Night Shift Brewing Co.

I have no means been to every brewery in New England so take this with a grain of salt. Night Shift Brewing is the best brewery I’ve been to (up to this point!) in New England. Now now, before you start hammering away at me like a hapless Sean Spicer, it’s just one man’s opinion, folks. I’ve yet to take the pilgrimage out to Treehouse or explore the Maine breweries. But damn, Night Shift is a great brewery. I’d say easily the best in the Boston area. It’s nothing fancy. There are no gimmicks. It’s just great beer and that’s what makes you want to stand up and shout “Hallelujah!” after sipping on the juicy Whirlpool APA or sours they have on tap. Night Shift knows how to bring that heat with every pour.

Like many craft breweries before its time, Night Shift started in a small kitchen with some beer recipes and a splash of determination and a dash of American entrepreneurship spirit. The boys at Night Shift moved out of the kitchen and moved into a small, 3,000 sq. foot brewery. They turned the dream into a reality. Basically, what any person drinking a craft beer, deep in thought, wishes they did for a living (maybe it’s just me…). The brewery resides on the Santilli highway in Everett, MA. (hence the name for their Santilli IPA) or in the “Fermentation District” along with Bone Up Brewing and Short Path Distillery. Make sure to check out both of those since you’re already in the area!

A little tip here – if you are traveling to the brewery on a weekend, be prepared to either 1) get there early or 2) park a little ways and walk. They don’t serve food however there is usually a food truck at the brewery. Go on Night Shift’s website to get the specifics on which truck is serving food. The brewery is not located near any mass transit so grab a Ride Share and enjoy.

All in all, Night Shift had 24 beers readily available for consumption. Savage. They offer flights of four for $8. Pretty standard. Where you get in trouble is deciding on only four beers to try. It’s tough to pick so get a couple of flights. Treat yourself, go for two. You’ve earned these two or three flights, drunken splurging at the food truck, and expensive Uber back! Let’s take a look at the casualties.

Whirlpool APA (4.5%): Pours a pale, hazy yellow with excellent lacing on the pour. Lacing is the residue left on the side of the glass as you take a drink. It’s a good sign that the beer is well made when it has nice lacing on the sides of the glass. What I loved about Whirlpool is that it was a refreshing, not-too-bitter APA. Perfect summer brew. The beer has a nice peach aroma with hints of grapefruit on the taste…extremely juicy. The beer itself is not terribly complicated using Mosaic hops for an aroma profile and toss in a batch of Summer hops to give it that nice fruity taste.

Santilli IPA (6.0%): A west coast styled IPA. Nice and juicy with floral aroma and a grapefruit bite. The beer has a massive hop profile aka I have no idea which hops are in there but it’s got a juicy taste with a slight resinous undertone. The pour is slightly orange with a nice, frothy head.

Morph Batch #47 (5.8%): One of the (many) cool things Night Shift offers is a wide variety of brews with different hop profiles. The Morph #47 has a hope profile consisting of Columbus, Citra, and Topaz hops. Using the Columbus hops as a bittering hop gives this IPA a big punch of bitterness that is paired with the fruity profiles of Citra (aroma) and Topaz (flavor). If you’re into a bitter/fruity IPA, then the Morph #47 is right up your alley.

Pfaffenheck Pilsner (6.0%): Oh Hell Ja!. Love me some good ol classic German Pils. Night Shift ain’t messing around with their take on a German classic. It has a nice aroma of lemon zest and has a light, crisp flavor profile. This is the beer you want to drink when you’re sitting outside on a hot summer day, blaring a little Bruce, and tossing a little cornhole. Prost!

One Hope This Time: Idaho 7 (6.0%): This single hop is brewed using the Idaho 7 hop. An experimental hop that can trace its roots back to…you guessed it. Idaho. The hop has a high enough alpha acid to be a bittering hop and enough personality to be a good hop for a grassy, pineapple aroma and flavor profile. The 7 pours a glowing orange and is a lighter bodied IPA. Perfect for this who aren’t quite into a bitter West Coast IPA.

BONUS PINTS:

Ricky Weiße (4.7%): A sour aged in raspberry and limes. Well sop me up with a biscuit, I’m in love. This sour pours a nice raspberry color and has a enough tart/citrus taste that makes you come back for more. It’s a refreshing, warm-weather beer and only comes in large bottles. While it can be a little pricey to pick up in a store, if you enjoy sours, this is a must.

Cape Codder Weiße (4.5%): A sour ale flavored with cranberries and orange zest. If I had to pit the two sours together, I’d have to give the edge to the Cape Cod. Tough call. It’s crisp. It’s sour. It has everything you want in a sour and more. Seeing the bottom of a glass has never been more disappointing. This is NOT a knock against the Pretty Ricky in any way. Both are premier sours and in a league of their own in terms of crisp, sour flavor.

As I mentioned, it doesn’t get any better than Night Shift if you’re in Boston. It’s well worth the trip out to Everett and there’s enough beer on tap to keep you drunk occupied for hours. Go now.