talk about the Short's barrel aging program and its exciting growth. Just like Starcut Ciders, this is something Tony has been working on for a long time and his patience is starting to pay off.
The addition of exciting new programs like this mean new opportunities for Short's crew members to get involved in specific niches of the industry. Woj and Bridgett sit down with Mike McQuiston who just recently became a brewer at Short's and works with the barrel aging program. He gives us some great info on where we're headed with barrel aging beers and even lets us in on some of the ideas that are being tossed around at the Production Facility.
The music you'll hear on this episode comes from the band Nina and The Buffalo Riders out of Detroit, MI. You'll hear their songs "Buffalo Blues" and "Madness." They will be performing at the pub on September 5th starting at 8:30pm.
This week's beer release is our Oktoberfest or Marzen beer "Noble Chaos" which is now available in six-packs all across the great lake state. Time to stock up because Oktoberfest is coming up quick and you're going to need some Noble Chaos in your life.
Short's Fest has come and gone but the audio lives on! This podcast was recorded during Short's Fest on Saturday August 8th, 2015. Bridgett Beckwith hosts the show and is joined by Short's Cast Producer, Mike Moran, who fills in for Jon "The Woj" Wojtowicz (who was operating the ever popular Woj's Weiners cart during the festival).
If it wasn't for Michigan media outlets, the craft beer industry wouldn't be what it is today. We highlight some Michigan journalists, marketing mavens, and photographers in this episode of Short's Cast and there were many in attendance.
Our interview order looks like this..
Coryn Briggs... from Traverse City Tourism
Dani Knoph... Marketing Cooridinator for MyNorth.com
Michael Murphy IV... Short's Brewing Photographer
Short's Brewing Beer and Cider Events
Musical interlude: "Two Pears Dancing" by the Moxie Strings
The Moxie Strings... First band to play at Short's Fest
Lindsey Israel... Feature Writer for The Awesome Mitten
Emily Hengstebeck... Writer for Mitten Brew
Beth Milligan... Journalist at The Traverse City Ticker and TC Busines News
John Stout... Short's Cast listener from Ypsilanti, MI
We wrap up Short's Cast with our Beer Release Segment (featuring Autum Ale which is now available in 6 packs across The Great State of Michigan) and A Short's Cast Recap from Karen Shaw and Emily Sullivan. Plus an update on the Woj's Weiners Coney Dog Showdown between Beer Liberators John Wojtowicz and Brian Talpos.
We thank everyone who joined us on Short's Cast at Short's Fest 2015. A huge thank you to our Fest and Events team for hooking us up with the Water Ski Shack and a big thank you to all of our listeners out there in Craft Beer Land.
We're back at the roundtable and dedicating another episode of Short's Cast to highlighting a longtime Short's account. Today, Ted Vadella, co-owner of Shakespeare's Pub in Kalamazoo joins us via Skype. Ted gives us some insight on a young Short's Brewing Company making its way up the ranks of the craft beer scene in Michigan. It's an honest and at times, brutal conversaton. Ted even let us know which beers he does not care for.
The music in this episode is from one of Joe's favorite bands, Breathe Owl Breathe. You can hear more from and about Breathe Owl Breathe on their very own episode of Short's Cast! You'll hear their songs "Swimming" and "Black Bear." See them live at the pub on August 15th at 9pm.
This week's beer release is Short's popular summertime Mexican lager, Cerveza De Julie." Cerveza is now available in six packs all across the state that has a blue flag with a couple of deer on it...cheers.
Steve Ison aka The Wizard, aka Uncle Steve, aka Stevo, is Shorts Brewing Company's longest standing employee other than Mr. Joe Short himself. Steve's been there from the beginning and he's got quite a list of stories to tell. Bridgett and Woj sit down with Steve and give him the opportunity to share some of those stories with you.
The music you'll hear throughout this podcast is from Rebecca Rego out of Wisconsin, she's got a great album out with her band Rego and the Trainmen. You'll hear her songs "John Wayne" and "Bury My Body." She'll be performing at the pub solo on August 8th at 8:30 pm.
Over in Elk Rapids on August 8th, Short's Fest will be taking place from 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm and Short's Cast will be on site recording in the Water Ski Shack, we hope you have a chance to stop by and say hello and leave us a comment or a question for Short's Brewing Company.
Tyler Glaze gets weird again on this week's Beer Feature, Space Rock. This week we introduce the new and improved gluten reduced Space Rock with a snazzy new label. You should probably pick up a 12 pack and see for yourself.
It wasn't easy, but the Short's pub expansion in Bellaire has been completed. Bridgett and Woj sit down with CEO Joe Short, Project Manager Chris Clore, and Head Chef Luke Meredith to talk all the nitty gritty details of what it took to pull of this expansion while the pub stayed open for business.
There were only two days where the kitchen was closed for business for the staff to move in and organize the new space. Traverse City catering company The Daily Blend, served customers paella over those two days and kept the people happy.
Luke Meredith talks about the ebb and flow of the new kitchen and how the staff has been able to increase productivity and efficiency. Chris Clore gives us an in depth description on what it was like to renovate the old pharmacy and turn it into the avacado room. Finally, Joe Short talks about the decisions the executive team faced and the negotiations that had to be made to purchase the old pharmacy.
Music for this episode was kindly provided by the band Gifts or Creatures who will be playing at the pub on Wednesday night, July 29th at 8pm. You'll hear their songs "Mail from the Wescott" and "Imperio de Amor" off of their album "Pilot House."
Short's Cast is rolling and we are loving your feedback! We appreciate all reviews on iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can always email the show with your comments and questions at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
If you're headed to Short's Fest on August 8th at the production facility in Elk Rapids make sure you stop by the water ski shack and say hello to the Short's Cast team. We will be present to record your thoughts and questions for the SBC staff.
On this episode of Short's Cast we're going to delve into the process (and maybe even some of the secrets) of Spruce Pilsner. One of the beers that Short's entire staff has a hand in making, Spruce Pilsner, is now available in stores all across the great state of Michigan. Bridgett and Woj start off by interviewing Short's CEO and Creative Engineer, Joe Short, who's favorite beer happens to be Spruce Pilsner. He talks about its oringal Imperial Beer Series debut and how the beer has evolved over the years.
Jessica Bond from HR brings us highlights from the staff's adventure to Joe's super secret blue spruce grove. It was many staff members first time spruce tip picking - which isn't exactly an easy thing to do.
Night Brewer, Sean Niemisto, comes into work early to talk about the entire process of brewing Spruce Pilsner and improvements the Short's team has made to the process. There's a lot of good nuggets here for those who want to learn more about brewing craft beer.
The music for this episode was kindly provided by Olivia Mainville who is performing at the pub with Jack The Bear on Thursday July 23rd at 8pm. You'll hear her songs "King Sings" and "Full Steam Ahead."
We always love your questions and feedback here at Short's Cast, so don't be afraid to drop us a line at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
The environmental definition of sustainability is "the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance." Which sounds like something we should all be doing and there are a few breweries right here in Michigan doing their part. Short's Brewing Company is one of those breweries who's has taken massive action in the last couple years focusing on sustainable growth and they are not alone. Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids is doing amazing things with their sustainability program. In the second half of the show we talk to owner Kris Spauling, who heads up sustainability and human resources at Brewery Vivant. She breaks down the actions their brewery took in order to become a "B Corp" and certified "Bike Friendly".
Before we talk with Kris, Woj and Bridgett sit down with Short's Director of Quality, Tyler Glaze. Tyler gives a brief history of how Short's has been keeping it sustainable and the actions SBC is taking to keep Short's dedicated to sustainability for years to come. As you know it's alway entertaining and educational when Tyler Joins the show.
Our music today was kindly provided by Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers who've given us permission to use two great songs, "The Garden" and "Captain America." They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on July 17th starting at 9pm and at Short's Fest in Elk Rapids on August 8th.
It's a beautiful thing when two craft breweries collaborate and there are so many ways to do so. Brewing together, grilling together, and heck, podcasting together sounds like a great idea too! New Holland Brewing Company’s very own Fred Bueltmann, known as The Beervangelist, was kind enough to travel north to Elk Rapids. Not only to join us for a Short’s Cast episode, but also to fire up the grill and cook a huge meal for Short’s Production Facility staff members and educate us on his philosophy of food and beer pairing. Fred Bueltmann, Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz, and Forrest Moline worked together to design a five course menu that would be grilled on-site. You'll hear sound bites from the prep stage all they way up to serving the tasty grilled courses, as well as comments from the Short's staff members who were able to attend. Special thanks to Luke Meredith for helping gather supplies and coordinate this meal!
Each course was paired with a craft beer from New Holland and Short's. You'll also hear a roundtable conversation between Woj, Bridgett Beckwith, and Fred. Fred has been working in the Michigan craft beer industry since 1995 and his book on food and beer pairing called The Beervangelist's Guide to the Galaxy: A Philosophy of Food & Drink, is a must read for all foodies and craft beer enthusiasts.
You will find a lot of the dishes that were grilled up in this episode in his book, as well as some best practices for cooking with craft beer. The Short's staff is extremely thankful to Fred and New Holland Brewing Company for making this collaboration possible and we look forward to the day where we share another meal together celebrating Michigan craft beer!
We're bringing the Happy Jack to the Short's Cast. That's right all you Michigan craft beer historians, Short's very own Jack Archiable joins Bridgett and Woj to talk about the past, present, and future of Michigan craft beer. There is no limit to where this conversation will go, in fact it goes back about about twenty years to Jack's brewery, Traverse Brewing Company, which was the 7th registered brewery in the state of Michigan.
Jack is a treasure to all of us here at Short's and this episode showcases everything we love about him.
Music in this podcast was provided by The Appleseed Collective out of Ann Arbor. You're going to hear their original song "Pumpkin Pie." Check out their website www.theappleseedcollective.com.
Strawberry Short's Cake is officially available in six packs all across the great lake state, and you better snatch one up soon because Strawberry Short's Cake Floats are absolutely delcious. Get yourself some Moomers Vanilla ice cream and give one a try.
It's time to get back to talking about flagship beers and this episodes is an ode to Local's. Not just the beer, but the people of Bellaire because that is exactly who this beer was brewed for. This episode of Short's Cast was recorded on a pontoon boat, that's right...breaking all the podcasting rules with this one. One of Joe Short's favorite things to do is water ski, and just before he goes out for his first run of the year he sits down with Short's Cast hosts Bridgett Beckwith and Jon Wojtowictz. Pubtender Jesse Hoffman makes a cameo appearance to give his take on the highest selling beer at the pub. If you haven't seen our sweet trailer for the podcast filmed by our videographer Mark Goethel you should probably check it out.
Local's Trailer
In the second half of the show we talk to Short's Brewing label artist Tonya Whitley who has drawn up close to 70 labels for Short's and recently did the revision of the label for Local's. She talks about her process of designing the labels and working with Short's Art Director Jesse Den Herder and Head Brewer Tony Hansen. You can see a recent news story on Tonya at the link below.
Tonya Whitley the artist
Tyler Glaze entertains us with a new Beer Release which is the Summer Variety Pack, featuring beers like Deacon Blues, Twist of Cain, Yosemite Scooter, Bucktricity Kills, and a special secret beer you'll have to listen for in Tyler's segment.
The music you'll hear in this podcast is from the band Escaping Pavement who will be performing at the pub on June 26th, 2015. You'll hear their songs "Drive Me To Sadness" and "Winter Homecoming". You can purchase their album "Uprooted"on iTunes.
When it comes to political episodes, this is about as political as we get here on Short's Cast. Some people say "we need to bring in the suits on this one" well for us it's "we need to bring in the beards," and what glorious beards they are. Two members of the executive team, Brian Beckwith (Chief Financial Officer) and Scott Newman Bale (President of Business Development) join Bridgett Beckwith (Director of Marketing) to talk about the recent changes to proposed legislation impacting the beer industry.
You'll also hear clips from our Michigan senators. We thank Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Senator Gary Peters for joining us on the show and providing their comments on the growth of the craft beer industry in Michigan.
Members of the Brewers Association hit capitol hill a couple weeks ago to discuss "The Small Brewers Act" with congress. As of this week, new legislation has been proposed and "The Craft Beverage Mondernization and Tax Reform Act" has real potential to get passed. You'll hear Scott and Brian explain this legislation and the impact it will have on breweries like Short's.
While in Washington D.C. Brian, Scott, and Bridgett also attended SAVOR and interviewed Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. New Belgium is well known throughout the country for their amber ale "Fat Tire." Kim spoke to the senate about this policy and how vital it is for growth in our economy as well as the craft beverage industry.
Savor is a food and beer tasting event so Short's brought along a couple favorites for attendees to try, specifically Nicie Spicie and Freedom of 78'. You'll hear comments from people like Adrian Rodriguez of Monfort Brewing Group in Mexico City, Katie from Dogfish Head in Delaware, DH and Scuba Steve from Country Boy Brewing in Lexington, Kentucky, and Duncan from Aspen Brewing Company.
The music you'll hear is from Lindsey Lou and the Flat Belly's off of their new album, IONIA. The songs on this episode are "Everythings Changed," "Hot Hands," and the instrumental title track "Ionia." Lindsey Lou and Josh Rilko will be performing as their side project, Time and Luck at the pub on Friday, June 19th at 8:30pm.
This week's Specialty Beer Release is Hopstache. This beer was originally brewed as a wedding beer for Short's Cast host, Jon Wojtowicz, and has become a cult classic throughout the great state of Michigan. This beer moves fast, so make sure you get to your local craft beverage provider now to lock down a six pack!
COOL PEOPLE ALERT!!!! That's right the type of people who make this world a better place. This is a Short's Cast devoted to highlighting some great organizations right here in Antrim County. Matt Drake joins Bridgett Beckwith to host this episode and first they sit down with Haley Breniser who is the Executive Director of Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire, Michigan. She talks about her role at Grass River educating the public on the trails and studies they are a part of. They also maintain the trails for all of us to enjoy.
Next we bring in one of our pubtenders, Dianna Robinson, who is also the Office Administrator at the Antrim County Conservation District. She gives us some insight on what the Conservation District does in helping county residents deal with things like soil erosion, invasive Species, and much more. She just designed a beautiful website that you can visit here at www.antrimcd.com
Matt Drake then heads to Traverse City to talk about the Long and Short's Bike Tour with John Roe, Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association President and Communications Director, Dave Waeltz. The Long and Short's is a Mountain bike ride that takes place on June 20th. It includes delicious Short's Beer, live music from Brady Corcoran, and camping for all. Check out the event website, www.longandshorts.com.
The music in this podcast is provided by Don Julin and Bill Stings, you'll hear their songs "Long Journey Home" and "Red Haired Boy". Check them out at www.Billystrings.com.
This week's beer release is one of summer's favorites...Nicie Spicie! This summer wheat beer is making its seasonal return and is now available on shelves everywhere in the great state of Michigan.
The Short's Fest and Events team is coming off some major victories with the 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza being a huge success, as well as events like Conquer The Village, Extreme Beer Fest, and many more. We had to bring David Truax and Sarah Bozarth back into the studio to look ahead to recap past events and look forward to summer 2015.
Woj and Bridgett take the hosting chairs to try and pry some previews out of the Fest and Events Team which keeps their designs in house until the day of the event. Each Fest and Events team member has a different skill set and consistently breathe their talents and passion for the craft beer industry in everything they do.
The music in this podcast was kindly provided by the band Dragon Wagon out of Ann Arbor. They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on June 5th starting at 8:30pm. On this episode you'll hear their songs "So The Story Goes" and "Whiskey in the Morning". You can find more information about Dragon Wagon on their website www.dragonwagonband.com.
We are happy to announce that Space Rock has returned to distribution and is the newest Short's Flagship. Space Rock is an Amercian Pale Ale which was highlighted in Short's Pale Ale series. It was a huge success and it's now in stores all across the great state of Michigan.
We hope you enjoy this episode of Short's Cast and if you're interested in contacting the show with a question please feel free to email us at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
This is it, the episode we've all been waiting for! We're finally talking Starcut Ciders and who better to rap about this new brand of hard cider then Joe Short, Matt Drake, Tony Hansen, and Ryan Hale. Joe and Matt sit in the host chair this week to pick Tony and Ryan's brains about the new cider division and explain to us just how Starcut came to be.
From previous episodes, we all know that Tony Hansen grew up on a farm making wine and cider before becoming the Head Brewer at Short's. And Ryan... well he's crazy experimental with just about everything. This is a fantastic episode that will give the craft beverage enthusiast a great education on what it takes to start making cider. A one word answer to what it takes would be PASSION; hot, sticky, juicy, PASSION.
The music you'll hear on this episode was kindly provided by The Appleseed Collective who is performing at the pub on Saturday May 30th at 8:30pm. They just recorded a live album at The Ark in Ann Arbor, and you'll hear their song "Bad Man."
Tyler Glaze gets weird and talks about this weeks beer release, "Alien Einstein." It's crafted to reduce gluten for all of you living with gluten intolerance.
We appreciate your feedback about the show. If you have a question, please email us at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com. Cheers Listeners!
Short's Cast took the week off of production, but is re-releasing a very educational episode about the new wastewater treatment plant at Short's Production Facility in Elk Rapids. This episode was recorded last year, just outside the Production Facility and features our Quality Manager, Tyler Glaze, and is hosted by Pauline Knighton and Matt Gacioch. Show notes from this episode are included below.
"Hello and welcome back to Short's Cast. We've done an episode on water before but not like this one. Short's is about to break ground on their new wastewater treatment plant, so we brought in Tyler Glaze to talk about what that means for Short's beer and the city of Elk Rapids. As always, Tyler delivers info that will impress your friends, family, and help you attain a few honorary degrees along the way.
We are honored to feature Seth Bernard's music on today's Short's Cast. He is playing solo tonight! June 10th at the brew pub in bellaire. His songs "We Can Change" and "Baby You're Power" accompany this episode.
Nicie Spicie is making people happy all over the state of Michigan this summer. This beer is a deliciosu brew made with lemon zest, orange zest, corriander, and peppercorns. Nicie Spicie is an original homebrew from Joe Short, and a staple at Short's Brewing Company.
This week Bridgett Beckwith and Jon Wojtowicz bring us a little "farm to table" episode featuring local artisan, Sue Kurta and her business Boss Mouse Cheese, of Kingsley, MI.
We first meet up with Sue to pick up her milk in Traverse City at Moomers farm, where we talk to Jon Plummer. Sue gives us some insight on how important the relationship with your local farmer is and how it's helped to grow her business.
We then head to Sue's farm in Kingsley where we start the process of making a swiss cheese which is soaked for about 24 hours in a Good Humans brine. Bridgett and Woj get a lesson in everything cheese and a little insight into starting a business in Northern Michigan.
We would like to thank Sue Kurta and Jon Plummer for the opportunity to step into their worlds for a day and compare the process of making craft cheese to craft beer.
The music you hear in this episode is kindly provided by The Crane Wives who will be performing at the pub on Friday, May 15th at 8:30pm for American Craft Beer Week. For more information on all the activtivies happening for ACBW, check out www.shortsbrewing.com/events.
In this episode of Short's Cast, Woj sits down with Joe Short and his brewing mentor, Dan Rogers. Dan is the head brewer at Griffin Claw Brewing Company and is the man behind the Short's cult classic, "Dan's Pink Skirt".
Seem's fitting that this interview took place on the morning of the 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza where Joe got to celebrate another year of Short's Brewing Company and looked to the future of brewing in Bellaire. Dan and Joe talk about how they met at the late Michigan Brewing Company and how Dan pushed Joe to become the brewmaster and businessman he is today.
Cheers to you Dan Rogers!
On April 25th 2015 Short's celebrated its 11 year anniversary with a huge party on the streets of downtown Bellaire, Michigan. Short's released seven new beers and three new Starcut Ciders. Specialty releases included 750 ml bottles of The Creepster, the 3rd installment of the Private Stache Series and Anniversary Ale six packs.
Entertainment came in the form of live music by The Accidentals, Vulfpeck, and Greensky Bluegrass. Short's Cast Producer, Mike Moran, traveled through the festival talking to staff and attendees. You'll hear from many members of the Short's Family on this episode alongside music from Vulfpeck, recorded by Neon Sanders of WJLH in Kalamazoo. You can download the set for free here.
We also talk to Short's own videographer, Mark Goethal, who filmed the first "Short's Film" that debuted before Joe's "State of the Brewery Address."
There was alot happening during our Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza and we want to give a big shout out to all the Short's fans who attended fantastic day in Short's history.
To find pictures and quotes from the party on social media check out #SBCANNIPARTY11.
Below is a list of links from the event:
Short's 11 Year Anni Movie
Joe's State of the Brewery Address
Vulfpecks Live music set from Neon Sanders of WJLH in Kalamazoo
Over here in Short's land everyone is gearing up for the 11th Anniversary Extravaganza, taking place this weekend in downtown Bellaire. Fortunately, Short's Cast got to sneak away and talk to Jeff Vandenberg, co-owner of one of our favorite venues The Pyramid Scheme.
Bridgett and Woj talk to Jeff about the growth of Grand Rapids and the changes it's seen over the last 20 years. They also dive into the history of the Pyramid Scheme and how their relationship with Short's began.
Music in this podcast was provided by the band Greensky Bluegrass, you'll hear their songs "Hand Guns" and "Forget Everything." They'll be peforming at the 11th Anni Party with Vulfpeck and The Accidentals.
For more information on Short's Cast, The Anni Party, and the new Private Stache Series, please visit www.shortsbrewing.com.
Today we are bring you a BONUS EPISODE! Another installment of our live music series where we sit down with some of the amazing songwriters and musicians who play at Short's Pub and Short's events. This time Joe Short sits down with Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass.
Greensky Bluegrass is returning to Michigan after wrapping up another national tour (they're kind of a bid deal). We are so excited to have Greensky up to Bellaire for Short's Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza on April 25th!
Band songwriter, Paul Hoffman, talks about the bands formation, and the early days playing at the pub. Greensky Bluegrass recently released an album called "If Sorrows Swim" and you are going to hear the song "Windsheild."
Please visit http://shortsbrew.com/anniparty for tickets and more information about their performance at Short's.
We're back with another Live Music episode of Short's Cast! Today we are absolutely stoked to be releasing this interview with Joe Short, Theo Katzman, and Joe Dart of the band Vulfpeck. Vulfpeck has created quite a buzz due to their excellant musicianship, well crafted songs, and amazing videos.
You'll hear songs like Adrienne and Adrianne, 1612, Christmas in L.A., and It Gets Funkier. We highly recommend you subscribe to their YouTube Channel and check out their albums on Itunes.
Vulfpeck will be performing at Short's 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza in downtown Bellaire, MI on April 25th. For tickets and more information please visit www.shortsbrewing.com/anniparty.
Welcome to the 4th installment of our Live Music Series here on Short's Cast. Today our venue manager and the man responsible for all music booking at the pub in Bellaire, Rob Lewis, takes the host chair. He is joined by the talented singer-songwriter group, The Accidentals.
Savannah Buist and Katie Larson are back home in Traverse City from their busy touring schedule to talk about their beginnings, travels, and most importantly the music. The term "wise beyond their years" is thrown around a lot when it comes to young musicians in the music business, but with The Accidentals, that statement is certainly true.
On this episode, you'll hear songs like, "The Shoulders of Giants" and "Trouble." You'll also hear about their influences and plans to release more music. The Accidentals are going to be performing at Short's Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza on Saturday, April 25th, 2015 in downtown Bellaire along with Vulfpeck and Greensky Bluegrass. It's going to be an amazing celebration of craft beer and live music. We hope to see you there...because really...you should be. Love Short's Cast.
We're excited to bring in our Head Pub Brewer, Ryan Hale and our QC Scientist, Sam Decamp to talk about the science behind sour beers as well as Short's new Pub-only Private Stache Series. This series is being released exclusively at the pub so please keep up on the website for more details about these exciting new beers.
Bridgett and Gillian sit down with Sam and Ryan to learn about the orgin of sour beers and the difference between "sours" and "wild ales". We specifically highlight two beers "Pinball Whispers" and "Alicornucopia". We also give you a preview of whats up next in the the Private Stache series.
On this episode of the Short's Cast we meet Jesse Den Herder. Jesse is the Art Director here at Short's and he's been in charge of the label design lay out for each bottle of the Private Stache series. Jesse talks about the creative process behind those labels and how we he works with artists from all over the country on these amazing designs.
Music from this podcast was generously provided by May Erlewine who will be performing at the pub on April 2nd. You'll hear her song "Seeds" off of her new album "Welcome Back" with Seth Bernard. You'll also hear one of her latest tracks off of the produced with Seth Bernard called "Siren Song". May has got a new album coming this summer, check out her website at www.mayerlewine.com for more info.
You might have heard about some party being held in downtown Bellaire on April 25th. Well, that would be Short's Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza friends, and what a party it's going to be! If you listened to this episode you know there will be another Private Stache release as well as great music from The Accidentals, Vulfpeck, and Greensky Bluegrass. Make sure you go to Shortsbrewing.com to purchase tickets and plan your trip to Bellaire!
Well it's about time Soft Parade takes a seat in the spotlight for our flagship beer series and we dive right in. We did talk about the story and nostalgia of The Soft Parade in episode two with Joe and Jack, but this episode breaks down the specs, costs, rumors, artwork, mistakes, and successes of how Soft Parade became Short's Brewing Company's top selling beer.
In our first segment Gillian Cobb sits down with Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz and Joe Short to talk about the storu of Soft Parade. Joe does some myth busting and Woj brings his A game to discuss this brew by the numbers.
In our second segment Joe calls up Fritz Horstman, the artist who designed the Soft Parade label and gives us some isnight into the mystery woman laying on the lawn chair.
The music you'll hear in this episode is from the band Stella!, who will be performing at the Pub in Bellaire on March 27th at 8pm. You'll hear the songs "I Got A Feller" and "I Suppose." You can purchase their album on their website www.thestellagirls.com.
The 11th Year Anniversary part is coming to the streets of downtown Bellaire this April. Last year was epic and this year plans are in place to kick it up a notch! Stay tuned to Short's Cast and Short's website www.shortsbrewing.com for more information.
Happy (late) St. Patrick's Day Short's Cast listeners. We hope you enjoyed a Moher Stout, sported some green, and enjoyed St. Patrick's Day with friends and family.
We did just that last week at 7 Monks Taproom where Bridgett and Gillian sat down with Jason Kasdorf, the GM of 7 Monks, as well as some Short's family members who went under the razor at the St. Baldrick's event which took place on March 14th, 2015. Curt Guntzviller, Josh Lockman, and Gerard Knoph join the show to talk about the 4th annual St. Baldrick's event where over 47 participants raised over $50,000.00 for cancer research in children.
A huge congratulations to 7 Monks who beat their goal by $15,000.00! Make sure you check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos of the event, and you can still donate at www.stbaldricks.org.
Short's Cast finally devotes and episode to the FOOD! This week we're sharing the stories behind some of our favorite pub grub, like the White Pepper, Flutes of Chi, and many more. Bridgett Beckwith and Jon Wojtowicz sit down with the people behind the food, Mark MacNaughton, Erin Kuethe, and Luke Meredith, who join the show to talk about kitchen life and how things in the kitchen will continue to evolve over the next couple of months with the new expansion.
Music heard in this episode is provided by Bennett who will be performing at the pub on Thursday March 12th, beginning at 7:00 pm. You'll hear their songs, "Back To You" and "Friend".
Our Beer Release is Moher Stout, which is hitting shelves this week at your local beverage supplier.
Preparations for Short's 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza are well underway, be sure you check out www.shortsbrewing.com for up to date information on this epic event held in the streets of downtown Bellaire.
We're headed into the woods of Traverse City to talk about this years Suds and Snow Festival at Timber Ridge Resort. This is the 9th Annual Suds and Snow and Short's has been a part of this festival since the beginning. Bridgett and Gillian sit down with David Truax and Sarah Bozarth, two crucial members of the Festival and Events team. They are just returning for the Winter Beer Fest in Grand Rapids so they've got this winter beer festival thing down. They talk about the perks and challenges of this type of event.
In our second segment we are joined by three of the four managers of Suds and Snow, our very own podcast producer, Mike Moran, Troy Daily, and Jeremy Smith. These three along with John Stocki are in their first year of managing and operating Suds and Snow. We talk about the changes to this year's event from live music and the number of breweries to logisitics and what it takes to make Suds and Snow the ultimate "Party in the Woods." Tickets are still available at www.SudsAndSnowTC.com
Brewer Al Russell reads this weeks beer release, Woodmaster!
Our original music in this episode is from Abigail Stauffer who will be performing at the pub on March 7th. You'll here her songs "Better Off Alone" and "Mine" from her album "Where I'm Going."
For all Short's events, music, food, swag, and most importantly GREAT BEER visit www.shortsbrewing.com.
Welcome to another episode of Short's Cast, the podcast that brings you the stories behind the people and beer of Short's Brewing Company. Today we learn the story of The Woodmaster, Bill Sohn. This interview reveals the relationship between Bill and Joe Short. Bill was absolutely vital in helping shae Short's. His craftsmanship is everywhere at Short's, especially the pub, which is why we call him The Woodmaster.
Later on in the interview we hear about the beer The Woodmaster and the story behind the label. There are a few beers brewed in tribute to the Sohn family and you'll have to tune in to this episode if you want to have the edge in your next Short's Beer Trivia night (Is that a thing?...maybe).
Our Beer Release this week is Chatterbox, part of this year's Pale Ale Series. You can find more information about upcoming beer releases, events, and live music at www.shortsbrewing.com
Welcome listeners to our third Live Music Podcast! We're honored to have Northern Michigan's own, Breathe Owl Breathe, made up of Micah Middaugh, Andrea Moreno-Beals, and Trevor Hobbs as guests on this week's episode.
As major fans of Breathe Owl Breathe, Joe Short and Jon Wojtowicz ask the bands questions about touring the country, their songwriting process, and how the band orignally formed.
The first song you'll hear is "Explorer" off of the album Passage of Pegasus;we'll let the band introduce the other songs on this episode. It was an amazing opportunity to sit down with a truly talented group of songwriters. We hope you check out their website at www.breatheowlbreathe.com and support this fantastic group of musicians. We hope to have them back at the pub this summer so keep an eye out on our events page at www.shortsbrewing.com/events/
With Valentines Day just around the corner, we wanted to cast light on some of the more romantic beers we've brewed, Wedding Beers!
On this episode of the Short's Cast Bridgett Beckwith is joined by Head Beer Liberator, Jon Wojtowicz to speak with the men and women behind the development and brewing of Short's Wedding Beers. Later in the show, Joe and Leah Short join in on the conversation and talk about their wedding and very own Wedding Beer, Ale La Reverend.
We are lucky to have music provided by The Ragbirds (who performed at Joe and Leah's wedding) on this episode of the Short's Cast. We encourage you to check out their music and pre-order their new album at www.TheRagBirds.com.
This week's beer release is Snow Wheat, available in 12 packs throughout the state for a limited time only.
Welcome to another exciting, dramatic, nail biting episode of Short's Cast! Over the past several weeks, we asked you, the listener for your questions about brewing, distribution, specific beers, and much more.
Today, we finally answer these questions! Bridgett and Gillian are joined by Head Brewer Tony Hansen, Head Pub Brewer Ryan Hale, and Business Development Director and Partner Scott Newman-Bale who all partake in this Q and A session with Short's followers. The questions from this episode came from Facebook, Twitter, and the Short's Cast web page.
Original music in this episode is brought to you by Fauxgrass. You'll be listening to "Riot in the Ranger" and "Maple Grove." They will be performing at the pub on February 6th, 2015 at 8pm.
Our beer release this week is "Goodnight Bodacious," available on store shelves now.
We're always looking for more questions and feedback on the show. You can email us at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com or head on over to our web page and leave us a message.
We know we say it often, but yet again, we are very excited to be bringing you an epic edition of the Short's Cast!
This week on Short's Cast Bridgett and guest host, Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz sat down with Tony Hansen, Joe Short, and Mark Sellers, founder of HopCat and Barfly Venture, LLC.
Mark shares with us about his background and his time spent as a musician as well as the History of HopCat. He even shares with us his connection to the RMS Titanic (think ship, not movie). While Tony, Joe and Woj explain what it takes to pull off a world record worthy tap takeover.
This week's beer release is Good Humans, a Delicious Double Brown Ale. The artwork for Good Humans comes from was created by our good friend, Seth Bernard. Good Humans will only be on the shelves for a few more weeks, be sure to pick up your six pack (or two), today
On this week's episode of the Short's Cast, host Gillian Cobb ventured to the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Conference at Boyne Highlands Resort to interview members of the Michigan craft beer industry.
While at the conference, Gillian spoke with individuals including Michigan Brewers Guild Executive Director, Scott Graham, Michigan Liqour Control Commissioner, Andrew Deloney, and Rex Halfpenny, Editor of Michigan Beer Guide. See below for a full list of guests.
Scott Graham - Executive Director of Michigan Brewers Guild
Andrew Deloney - Michigan Liquor Control Commission Chairman
Rex Halfpenny - Editor of Michigan Beer Guide
Jane Roach - K.A.R. Laboratories, Inc.
Fred Bueltmann- Author of "Beervangelist's Guide to the Galaxy", Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Partner at New Holland Brewing
Spencer Nevins - Vice President, Public Affairs and Council of the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association
The music featured in this episode is provided by the talented, Seth Bernard, who will be hosting an Open Mic and Community Jam at the pub on Febuary 3rd.
You can find all things Short's at www.shortsbrewing.com
Welcome back Short's Cast listeners and happy 2015! In this episode the producer of Short's Cast, Mike Moran walks us through a few of the highlights from the first 52 episodes of the Short's Cast.
We're all about engaging you the listerner in 2015 and we hope you connect with us for our future Q and A episodes. You can always leaves us a message on the Short's Cast page or send us an email at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
We hope you enjoy this episode and if you're new to the show we hope you check out some of the previous 52 episodes. We do our best to make the information timeless and relevant to the Michigan Craft Beer Community...Cheers!
For the last Short's Cast episode of 2014 we bring you a very special edition of our "Live Music Short's Cast" series where Joe sits down with one of his musical idols, Dean Ween, for a rare interview in between concerts at the Pub. Dean Ween and the Brownouts reprised their wickedly successful visit to Bellaire for the Short's 10 Year Anniversary Party with two concerts at the Pub on December 19th and December 20th, 2014. The music included in this podcast was recorded live at Short's Brewing Company.
During this episode Joe and Deaner talk about everything from the 10 Year Anniversary Party to what is on the horizon musically. The first live song you'll hear is "Sketches of Winkle," followed by "Buckingham Green." We closeout this episode with "The Final Alarm."
You can find more information about Mickey (Dean Ween) on his blog www.askdeaner.com.
His group, The Dean Ween Group at www.thedeanweengroup.com.
And of course, the official Ween website.
We will have this episode of the Short's Cast, photos, available at www.shortsbrewing.com.
On this week's episode of the Short's Cast Gillian and Bridgett sit down with various Short's staff members for a Short's Beer and Christmas cookie pairing episode. We're not really sure if anyone has tried this before so why not? Thanks to Erin, Sarah, Jessica, and Emily for each baking us a delicous batch of goodies to pair with beers like Snow Wheat, Cup a Joe, Black Chai, and Happy Jack.
The music in this episode is from the talented Breathe Owl Breathe who is performing at the pub on Sunday, December 28th. You'll hear the songs "Dog Walkers of the New" and "Drop and Roll". Check out their website at www.breatheowlbreathe.com.
You can find all information regarding Short's at www.shortsbrewing.com. If you have any questions or comments for the show email us at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com
Happy Holiday's from everyone at Short's
Movie Sound Bites in this episode are from the movie "Elf" a New Lines Cinema Film and a Guy Walks Into A Bar production, Directed by Jon Favreau. The clip you'll hear is from Will Ferrell.
Welcome to the 50th episode of Short's Cast! Yup, 50 EPISODES! With only a few weeks left in 2014, we wanted to bring you an extra special episode of the Short's Cast, one with guest host Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz, head brewer Tony Hansen, and Steve Ison. The guys join Gill to share the story of the beer "The Liberator."
Later in the show Joe joins us to talk about the formation of the Short's Brewing Company Beer Liberation Department and the man who spearheads this department today, Short's Head Beer Liberator, Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz.
Our music today is provided by the band Airborne or Aquatic who share the tunes "Field Of Life" and "Where The Tall Grass Grows." You can purchase their new album SISU at www.earthworkmusic.com.
We greatly appreciate the listeners and supporters of this podcast. Make sure you check out www.shortsbrewing.com for all information regarding our beer, our Pub, our online store, and our new physical store location, Short's Mart.
Welcome Short's Cast listeners. Today we are excited to sit down and talk about a beer that is near and dear to our hearts, Huma Lupa Licious aka HUMA. Joe Short and Tony Hansen sit down to share the history of Huma Lupa Licious with Bridgett and Gillian.
Later on the show artist Fritz Horstman joins us to discuss how he create the label art for Huma. Huma is a beer we are very proud of here at Short's and if you have any stories or questions about Huma Lupa Licious, drop us an email at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com and we'll address them in an upcoming Q & A episode of the Short's Cast.
Our Beer Release today is the 2015 Peoples choice award winner, Cup a Joe, made with Higher Grounds Coffee! Look for this delicious stout in stores this week.
For all things Short's, please visit www.shortsbrewing.com.
On this episode of the Short's Cast Bridgett and Gillian sit down with Head Pub Brewer Ryan Hale, and Head Beer Liberator, Jon Wojtowicz aka "Woj". Ryan and Woj speak with us about the history of stouts and share some insight into Short's philosophy on stouts. This year, we are happy to have released five new stouts at our annual Brewski Bash (four of which you can find on tap at the pub, today).
Ryan and Woj walk Bridgett and Gillian through the process of how Short's develops beer descriptions through a specific tasting process. On our tasting menu for this episode are new stouts "Swirl Stout," "Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout" and "Cone Thugs" as well as an old favorite, "Smugglin' Plums."
Also on this episode of the Short's Cast we announce the 2015 Fan's Choice winner. We received these results late last night and wanted to be sure to share this news on the stout episode...wink...wink.
The music for this episode is from The Appleseed Collective who will be taking the stage in Bellaire on December 5th at 8pm. Today you're going to hear the songs "Pumpkin Pie" and "The Periwinkle Blues".
Short's goes on location to Einstein Cycles in Traverse City to announce the Short's Brewing Fat Bike Series. Four races located at two great resorts in Northern Michigan. Timber Ridge will host three of the four races, and the fourth will take place at Crystal Mountain.
This roundtable includes Cody and Jason of Einstein Cycles, along with two of our biggest fat bike enthusiats Matt Drake, and Brian Beckwith. Hosted by Bridgett and Gillian, the round table dives into the history of Einstein Cylces and how they became the premier retailer of Fat Bikes in the country.
Our music today is provided by the fabulous Crane Wives who will be performing at Brewski Bash on November 29th.
Short's has recently released a great interview with Jeremy "The Curl" VanSice who was a talented pubtender in the early days of the pub and can be found on the label art for "The Curl" now available in stores. You can watch the video interview between Jermey and Joe Short here...video
Our featured beer release this week is "Juicy Tree" and is currently available for limited time at your local Michigan beverage store.
We all ways apprecaite your feedback on Itunes, Stitcher, Facebook, Twitter, and email at shortscast@shortsbrewing.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Welcome Short's Cast listeners! Who's ready for some science? That's right, on today's episode of the Short's Cast we're chatting with Sam "The Science Man" Decamp, Short's very own QC/QA Analyst about the teeny tiny microbes in our beer.
Later in the show we also hear from our friend Jack Archiable, who tells us a yeasty story from his days at Traverse Brewing Company.
The music you'll hear on this episode of the Short's Cast is from The Go Rounds who will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on November 22nd. They just released another six song album that you can listen to on their site www.thegorounds.bandcamp.com. Today you'll hear the songs "Rewarding", "Empty Eyes", and "Sunnyside Up".
Our beer release this week is Snow Wheat read by a man who needs no introduction, Nicholas "Skinny" Fairbanks. Snow Wheat is a delicious Hefeweizen, perfect for our snowy weather. Be sure to pick up your very own 12 pack today!
Well hello citizens of Earth, today we have breaking news for you. The kind of news that creates uproar across the state of Michigan. That's right the 2015 Short's Beer Release Schedule will be announced in this episode! What beers made the bottling list? Which ones didn't? But you do have a chance to vote for one of six beers that are on the bubble of being bottled, BUT YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW TO FIND OUT HOW.
This weeks Beer Release is The Curl read by the one and only Jack Archiable, who gives us a little story about the silouette on the lable.
This episode is made possible by The Great Beerd run, a 5k fun run, taking place for the first time every at the Grand Traverse Resort Pavilion tents. For registration information go to www.Grandtraverseresort.com/Beerdrun
Welcome Short's Cast listeners to the first installment of our Flagship Beer series. This week we are excited to feature one of our personal favorites, Bellaire Brown.
CEO and Creative Engineer, Joe Short and Tony Hansen sit down with Bridgett and Gillian to talk about Bellaire Brown's humble beginnings and the reasons behind it's status as a company favorite and Flagship beer.
Later in the show, we speak with Fritz Horstman, the artist who designed the label for Bellaire Brown and over 60 other labels for Short's Brewing Company.
This podcast was made possible by the "Great Beerd Run", the first ever 5k fun run at the Grand Traverse Pavilion tent at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. We at Short's have been grooming our beerd's in preparation for this exciting event!
This week's beer release brought to you by the one and only, Woj, is the highly anticipated Fall Variety Pack featuring Dan's Pink Skirt, Thirst Mutilator, The Magician, Alter Spalter
Thanks for listening! Interact with us on facebook, twitter, or shoot us an email to shortscast@shortsbrewing.com Enjoy the fall colors!
This is an original Halloween story written and narrated by Joe Short. Starring Simon Short as Nomas, and Elmer Short as Remli.
Stay tuned for an interview with the stars after the story.
www.shortsbrewing.com