Short’s Good Samaritan Ale

Good Samaritan – Amber Ale Brewed with Apple Cider

Short’s Brewing Company – Elk Rapids, MI

Information: I once again have no information from their site. For some odd reason it seems that Short’s kind of picks and chooses which beers to focus on or even post, which seems odd to me. Regardless, I shall sally forth undaunted and give you a completely unbiased and unfettered opinion.

The color is a vibrant red with a thick, rich head that piles on itself and does a fine job of hanging around for a bit, too. The nose is immediately an amalgam of apples and bananas, almost as though someone peeled a banana and had a bottle of apple sauce open right next to the beer. Interesting. There’s also a strong back-up of fresh mown grass and stone fruits. It’s certainly a different blend of scents, that’s for sure.

The taste is quite juicy with a definite fruit forefront. It is heavily apple-ish with a very clean palate of dry hay and a tint of hoppy bitterness. It’s malty, but not cloyingly so, and the flavor of the fruit comes through despite the fact that there is a purely ale appeal (get it? aPEEL?) to it. It’s not that it has a total hold on its cider upbringings, but it is definitely reminiscent of a fall flavor. Since I am, sadly, not an apple cider (or juice, for that matter) fan, this is a little against my typical enjoyment, but it is far better than I expected considering it’s recipe. It’s not overly sweet while still maintaining the apple-y sugar level, and it does have an odd caramel note that makes an appearance at the finale, almost as though they used brown sugar in the blend… or possibly honey, though it doesn’t have that earthy tang. It is a good beer, though not great. At least for me. This would go surprisingly well with an apple pie, though.

Rating: * * *
Apple cider meets ale in a cataclysmic amalgam.