If you hang out an hour or so around roots-music buffs in Michigan, or around beer enthusiasts, or up north local-spirit type folks in general, I think the odds are good that the name SHORT’S will come up.
That’s how it’s been for me for a few years now.
Short’s is a brew pub up north in downtown Bellaire, Michigan.
I’ve heard that the food is fine and the music over the top and the beer, well…
Actually, I’ve enjoyed the beer many times already. When folks find out you like beer, Short’s will be right around the corner in terms of tastings. Heck, I’ve pulled from kegs of Short’s up at deer camp even. I’ve had it at weddings. It gets around.
Then there’s the music. I’m a fan of Daisy May & Seth Bernard (many posts about them here). For years I’ve heard that they regularly play at Short’s. So what more do I need to know?!
But I hadn’t been to the pub itself until the DALMAC bike tour pedaled thru Bellaire a couple weeks ago.
And what a rest stop that was!
The wait was well worth it.
When I heard that we were even coming CLOSE to passing by Bellaire on this tour I told my biking pal Chris that we would have to make the ultimate and most savvy detour around to this bar called Short’s.
Heck, down the road a bit on that same day, Seth and Daisy May were part of a big folk fest at a campground. Darn! I was trying to figure out how to do it all.
When we got our route maps on the day we set out I finally saw that the route actually went thru Bellaire. Bingo! We decided to keep it simple and just make sure to hit the bar.
For the next few days of the tour, whenever we’d encounter someone who was wilder than usual, who clearly loved beer and who was experienced, who perhaps even lived up north—like LOU AWODEY, for instance—we’d ask them “So what are you going to do when we ride thru Bellaire?” as a test. Sure enough, they ALL said SHORT’S!
Now, the tour hadn’t gone thru that town before. It only went nearby. And of course not everyone on route was a northlander, so whenever we pulled this hot tip from some old hand they’d follow up with, “Hey, that reminds me, I gotta start letting people know!”
It was near the end of our longest, hardest day of riding when we pulled into Bellaire. A bunch of other riders were in there already, but not too many.
Short’s was everything I thought it might be. The food was great. I saw their music line-up chalkboard—rockin’ in all the ways! The staff looks you in the eye and includes you in on their world—Hey, we’re all in this together, right? (“Man, I’m tired, that band was great last night.”)
And the beer was tops, super.
Get the HUMA LUPA IPA.
Huma Lupa is the name of a type of hop. IPA is about hops. Lots of them. Hops are bitter and grassy. A good IPA tastes like a new-mown lawn. Sassy!
But, man, Short’s has so much more to offer. Heck, they have several IPA’s. And they have unique beers up the wazoo. They all look fine. Made with care. And insight. There’s savvy in those parts. (As I recall they get an “A” from the BeerAdvocate.com folks.)
