There’s no wrong way to celebrate National S’mores Day, but there might be a best way — and it involves a beer that was built to taste like the treat itself. Short’s Brewing Company out of Bellaire, Michigan, has been perfecting its S’more Stout since 2008, brewing it with graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, and smoked malt so that every sip hits the same notes as the real thing: sweet marshmallow cream, milk chocolate, and a lingering whisper of campfire smoke. Legend has it the beer was a joint effort between Short’s founders, and nobody can quite agree who gets the credit — but everyone agrees it’s one of the brewery’s most beloved stouts.
So here’s the move for August 10th: build a proper s’more — toasted marshmallow, a square of milk chocolate, two graham crackers, the works — and pour a S’more Stout right alongside it. If you really want to do it right, do what Short’s does at the pub and top your glass with a marshmallow set on fire with a match. It sounds like a party trick, but that flash of caramelized sugar and smoke is exactly what makes the beer sing. Between the actual dessert and the beer that mimics it, you get a double dose of campfire nostalgia without needing to build an actual fire.
What makes this stout a legend in the s’mores-beer category isn’t just the flavor — it’s the origin story. Short’s first attempted the recipe back in 2008, and it was one of the most challenging beers they’d ever brewed — tracking down five-gallon buckets of marshmallow fluff and 20-pound bars of milk chocolate isn’t exactly standard brewery shopping. A year later they dialed in the smoked malt for that extra campfire kick, and a beer that started as a pub inside joke turned into one of Short’s most popular stouts ever made. Drink it fireside in the fall, or just close your eyes and pretend — either way, don’t skip the flaming marshmallow. Short’s really means it.
Address: 121 N. Bridge St, Bellaire, MI 49615
Website: https://www.shortsbrewing.com/beers/smore-stout/