BELLAIRE — As fall tailgating season kicks off, Short’s Brewing Company is giving beer lovers a look inside how its Northern Michigan favorites go from idea to store shelves.
“All the beer ideas start with Joe or Ryan or Luke or Tony,” said Short’s Brewing Company Marketing and Brand Director Christa Brenner. “We test everything in Bellaire first. So we’ll brew a small batch and market test it with staff and guests at the pub. We take it to beer festivals and get real-time feedback before we decide to release something to the public.”
Short’s Brewing began in 2004 in downtown Bellaire, and its production facility opened in 2009. Founders Joe and Leah Short have grown the business beyond Northern Michigan, now distributing to eight states including Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado, with Texas coming soon.
Brenner said the company typically releases one or two new beers each year after extensive testing and creative planning.
“We brainstorm artwork and creative names, work with illustrators around the state, and go through state and legal approvals before production,” she said. “We try to brew as close to the release date as possible so everything is as fresh as possible.”
Production Brewer Jacob Lewis explained that the brewing process begins by extracting sugars from the grain, boiling the mixture to about a thousand gallons, and adding hops before fermentation.
The beer then moves through a network of pumps and tanks before packaging and distribution.
Short’s beers are brewed and packaged in Bellaire, then shipped to distributors. “It takes about a week to show up on store shelves from there,” Brenner said.
The company’s Bellaire pub and its Elk Rapids “Pull Barn” remain central gathering spots for locals and visitors.
“Joe put his original Bellaire location in because he wanted to be the center of the community for people,” Brenner said. “We host a lot of community events and fundraisers. We really want our communities to feel safe and welcome here.”
As the seasons change, so does the brewery’s lineup. Fall releases include the Pure Michigan Fall IPA, Pumpkin Crusher, Bloody Beer, and Pure Michigan Fall, a collaboration with the Pure Michigan tourism campaign.
“Right now we’ve got all sorts of great fall beers out,” Brenner said. “It’s an amazing time to celebrate Northern Michigan and everything that makes it special.”