bellaire blast for dad

My hubby, Scott has been hankering to get to Short's Brewery in Bellaire ever since he met Joe Short at the Epicurean Classic Mise En Place reception sponsored by Traverse Magazine last year. And so, Father's Day we set off on an impromptu adventure to Bellaire. I say impromptu because we forgot to get directions and realizing that en route, I figured we would stumble along signs that would lead us. (I'm reminded of Lynda Twardowski's blog post, Confessions of a Travel Writer, about being lost.)

I suspect the owner of the grocery near Eastport is well-versed in directions to points within 50 miles of his business. Armed with his advice, our tour took us up and down through hills of orchards on M-88. Hubby had a hot Latin beat of Thalia and Albita keeping the beat and the little voice in the back seat remarked, "Bumpy!" As we passed the stately Blue Pelican in Central Lake, I put it on my list of places to visit. Perhaps an overnighter.

Bellaire's barber sill has a barber pole. And you'll find Short's Brewery just down the street. The place is warm and inviting, even for my little girl who made herself right at home exploring the music hall and climbing up the chairs at the counter.

Shorts is very kid friendly, with several peanut butter sandwiches, a grilled cheese and a pita pizza with marinara and mozzarella on the menu. (Just don't hand your growler to your teen as you juggle your t-shirt purchase and doggie bag on the way out the door.)

The only intimidating thing is the beer list. More than 15 to choose from. Scott chose Beach White, described as Short's style Hefeweizen, a delightful wheat beer with esters of banana and clove. Light and refreshing. And truly, banana. My hubby kept repeating, "He's a genius."

I went for The Magician: A dark red London ale with rich malt complexities lending notes of toasted caramel, raisins, toffee, and slight roast chocolate. Very light hop additions let the true malt characters promenade throughout the duration of this pleasurable experience. It sounds like a dessert. And I have to say that I loved it.

Our daughter chose an Izze pop--blueberry.

As we ordered a late lunch, Willy Jams, started playing in the other room. A regular performer on Sundays, Willy Jams had a great range of tunes to fit a lazy sunny afternoon: Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Cash, Tony Bennet, Bobby Darin and we think Toby Keith ...

To finish the meal, Scott ordered Rich's Rye, a rye Munich lager made with high alpha summit hops. Comparable to an India Pale Ale (IPA), the large amounts of hops used form a unique relationship with the rye adn Munich malt. And then, the ladies behind the counter brought our sandwiches--huge. Perfectly dressed, on fluffy ciabatta bread. Even our little girl ate her grilled cheese and my pickle. Sandwiches run from $7.25 to $8.50. Most beers are $3 for 14 oz. or $4.50 for 20 oz. Gourmet beers are $6.

It took Scott 20 minutes to figure out what he wanted to take home in a Growler. His consideration was all the more difficult because Joe Short himself came in and provided more inspiration. (My little girl told me a movie star was standing behind me; she thought Joe was Spiderman/Peter Parker. I hope he's flattered.) I'm pretty sure that Scott is more impressed by the genius brewmaster, than he would be a Hollywood actor ...

So there are more than a dozen beers we didn't get to ... which is your fave and why?