Friday, March 23, 2012

Drink This: Night Shift Brewing, Inc.

Over the last few weeks, I've attended two Pintley events at The Crimson Lounge and Sunset Grill and Tap. The events were both celebrating the launch of Night Shift Brewing's beers, which are brewed by three guys (Robert Burns, Michael O’Mara and Michael Oxton) in Everett, Mass. (You can read the full story behind the brewers and their beers here). 

Between the two events, I was fortunate enough to try all three of Night Shift Brewing's beers: the Taza StoutBee Tea, and Trifecta. The Bee Tea was delicious - but this post will only be focusing on the stout and the Trifecta.

First up is the Taza Stout (7.0% abv.). The beer is aged on organic roasted cacao nibs from Taza Chocolate, which is based in Somerville. Roasted chicory root and ginger also add a smooth coffee flavor to the mix. This definitely isn't one of the best stouts I've ever had, but I can always appreciate a stout that has a great balance of chocolate and coffee flavors - with local ingredients to boot.

 

The third beer Night Shift makes is their Trifecta (7.0% abv.), which is a Belgian-style pale ale. I can definitely see myself drinking this outside on a hot summer day - it was refreshing, crisp and wonderfully hoppy, with lively hints of citrus throughout. 


Night Shift Brewing's beers are available on tap at several bars and restaurants in the Boston area, and they're also available in bottles at several liquor stores. For a full list of where to find their beer, click here

Have you tried Night Shift Brewing's beers yet? If so, what's your review?

4 comments:

  1. I haven't tried them, but they sound great, and I love that they are local!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I attended a tasting in Somerville; I actually liked their stout quite a bit, as it wasn't as thick and heavy as most stouts. I thought the cacao nibs from Taza really gave it a drier, more earthy chocolate taste than other stouts, which usually have a very blunt chocolate taste without much complexity. I completely agree on the Trifecta. While Belgian style beers, especially those with a higher alcohol content, can often be too heavy for my taste (for some reason I often think they taste of soap), Trifecta was very crisp with a deep palate of hops, citrus, and vanilla. A great summertime beer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I attended a tasting in Somerville; I actually liked their stout quite a bit, as it wasn't as thick and heavy as most stouts. I thought the cacao nibs from Taza really gave it a drier, more earthy chocolate taste than other stouts, which usually have a very blunt chocolate taste without much complexity. I completely agree on the Trifecta. While Belgian style beers, especially those with a higher alcohol content, can often be too heavy for my taste (for some reason I often think they taste of soap), Trifecta was very crisp with a deep palate of hops, citrus, and vanilla. A great summertime beer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd love to try the Taza beer and will be on the lookout for it!

    ReplyDelete