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750ml

Bottle #184 of 780
Brewed 7/5/06

I was lucky enough to land this in a great trade with Hoppymeal, thanks Derek! Aorta Double Red pours a glowing slightly hazed ruby red. A few fine carbonation bubbles make their way to the surface but there's not much action. Two fingers worth of ivory head formed on the pour and eventually fell to a thick cap leaving sheet lacing on the fall. A really great looking beer!

My nose is immediately greeted with a good amount of mandarin orange and a tea-leaf like hoppiness. The mandarin is something I don't come across very often and I'm really diggin' it! Light caramel and toasty malts lay down the foundation and add a touch of sweetness. A hoppy red ale? Just my style!

The flavor follows the aroma step-by-step. The toasted graininess sets the stage for the more dominant hoppiness. There's hardly any bitterness involved but more of flavor, aroma, and a big dry hopping. The hoppiness comes along more tea leaf like in the flavor than the mandarin the aroma suggested but that may be because it's been a year and a half since the brewing. A very well put together red ale.

I've sampled a few Short's beers and the mouthfeel has been very good on each one, this is no exception. They manage to keep the body lighter than expected for such big beers. Velvety medium body with a mild carbonation but there's just enough there to tickle the tongue.

Aorta Ale is an easy one to put away. The alcohol, at 7.6%, never gets in the way. And it's all at once refreshing and delicious!

Aorta Ale is another really good brew from Short's. I would have loved to get a bottle of this fresh and give it a try. I'm sure the Columbus used would have been a real treat fresh because they're still damn good after a year and a half.

Reviewed: 4/6/08

Served In: Pint Glass