Belt's Beer Garden: Big man on campus

The big man on campus, Alex Alvarado (also known as our editor-in-chief), decided he wanted in on reviewing some beers. So naturally, I let him (because I had no choice). So without further ado, here's his review of Short's Dr. Zeus.

I don't drink beer at home for the most part. I'll do whiskey and Coke most of the time but almost never beer. However, for Christmas my gramma got me this 12-pack of bottled beer (three bottles of four different beers) made by Short's Brewing Co. Short's has some pretty good stuff. But I've never heard of these. So not knowing where to start with these, I handled this situation like I'd handle any situation that involves me drinking beer but not knowing what kind:

Go for the IPA.

It's a pretty decent beer. I'm not in love with it, but there's nothing too overpowering. Keep in mind, there are few IPAs that I love. I'm a Two Hearted kind of guy. I didn't really have high hopes for this beer though. I have easy expectations for these things. I've had all three and each time, it's exceeded said easy expectations.

Dr. Zeus goes down easily, has a quick aftertaste like a tarty beer should, and gets you the buzz you need when your basketball team starts off 1-4 in conference play (WITH LOSSES AGAINST BALL STATE AND MIAMI, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!). At least somebody's meeting expectations. Good on you, Short's.

Goes well with pizza. Would recommend if you're eating pizza at home. 7.5/10

I chose something a little different this week, with Deschutes Zarabanda.

We've tried Deschutes before, in their fresh hopped beer, Chasin' Freshies, but if you don't remember, they began back in 1988 and have grown considerably since. They are available throughout the western US and most of the Midwest - including Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan.

Zarabanda is an ale brewed with lime, pink peppercorn, sumac, and lemon verbena...and if you're like me, you are also wondering what the hell those last two ingredients are. Well, it turns out they're both flowers (thanks, Google!). It pours a cloudy orange color with not much head topping the beer. The aroma is somewhat cloudy as well. There is definitely the floral base, the verbena and sumac really showing themselves here (probably...) and, if you try really hard, you can smell the lime as well. It tastes much like it smells, very floral and smooth. There is a citrus undertone to it, thanks to the lime, but the peppercorn remained hidden to me. It's not dry or too carbonated making it a very easy beer to drink.

Zarabanda only has an IBU rating of 13, so there is no bitterness whatsoever and, with an ABV of 6.7%, it makes this beer dangerously good. There is very little aftertaste, just a few floral notes, so you want to keep drinking it. However, at $9.99 for a 22 ounce bomber, it doesn't come cheap. It is a nice, smooth beer so if you find it - I'd say get it. I give it an eight.