Short’s Brewing Company- Hangin’ Frank: An IPA That Won’t Leave You Hanging

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Michigan to celebrate the wedding of one of my favorite people on Earth, Kari.  Kari and I worked together many, many moons ago and she is an amazing woman.  She worked as my sales assistant and let me tell you, she kept me out of trouble and made sure that my paperwork was tight and most of all, that I got paid.  We formed a great friendship that I hold dear to my heart.  Here is a chick that loves sports, extremely attractive and LOVES beer, good beer!  So when we got the invitation I told the wife that there was no way in hell that I was missing this one, not to mention that the wedding reception was being held at an indoor water park…can I get a “hell yeah”??  A week before we headed up my wife asked me, “What do you anticipate your beer budget to be?”  I’ve trained her correctly and am completely blessed that she lets me drop coin on out of state Craft Brew.  I started scoping out Craft Beer retailers close to where we were staying and found the Liquor Cabinet in St. Joseph, MI.  The store is nice and stocked with good selection of Craft Beer and well worth making the stop to pick up some brews on your stay or trip through Michigan.  What stood out most about their selection is that fact that they had Short’s Brewing Company’s Hangin’ Frank.  Wes had recently had his mother visit and she was kind enough to brewing him some down from northern Michigan.  Wes not only put one aside for me but told me how amazing it was.  I saw this as an opportunity to stock up myself and bring some back for my Craft Beer crew who frequently shares Craft Brews with one another.  I am so ready to dig in and see what Hangin’ Franks all about…it is poured and ready.

Short’s Brewing Company classifies this brew as a Strong Pale Ale and their website describes Hangin’ Frank as, “Loaded with hops like an IPA, yet drinks like a Pale Ale, we simply decided to call it a Strong Pale Ale. The fragrant, earthy citrus laced nose is instantly detectable. Large amounts of toasted grains and high alpha Simcoe hops form a perfect union that creates the cool sensation of toasted sourdough covered with zesty grapefruit hop marmalade.

Made exclusively for the City Park Grill.

Hangin Frank was one of Shorts first beers and was made and named for the City Park Grill in Petoskey. Here is an excerpt from the Petoskey news explaining why Frank is Hangin:

It is said that the ghost of Frank Fochtman, former owner of the City Park Grill in Petoskey, haunts the establishment today. Manager Jason Septic said it is rumored that Fochtman hung himself in the basement, when it was named Grill Cafe. ”I know many people who’ve just had a weird sensation or feeling that there’s someone else down there,” he said, adding that his hair has stood up on the back of his neck on occasion when down in the basement.

The ghost has on occasion been blamed for broken glasses, when they would just snap as they sat on the table. ”They seemed to, when just sitting on the table, break where the stem meets the glass,” Septic recalled. However, despite some broken stemware, Fochtman — commonly just called Frank by the staff — does not seem to have a mean or negative presence. ”My personal feeling is that he’d be here, just watching over the place,” Septic said.”

Hangin’ Frank pours a hazy golden orange with a fat 2” off white head.  The aroma is swimming with grapefruit, floral hops, and citrus with hints of sweet caramel malt.

I won’t lie; I drank a few of these over the past weekend and have to say that I was blown away!!  This is a phenomenal brew.  According to Short’s website, Hangin’ Frank is a seasonal brew made exclusively for the City Park Grill and they consider it a Strong Pale Ale despite stating India Pale Ale on the label.  What’s interesting is that it really drinks like a hybrid; it teeters on that line between the two styles and does it perfectly.  The flavor is more Pale Ale with that extra hop flavor of an IPA without the hop bite.  There is a subtle malt sweetness with an earthiness to it mid swallow that is both unique and tasty.  Regardless of the story, this is a great tribute brew that anyone would be proud to have named after them.  For some reason Short’s Brewing Company seems to be hit or miss with me but they jacked a home run with Hangin’ Frank.  This is one brew you don’t want to miss!

ABV:  5.5%

Consumed: Trinity Brewing Company Glass

Verdict: Buy A Case (or Two)

Short's Brewing Company- Hangin' Frank IPA: Another reason to keep living…

The first time I had Hanging Frank I was totally unaware of how privileged I actually was. I was back in my hometown of Petoskey, MI for a wedding and I swung by the City Park Grill for a brew. I love Shorts beer so I naturally ordered a Hanging Frank when I saw it on the menu. After a few months I asked my brother about this beer because I have not seen it around anywhere and that is when I learned that it was brewed exclusively for City Park Grill in honor of its old owner Frank, who hung himself in the basement and is rumored to haunt this old bar where Earnest Hemingway used to toss drinks back. They finally decided to bottle Hanging Frank and my awesome Mom brought some down when she visited this weekend.

Here is the scoop on Frank: “It is said that the ghost of Frank Fochtman, former owner of the City Park Grill in Petoskey, haunts the establishment today. Manager Jason Septic said it is rumored that Fochtman hung himself in the basement, when it was named Grill Cafe. ”I know many people who’ve just had a weird sensation or feeling that there’s someone else down there,” he said, adding that his hair has stood up on the back of his neck on occasion when down in the basement.

The ghost has on occasion been blamed for broken glasses, when they would just snap as they sat on the table. ”They seemed to, when just sitting on the table, break where the stem meets the glass,” Septic recalled. However, despite some broken stemware, Fochtman — commonly just called Frank by the staff — does not seem to have a mean or negative presence. ”My personal feeling is that he’d be here, just watching over the place,” Septic said.”

Hanging Frank is technically an IPA but Short’s calls it a Strong Pale Ale. It pours a watery orange hue with foam as dense as shaving cream. The carbonation is medium with an impressive amount of head retention. This is an IPA that is all hops baby. The aroma is piney with strong notes of citrus and oily flowers.

This brew would make Frank proud! If you consider yourself a “hop head” you better hunt Frank down. Short’s has crafted an opus to hop heaven hear. Hanging Frank has an amazing dry and piney finish. The hops just blast everything else out of the way. This beer is so tasty that you will have a hard time ever setting your glass down. Short’s may be changing the name amid controversy but, thank heaven, they are not changing the recipe. This is an ultra rare beer well worth the trouble of tracking down.

ABV: ???

Consumed: Pint Glass

Verdict: Buy a case