A Return to Night Shift

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Beer, Beer Review, Massachusetts, Night Shift Barrel Society, Night Shift Brewing

It has been a little while since I last wrote up a visit to one of my favorite spots, Night Shift Brewery.  While I was away, they were up to business as usual releasing a whole bunch of great beer, and they had some excellent treats waiting for me when I got there.

Night Shift Barrel Society Draft

Pouring this week was Big Dipper, one of the 2014 releases that I first encountered last December.  I was a big fan of this monster 11.9% Rye Ale when I first had it, and time has certainly been kind to it.  I ordered a full 8 ounce serving and was very happy I did.  The beer poured a reddish caramel body with a fluffy off-white head that was slow to dissipate.  The taste was sweet and complex; a bit malty and boozy with notes of dry red wine and rum that come out more and more as the beer warms.  Finish is a bit hot but perfectly accompanies the rest of the tastes,  The mouthfeel is nice and thick with a slightly syrupy finish.   This beer has aged beautifully, and I’m happy I still have my bottle last December aging at home.

Fly Like an Owl

After enjoying the current Barrel Society offering, I went for a flight of four of the other beers that were pouring that day.  In typical Night Shift style, the beers I sampled were a pretty diverse bunch; I had a Berliner Weiss/Pale Ale hybrid, a Saison, a DIPA, and a Baltic Porter.

Going in order of the picture from nearest to farthest, I started with Diagonal, the Berliner/Pale Ale hybrid.  This beer had a light straw yellow color and a somewhat muted fruity/funky smell.  The taste was big on juicy tropical fruits (the beer was brewed with kiwi and mango) and there’s a hint of hops on the end with a light funkiness that brings to mind some of the more celebrated Night Shift Weisses.  At 3.5%, the beer was super light and refreshing.  I’d definitely take a growler of this for a long day at the beach or as a grilling companion.

Next up was Belafonte, the Saison checking in at 7%.  This beer also poured a light colored body.  The smell was earthy and peppery with peppercorns being the dominant smell.  The taste is fairly dry overall, with the pepper presence being somewhat more subtle than the smell suggests at the start (which is a big plus for me).  Almost equaling the pepper is a citrus taste imparted by the orange peels that the beer was brewed with.  As the beer warms the peppercorns take over the taste a bit more leaving me happy I had just a sample pour.  I think I am very sensitive to peppery tastes in beers and generally do not go for them, making Saisons a very hit or miss style for me.  While this beer was probably not for me, I do think it was very well done and can imagine people who enjoy the style more really liking this beer.

Moving on to the DIPA, we have Van Buren, the next installment in their Presidential Series of DIPAs.  I was excited about this one for two reasons.  First, my AP US History was borderline obsessed with Martin Van Buren so he was one of the presidents on my watch list to see if they’d release a beer for.  Secondly, and perhaps more relevant to this blog, the previous entry, Adams, was very very good.  Well Van Buren (the beer) did not disappoint.  In the glass it had a light copper body with a thin white head that lasted through me drinking my first two samples.  The smell was very inviting, slightly sweet with bold piney hops.  This followed through into the taste.  The beer had a consistent piney bitterness backed up by citrus and grapefruit notes from beginning to end.  Hop bill on this one is listed as Citra and Amarillo for those keeping track.  Mouthfeel was right on point for the style and this one was another joy to drink.  I don’t always get excited about their more hop-centric offerings, but Night Shift has really been stepping up their IPA/DIPA game lately and I can’t wait for the next installment in this series.  I’m already preparing my liver for the Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt.

Closing out the flight was Second Breakfast, the Baltic Porter.  In addition to having an awesome name, this beer tasted fantastic and was probably my favorite of the flight.  True to style, the beer poured a black body with a respectable tan head.  Smell was mostly light roasted coffee, but it was the taste where this beer really shined.  The taste was a mix of coffee, espresso, and dark chocolate with a light roastiness that complimented these flavor perfectly.  Too much roastiness can really turn me off of a beer, but a little bit does go a long way and this beer was right at my level of peak of enjoyment.  The mouthfeel was also exceptional, the beer was on the thicker side while offering a very rich and smooth drinking experience.

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Mix it Up: Ipswich Ale Brewery’s India Pale Ale Variety Pack

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Beer, Beer Review, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts, Variety Pack

My wife and I recently took a day trip to Ipswich, MA to take in some sights and, appropriately enough, I came home with a mixed pack of beer from the Ipswich Ale Brewery.  The brewery itself was not open to the public on the day we were in town, but the facility was visible from the store where I made my purchase, which I suppose is the next best thing.  What I picked up was their India Pale Ale Variety Pack, featuring the brewery’s flagship Ipswich IPA along with two beers that were new to me; the S.I.P.A. Session IPA and Route 101 West Coast IPA.  The box contained four 12 oz. bottles of each beer and was in the $14 range if I recall correctly.  I was curious to try this out since the price was right and this is a brewery that has dropped a hidden gem or two in its day (if you haven’t tried their Oatmeal Stout, go for it!).

I’ll start things off with the Ipswich IPA.  Most beer drinkers from Massachusetts are probably aware of this beer.  While it is not as ubiquitous in the bar scene as Sam Adams Boston Lager or Harpoon IPA, it is certainly widely distributed and is a staple of local liquor stores and even supermarkets.  What we have here is a nice, solid 6.5% IPA offering a balanced taste of sweet malts and earthy, piney hops.  On the finish there is a bit of a roasted caramel taste that lingers along with the bitterness.  It’s not aggressively hopped or super juicy like the IPAs that get all the attention these days but it is a solid beer in its own right and fits in well with the rest of the box.

Next, we’ll look at S.I.P.A., the IPA’s little brother.  At only 3.9%, this is one of the more “sessionable” Session IPAs I have come across.  This is a style I haven’t exactly warmed up to yet but I did find myself enjoying this beer.  Taste upfront is sweet malts and tropical fruit hops that change to more of a piney taste on the finish.  The hop bill is listed as Simcoe, Mosiac, and Ella and I must say they do blend together nicely.  Overall this was a very flavorful beer that was easy to drink and would make an excellent beach beer.  In my research for this blog, I drank three of these while grilling and found them an excellent companion to being outdoors.

Saving the best for last, we have the Route 101 “West Coast Style” IPA.  A burst of piney hops greats you upon opening up the bottle.  Like two previous beers, it has a sweet malt base but pairs this with a much more pronounced hop presence that kicks in right from the start.  The hops are a resinous piney/citrus combo and really compliment the malts (perhaps one of my favorite flavor profiles).  The beer had a nice medium mouthfeel with a slight stickyness and perfect carbonation that made it a pleasure to drink.  I was a little surprised that it was “only” 6.0% as it has the flavor and taste of a larger IPA, but all in all everything came together quite well in this one.

Looking back on it, this pack was a solid pickup and something to keep in mind as the season for outdoor gatherings and drinking starts to arrive.  While the beers might not knock the socks off a hardened beer seeker, I enjoyed having this box around.  I have a new-found respect for the IPA and will likely pick up sixer of the Route 101 at my next opportunity.  The SIPA, while I liked it, I don’t imagine grabbing on its own but only because I don’t normally drink Session IPAs.  If I do find myself in the market for one this would get consideration.  My only complaint about the box, and its more of a nitpick, is that I could have done with a fourth offering, perhaps something with a little bit of a different taste profile to mix things up a bit more.  That said, I was very happy with what I got out of this box and none of the varieties ever felt like they was going to hang around the fridge for too long.  Nicely done and exactly what you want out of a box like this.

More From Brewmaster Jack

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Beer, Beer Review, Brewmaster Jack, Massachusetts

Shortly after enjoying one offering from BrewMaster Jack, I came across another opportunity to sample their wares.  This time around I happened across a four pack of Ambrewsia that I had the chance to enjoy across a few different sittings.

Beer Name: Ambrewsia

Brewer: Brewmaster Jack

Style: IPA

ABV: 7.0%

Description: The brewery’s year-round IPA.  Bottles were all dated 03/2015 by notches on the side of the bottle a la the classic Sam Adams method.  They were all consumed about a month later towards the end of April/beginning of May.

Pour Info: All bottles were refrigerated before being consumed.  The first one I (mistakenly) drank from the bottle, the rest were poured into a snifter glass.

Price: $10.50 for a 4 Pack of 12 oz. bottles in Downtown Boston.

Appearance: The beer has a copper body and generates a thin (maybe half a finger) foamy white head when poured into a glass.  Out of the bottle though, this beer  has some very aggressive foam going on.  After my first couple of sips I caught foam bubbling up to and almost over the top bottle; an occurrence that persisted until the beer was mostly finished.  There was also a significant amount of sediment leftover at the end that was not apparent in any of the bottles poured into a glass.

Smell: The beer has a nice fresh hoppy smell that is mostly fruits with a slight hint florals at the end.  The smell jumps out of the bottle when opened and is quite nice.

Taste: Out of the bottle, the beer started out strong with a big bitter and citrusy taste that faded a bit as it went  on.  More than likely, the foam was taking over at that point and I would rather do this beer the justice of reviewing off of the pours.  From the glass, the beer had a similar taste profile but kept a consistent level of flavor throughout.  It didn’t burst up front like it did out of the bottle but it didn’t fade away at the end either.  There was also more of a piney resinous taste from the glass that I didn’t get straight from the bottle.  True to the brewery’s description online, very well hopped without much malt directly influencing the taste.

Mouth Feel: Again, drinking from the bottle and drinking from the glass were very different experiences.  From the bottle this beer started out assertively foamy and bubbly, but had worn itself out the farther down the bottle I got.  By the end the beer was a little thin and undercarbed but still drinkable.  Out of the glass, things went much better.  The beer was medium bodied and felt a bit fluffy from the carbonation.  The carb was on the higher end of medium but not outside of expectations for the style.

Hype Factor: No hype, just cautious optimism following the success of the previous beer I had by this brewery.

Overall: Very good IPA but do yourself a favor and pour it into a glass!  I’d get this again for drinking at home or somewhere I knew I wouldn’t be drinking out of the bottle.

Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale

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Beer, Beer Review, Lagunitas Brewing Company

I have a soft spot for hoppy red ales.  Some of my favorite beers have been in this style so I did not hesitate  to grab this offering from Lagunitas, a brewery with a well earned reputation of putting out excellent hoppy beers.  I was a huge fan of their Lucky 13 Red Ale when I tried it last year, so let’s see how this one fares.

Beer Name: Imperial Red Ale

Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Style: Imperial Red/Amber Ale

ABV: 7.8%

Description: According to the company’s description, this is a revival of one of their very first beer recipes and features dank hops and sweet malts.  I’m sold.

Pour Info: Poured from a refrigerated bottle into a snifter glass.

Price: $6.99 for a 22 oz. bomber.

Appearance: Body pours a dark reddish caramel color.  A thin, vaguely off-white head leaves lacing across the top of the beer and sides of the glass.

Smell: Dominated by sweet malts and caramel.

Taste: The taste initially follows the smell with sweet malts and caramel upfront.  They blend into a piney bitterness that takes over through the finish.  The malt backbone and aggressive hoppiness work together perfectly in this beer for a fantastic taste.

Mouth Feel: Feel is on the thicker side of medium and well-balanced by the carbonation.

Hype: Huge fan of this style and Lagunitas.  I won’t say there was much hype behind this but I knew exactly what I was getting.

Overall: Awesome beer.  Delivers exactly what I want for the style and at a very competitive price.  Happy I picked it up and will be sure to keep my out for more.

Hoppiness Is a Warm Pun

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Beer, Beer Review, Brewmaster Jack, Massachusetts

This time around we are drinking something of a hidden gem from Western Massachusetts.  I was exploring the beer aisle at a liquor store outside my usual stomping grounds when I came upon a fairly nondescript looking bottle.  The name Brewmaster Jack printed in all caps is what first caught my eye; I’ve had a few of their beers before at work during one of our Beer Fridays.  The name Hoppiness Is a Warm Pun I’ll admit got to me and convinced me to pick it up.

Beer Name: Hoppiness Is a Warm Pun

Brewer: Brewmaster Jack

Style: DIPA

ABV: 8.2%

Description: A Double IPA brewed with a Valley Malt grains and hopped with Motueka and Galaxy.  There is a sticker with a bottled on date of 03/25/2015 attached to the cap and this was consumed fresh on 04/24/2015.  The label boldly claims “This beer is sublime.”  Challenge accepted.

Pour Info: Poured from a refrigerated bottle into a snifter glass.

Price: $7.99 for a 22 oz. bomber.

Appearance: Light golden/orange body.  Slight foam lacing fades to sides but there is not much in the way of a head.

Smell: Big burst of fruit on the pour.  In the glass tropical fruits pared with bitterness.

Taste: Citrusy bitterness upfront that peaks somewhere mid sip.  Finish is tropical fruits and milder bitterness.  At times the beer has zesty lemon and perhaps a peppery taste, but for the most part fruits and fresh hoppy bitterness dominate.  As the beer warms the bitterness does mellow a bit and blends more into the fruits.

Mouth Feel: Medium body, right in line with the style.  Carbonation is also just right, nice bubbles on your tongue but not so much that they are a distraction.

Hype Factor: I had some good hopes for this beer based on previous experiences with the brewery but really didn’t know what to expect.

Overall: Definitely enjoyed this beer.  It was a very nice beer and I would recommend picking one up if you see it around.