Short's Cast

It wasn't easy, but the Short's pub expansion in Bellaire has been completed. Bridgett and Woj sit down with CEO Joe Short, Project Manager Chris Clore, and Head Chef Luke Meredith to talk all the nitty gritty details of what it took to pull of this expansion while the pub stayed open for business.  There were only two days where the kitchen was closed for business for the staff to move in and organize the new space. Traverse City catering company The Daily Blend, served customers paella over those two days and kept the people happy.  Luke Meredith talks about the ebb and flow of the new kitchen and how the staff has been able to increase productivity and efficiency. Chris Clore gives us an in depth description on what it was like to renovate the old pharmacy and turn it into the avacado room. Finally, Joe Short talks about the decisions the executive team faced and the negotiations that had to be made to purchase the old pharmacy.  Music for this episode was kindly provided by the band Gifts or Creatures who

On this episode of Short's Cast we're going to delve into the process (and maybe even some of the secrets) of Spruce Pilsner. One of the beers that Short's entire staff has a hand in making, Spruce Pilsner, is now available in stores all across the great state of Michigan. Bridgett and Woj start off by interviewing Short's CEO and Creative Engineer, Joe Short, who's favorite beer happens to be Spruce Pilsner. He talks about its oringal Imperial Beer Series debut and how the beer has evolved over the years. Jessica Bond from HR brings us highlights from the staff's adventure to Joe's super secret blue spruce grove. It was many staff members first time spruce tip picking - which isn't exactly an easy thing to do.  Night Brewer, Sean Niemisto, comes into work early to talk about the entire process of brewing Spruce Pilsner and improvements the Short's team has made to the process. There's a lot of good nuggets here for those who want to learn more about brewing craft beer. The music for this episode was kindly p

The environmental definition of sustainability is "the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance." Which sounds like something we should all be doing and there are a few breweries right here in Michigan doing their part. Short's Brewing Company is one of those breweries who's has taken massive action in the last couple years focusing on sustainable growth and they are not alone. Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids is doing amazing things with their sustainability program. In the second half of the show we talk to owner Kris Spauling, who heads up sustainability and human resources at Brewery Vivant. She breaks down the actions their brewery took in order to become a "B Corp" and certified "Bike Friendly". Before we talk with Kris, Woj and Bridgett sit down with Short's Director of Quality, Tyler Glaze. Tyler gives a brief history of how Short's has been keeping it sustainable and the actions SBC is taking to keep Short's dedic

It's a beautiful thing when two craft breweries collaborate and there are so many ways to do so. Brewing together, grilling together, and heck, podcasting together sounds like a great idea too! New Holland Brewing Company’s very own Fred Bueltmann, known as The Beervangelist, was kind enough to travel north to Elk Rapids. Not only to join us for a Short’s Cast episode, but also to fire up the grill and cook a huge meal for Short’s Production Facility staff members and educate us on his philosophy of food and beer pairing. Fred Bueltmann, Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz, and Forrest Moline worked together to design a five course menu that would be grilled on-site.  You'll hear sound bites from the prep stage all they way up to serving the tasty grilled courses, as well as comments from the Short's staff members who were able to attend. Special thanks to Luke Meredith for helping gather supplies and coordinate this meal! Each course was paired with a craft beer from New Holland and Short's. You'll also hear a roundtable co

We're bringing the Happy Jack to the Short's Cast. That's right all you Michigan craft beer historians, Short's very own Jack Archiable joins Bridgett and Woj to talk about the past, present, and future of Michigan craft beer. There is no limit to where this conversation will go, in fact it goes back about about twenty years to Jack's brewery, Traverse Brewing Company, which was the 7th registered brewery in the state of Michigan. Jack is a treasure to all of us here at Short's and this episode showcases everything we love about him. Music in this podcast was provided by The Appleseed Collective out of Ann Arbor. You're going to hear their original song "Pumpkin Pie." Check out their website www.theappleseedcollective.com. Strawberry Short's Cake is officially available in six packs all across the great lake state, and you better snatch one up soon because Strawberry Short's Cake Floats are absolutely delcious. Get yourself some Moomers Vanilla ice cream and give one a try.  

It's time to get back to talking about flagship beers and this episodes is an ode to Local's. Not just the beer, but the people of Bellaire because that is exactly who this beer was brewed for. This episode of Short's Cast was recorded on a pontoon boat, that's right...breaking all the podcasting rules with this one. One of Joe Short's favorite things to do is water ski, and just before he goes out for his first run of the year he sits down with Short's Cast hosts Bridgett Beckwith and Jon Wojtowictz. Pubtender Jesse Hoffman makes a cameo appearance to give his take on the highest selling beer at the pub. If you haven't seen our sweet trailer for the podcast filmed by our videographer Mark Goethel you should probably check it out. Local's Trailer In the second half of the show we talk to Short's Brewing label artist Tonya Whitley who has drawn up close to 70 labels for Short's and recently did the revision of the label for Local's. She talks about her process of designing the labels and working with Short's A

When it comes to political episodes, this is about as political as we get here on Short's Cast. Some people say "we need to bring in the suits on this one" well for us it's "we need to bring in the beards," and what glorious beards they are. Two members of the executive team, Brian Beckwith (Chief Financial Officer) and Scott Newman Bale (President of Business Development) join Bridgett Beckwith (Director of Marketing) to talk about the recent changes to proposed legislation impacting the beer industry.  You'll also hear clips from our Michigan senators. We thank Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Senator Gary Peters for joining us on the show and providing their comments on the growth of the craft beer industry in Michigan.   Members of the Brewers Association hit capitol hill a couple weeks ago to discuss "The Small Brewers Act" with congress. As of this week, new legislation has been proposed and "The Craft Beverage Mondernization and Tax Reform Act" has real potential to get passed. You'll hear Scott and Brian

COOL PEOPLE ALERT!!!! That's right the type of people who make this world a better place. This is a Short's Cast devoted to highlighting some great organizations right here in Antrim County. Matt Drake joins Bridgett Beckwith to host this episode and first they sit down with Haley Breniser who is the Executive Director of Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire, Michigan. She talks about her role at Grass River educating the public on the trails and studies they are a part of. They also maintain the trails for all of us to enjoy.  Next we bring in one of our pubtenders, Dianna Robinson, who is also the Office Administrator at the Antrim County Conservation District. She gives us some insight on what the Conservation District does in helping county residents deal with things like soil erosion, invasive Species, and much more. She just designed a beautiful website that you can visit here at www.antrimcd.com Matt Drake then heads to Traverse City to talk about the Long and Short's Bike Tour with John Roe, Northern

The Short's Fest and Events team is coming off some major victories with the 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza being a huge success, as well as events like Conquer The Village, Extreme Beer Fest, and many more. We had to bring David Truax and Sarah Bozarth back into the studio to look ahead to recap past events and look forward to summer 2015. Woj and Bridgett take the hosting chairs to try and pry some previews out of the Fest and Events Team which keeps their designs in house until the day of the event. Each Fest and Events team member has a different skill set and consistently breathe their talents and passion for the craft beer industry in everything they do. The music in this podcast was kindly provided by the band Dragon Wagon out of Ann Arbor. They will be performing at the pub in Bellaire on June 5th starting at 8:30pm. On this episode you'll hear their songs "So The Story Goes" and "Whiskey in the Morning". You can find more information about Dragon Wagon on their website www.dragonwagonband.com. We a

This is it, the episode we've all been waiting for! We're finally talking Starcut Ciders and who better to rap about this new brand of hard cider then Joe Short, Matt Drake, Tony Hansen, and Ryan Hale. Joe and Matt sit in the host chair this week to pick Tony and Ryan's brains about the new cider division and explain to us just how Starcut came to be. From previous episodes, we all know that Tony Hansen grew up on a farm making wine and cider before becoming the Head Brewer at Short's. And Ryan... well he's crazy experimental with just about everything. This is a fantastic episode that will give the craft beverage enthusiast a great education on what it takes to start making cider. A one word answer to what it takes would be PASSION; hot, sticky, juicy, PASSION.  The music you'll hear on this episode was kindly provided by The Appleseed Collective who is performing at the pub on Saturday May 30th at 8:30pm. They just recorded a live album at The Ark in Ann Arbor, and you'll hear their song "Bad Man."  Tyler G

Short's Cast took the week off of production, but is re-releasing a very educational episode about the new wastewater treatment plant at Short's Production Facility in Elk Rapids. This episode was recorded last year, just outside the Production Facility and features our Quality Manager, Tyler Glaze, and is hosted by Pauline Knighton and Matt Gacioch. Show notes from this episode are included below. "Hello and welcome back to Short's Cast. We've done an episode on water before but not like this one. Short's is about to break ground on their new wastewater treatment plant, so we brought in Tyler Glaze to talk about what that means for Short's beer and the city of Elk Rapids. As always, Tyler delivers info that will impress your friends, family, and help you attain a few honorary degrees along the way.  We are honored to feature Seth Bernard's music on today's Short's Cast. He is playing solo tonight! June 10th at the brew pub in bellaire. His songs "We Can Change" and "Baby You're Power" accompany this episode.

This week Bridgett Beckwith and Jon Wojtowicz bring us a little "farm to table" episode featuring local artisan, Sue Kurta and her business Boss Mouse Cheese, of Kingsley, MI. We first meet up with Sue to pick up her milk in Traverse City at Moomers farm, where we talk to Jon Plummer. Sue gives us some insight on how important the relationship with your local farmer is and how it's helped to grow her business. We then head to Sue's farm in Kingsley where we start the process of making a swiss cheese which is soaked for about 24 hours in a Good Humans brine. Bridgett and Woj get a lesson in everything cheese and a little insight into starting a business in Northern Michigan.  We would like to thank Sue Kurta and Jon Plummer for the opportunity to step into their worlds for a day and compare the process of making craft cheese to craft beer.  The music you hear in this episode is kindly provided by The Crane Wives who will be performing at the pub on Friday, May 15th at 8:30pm for American Craft Beer Week. For m

In this episode of Short's Cast, Woj sits down with Joe Short and his brewing mentor, Dan Rogers. Dan is the head brewer at Griffin Claw Brewing Company and is the man behind the Short's cult classic, "Dan's Pink Skirt". Seem's fitting that this interview took place on the morning of the 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza where Joe got to celebrate another year of Short's Brewing Company and looked to the future of brewing in Bellaire. Dan and Joe talk about how they met at the late Michigan Brewing Company and how Dan pushed Joe to become the brewmaster and businessman he is today.  Cheers to you Dan Rogers!

On April 25th 2015 Short's celebrated its 11 year anniversary with a huge party on the streets of downtown Bellaire, Michigan. Short's released seven new beers and three new Starcut Ciders. Specialty releases included 750 ml bottles of The Creepster, the 3rd installment of the Private Stache Series and Anniversary Ale six packs.  Entertainment came in the form of live music by The Accidentals, Vulfpeck, and Greensky Bluegrass. Short's Cast Producer, Mike Moran, traveled through the festival talking to staff and attendees. You'll hear from many members of the Short's Family on this episode alongside music from Vulfpeck, recorded by Neon Sanders of WJLH in Kalamazoo. You can download the set for free here. We also talk to Short's own videographer, Mark Goethal, who filmed the first "Short's Film" that debuted before Joe's "State of the Brewery Address." There was alot happening during our Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza and we want to give a big shout out to all the Short's fans who attended fantastic day

Over here in Short's land everyone is gearing up for the 11th Anniversary Extravaganza, taking place this weekend in downtown Bellaire. Fortunately, Short's Cast got to sneak away and talk to Jeff Vandenberg, co-owner of one of our favorite venues The Pyramid Scheme. Bridgett and Woj talk to Jeff about the growth of Grand Rapids and the changes it's seen over the last 20 years. They also dive into the history of the Pyramid Scheme and how their relationship with Short's began.  Music in this podcast was provided by the band Greensky Bluegrass, you'll hear their songs "Hand Guns" and "Forget Everything." They'll be peforming at the 11th Anni Party with Vulfpeck and The Accidentals.  For more information on Short's Cast, The Anni Party, and the new Private Stache Series, please visit www.shortsbrewing.com.

Today we are bring you a BONUS EPISODE! Another installment of our live music series where we sit down with some of the amazing songwriters and musicians who play at Short's Pub and Short's events. This time Joe Short sits down with Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass. Greensky Bluegrass is returning to Michigan after wrapping up another national tour (they're kind of a bid deal). We are so excited to have Greensky up to Bellaire for Short's Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza on April 25th!  Band songwriter, Paul Hoffman, talks about the bands formation, and the early days playing at the pub. Greensky Bluegrass recently released an album called "If Sorrows Swim" and you are going to hear the song "Windsheild."  Please visit http://shortsbrew.com/anniparty for tickets and more information about their performance at Short's. 

We're back with another Live Music episode of Short's Cast! Today we are absolutely stoked to be releasing this interview with Joe Short, Theo Katzman, and Joe Dart of the band Vulfpeck. Vulfpeck has created quite a buzz due to their excellant musicianship, well crafted songs, and amazing videos. You'll hear songs like Adrienne and Adrianne, 1612, Christmas in L.A., and It Gets Funkier. We highly recommend you subscribe to their YouTube Channel and check out their albums on Itunes. Vulfpeck will be performing at Short's 11 Year Anniversary Extravaganza in downtown Bellaire, MI on April 25th. For tickets and more information please visit www.shortsbrewing.com/anniparty.  

Welcome to the 4th installment of our Live Music Series here on Short's Cast. Today our venue manager and the man responsible for all music booking at the pub in Bellaire, Rob Lewis, takes the host chair. He is joined by the talented singer-songwriter group, The Accidentals. Savannah Buist and Katie Larson are back home in Traverse City from their busy touring schedule to talk about their beginnings, travels, and most importantly the music. The term "wise beyond their years" is thrown around a lot when it comes to young musicians in the music business, but with The Accidentals, that statement is certainly true. On this episode, you'll hear songs like, "The Shoulders of Giants" and "Trouble." You'll also hear about their influences and plans to release more music. The Accidentals are going to be performing at Short's Eleven Year Anniversary Extravaganza on Saturday, April 25th, 2015 in downtown Bellaire along with Vulfpeck and Greensky Bluegrass. It's going to be an amazing celebration of craft beer and live m

We're excited to bring in our Head Pub Brewer, Ryan Hale and our QC Scientist, Sam Decamp to talk about the science behind sour beers as well as Short's new Pub-only Private Stache Series. This series is being released exclusively at the pub so please keep up on the website for more details about these exciting new beers. Bridgett and Gillian sit down with Sam and Ryan to learn about the orgin of sour beers and the difference between "sours" and "wild ales". We specifically highlight two beers "Pinball Whispers" and "Alicornucopia". We also give you a preview of whats up next in the the Private Stache series.  On this episode of the Short's Cast we meet Jesse Den Herder. Jesse is the Art Director here at Short's and he's been in charge of the label design lay out for each bottle of the Private Stache series. Jesse talks about the creative process behind those labels and how we he works with artists from all over the country on these amazing designs. Music from this podcast was generously provided by May Erlew

Well it's about time Soft Parade takes a seat in the spotlight for our flagship beer series and we dive right in. We did talk about the story and nostalgia of The Soft Parade in episode two with Joe and Jack, but this episode breaks down the specs, costs, rumors, artwork, mistakes, and successes of how Soft Parade became Short's Brewing Company's top selling beer.  In our first segment Gillian Cobb sits down with Jon "Woj" Wojtowicz and Joe Short to talk about the storu of Soft Parade. Joe does some myth busting and Woj brings his A game to discuss this brew by the numbers.  In our second segment Joe calls up Fritz Horstman, the artist who designed the Soft Parade label and gives us some isnight into the mystery woman laying on the lawn chair.  The music you'll hear in this episode is from the band Stella!, who will be performing at the Pub in Bellaire on March 27th at 8pm. You'll hear the songs "I Got A Feller" and "I Suppose." You can purchase their album on their website www.thestellagirls.com.  The 11th Y