It’s been 10 years since the Imperial Beer Series was originally released. 13 exceptional experimental beers that a young Joe Short dreamed of creating, finally came to fruition in 2007. A decade later, with hundreds of beers added to the portfolio, we still find ourselves yearning for those now-classic Short’s Brews. One of the favorites from this series includes The Woodmaster.
Woodmaster (10.5% ABV – 23 IBU) is a high gravity, American Brown Ale fermented with Northern Michigan maple syrup and toasted pecans. This dark brown, full bodied ale is rich with sweet malt and syrup flavors. These flavors are complemented by the presence of hop aromas and a faint nuttiness.
Here’s the story of Woodmaster as told by Joe Short:
This is a beer I dedicate to one of the most respectable, integral humans the world will ever know. Bill Sohn, who is also known as the Woodmaster around Short’s Brewing Company, is responsible for making it possible for me to craft this fine ale. Without the support of Bill and Pat Sohn, this beer, and Short’s Brewing Company, would not exist. It was the fall of 2002. Inside the wood shop located on Pontius road, Bill and I shared a bottle of an Imperial Stout I had made. While enjoying that beer, I exclaimed my frustrations with my current brewing job; how I wanted to leave and build my own brewery. It was there, in that wood shop, that Bill encouraged my thought and offered to support my idea and help develop it into a business. Still, to this day, Bill provides support and guidance to me and Short’s Brewing Company. When I first met Bill, he was an American swill drinker. A beverage we commonly refer to as monkey piss. After exposing him to several of my home brews, Bill soon began to fancy the glorious malt complexity of the beer we know now as the Bellaire Brown. Over the course of my home brewing, and soon into my professional brewing career, Bill and I grew together, as we both enjoyed beer, woodworking, and the excitement of building a brewery. Every step of the way, Bill had nurtured and guided my spirit with his love, dedication and wisdom to see my dream come to fruition. Bill still actively participates in our events and continues to fill our everlasting wood shop orders. Along with our tap handles, nearly every piece of wood in our facility has been processed by the Woodmaster himself. The label on this bottle is a painting produced from an actual picture of Bill tapping a maple tree, in his yard on Pontius road, when he was about the same age as I am now (28). There are several elements connecting this beer to the man, the label and the company. I used maple syrup and pecans as extra ingredients to the formula of the double brown ale. It was appropriate because they both come from trees, and brown was the “conversion” beer for Bill. The label is important because it connects the craftsman approach to the product, the maple syrup, and the integrity of the man. It also articulates the use of working with wood and raw materials, much like the raw material we used to build the pub with. It is with sincere gratitude and love that I dedicate this fine ale, as the crown jewel of the entire Imperial Beer Series of 2007, to Bill Sohn.
So there you have it. That’s a wrap on the 2017 specialty release beers, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to end the year by bringing this beer back to Michiganders just in time for the holidays. Look for six packs on store shelves this week!
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