Photo by Mary Katelyn Heisler

Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, MI

I’ve already talked about my love for HopCat in Grand Rapids, and I’m definitely getting pretty close to calling Michigan one of the great, if not the greatest, beer state in America for dark beers, but I can now add Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, MI, to my list of favorite breweries. Aside from the name catching my attention, Über Goober also had a little asterisk next to its unique and gluttonous sounding nom d’plume. (Note to all: any beer with an asterisk should be immediately consumer. It probably means there’s danger involved, and asterisk + beer = heaven. Or at least I think that’s what I learned in my statistics class. Close enough, at least.) Despite the beer seeming to be a rather reasonable oatmeal stout with a standard touch of alcohol, I was curious to figure out the notation for the beer. Well, the asterisk didn’t spell DANGER for most, but the beer did contain peanuts, making this the Über Goober Peanut Oatmeal Stout. I’d never had a beer with peanuts so prominently displayed, so this selection was a no brainer. Über Goober, please.

After pouring a dark, thick, and sludgy blackish-brown, the Über Goober radiated with subtle touches of a roasted nutty nose that was coupled with just a tickling of cocoa. The taste was just as delightful, with all the characteristics of a fantastic oatmeal stout hitting the tongue. A rather roasted and dull-sweet chocolate taste took command out of the glass, with a creamy, smooth, and maybe just a tad watery texture mingling with some weaker elements of bitterness. The end notes were even more delightful, with the aforementioned chocolate taste giving way to a peanutty finish that wasn’t as overpowering as you might expect considering the name. Though the beer’s only around 7% ABV, the alcohol really came through and made the late dusting of peanut and chocolate even more delightful, making sure the beer didn’t head toward the sweeter side of Stout Land.

For an oatmeal stout, Über Goober is already a winner, with its flatter flavors and more subtle cocoa and cream accents. But add on top of that a unique peanut rush that doesn’t overpower but connects perfectly the standard tastes of a delightful oatmeal, and we’re talking about a real winner. Sure, this one might not have been quite as dangerous as the aterisk suggested (unless you have a peanut allergy, which in that case I would suggest staying away from this one–danger wouldn’t be fun for you), but I also have a theory about why the star was involved and what it connoted: Drink Immediately.