Happy Hobbit Day 2018!

Tags

Baltic Porter, Equilibrium Brewery, Hobbit Day, JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Massachusetts, New York, Night Shift Brewing, The Hobbit, Wild Ale

September 22nd is a day I’ve had my eyes on for some time now.  As you probably guessed from the title of this post, today is Hobbit Day, a day set aside by the American Tolkien Society to observe the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and offer fans an excuse to celebrate the works of Tolkien by partying like Hobbits!  For my own celebration, I broke out two special brews I set aside for just such an occasion – There and Back Again (Mango) from the Middletown, NY-based Equilibrium Brewery and Elevensies from my locals at Night Shift Brewing Company.

In the course of preparing for this post I definitely felt the need to put the Lord of the Rings trilogy back on my reading list.  I’ve seen the Peter Jackson movies of course, but I last read the books about ten years ago and wasn’t in a particularly good state of mind while doing so.  I had come down with a bout of pneumonia that mixed with a stomach bug and a nasty sinus infection that conspired kept me off my feet for nearly a month. At the height of my illness I spent a solid week unable to sleep, eat, or really do much of anything besides be violently ill.  Reading was one of the main things that got me through this experience and the Lord of the Rings trilogy happened to be the first books I found near my bed.  Over the course of several sleepless days I read these books (plus The Hobbit for good measure) and perhaps even hallucinated a journey of my own across Middle Earth somewhere along the line.  I’m not sure how a reread would compare to that experience, but it feels like one is in order. But enough about me, bring on the beer!

Appropriately enough, my first beer of the day had a name that invoked Bilbo’s epic journey from The Hobbit.  There and Back Again (Mango), was a Wild Ale gifted to me by a friend during my trip to New Jersey a few weeks back.  It poured a cloudy golden body with a full, foamy white head and featured a moderately funky smell with a tart fruitiness.  Tastewise, the beer offered up tons of sweet tropical fruit, led by mango, that took a tart turn around mid-sip before closing with a mild funkiness.  The mouthfeel was roughly medium bodied with low level carbonation, though I could swear it felt like the beer got thicker as the sip went on. I was a huge fan of this one and really enjoyed how the fresh, clean fruitiness played off of the tart and funky aspects of the brew.  Definitely a strong way to start my festivities.

Beer number two was Elevensies, an 8.5% Baltic Porter aged in apple brandy barrels, initially enjoyed at the same time any observant Hobbit would be settling in for their third meal of the day.  I’ve had this bottle hanging around since its release back in December 2015 and figured now was the perfect time to finally open it up. It poured thick and black out of the bottle and didn’t leave anything more than a thin dark tan head even when I tried to force the issue.  The aroma was an intoxicating blend of sweet, boozy apple brandy and rich malts. Each sip opened with sweet notes of fudge, brown sugar, and dark malt before making a creamy transition towards a warm, boozy brandy finish that tingled my nose when exhaling. The body was silky smooth and on the heavier side with very low carbonation.  I thought this beer was absolutely amazing and given how it tasted a bit above the listed ABV it was also one that is likely to put some hair on your feet.

And thus I conclude my first blog-official celebration of Hobbit Day and I am happy to say that I couldn’t be more pleased with how this went!  I always enjoy the chance to think about my favorite stories and both of the beers I selected were absolutely fantastic. The bar has definitely been set high for next year.

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Night Shift Brewing Company – Hive Queen (2016)

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Everett, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Brewing

Purchased shortly after it was bottled back in December 2016, for one reason or another I never got around to drinking this until the other day.  

Beer Name: Hive Queen

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.7%

Description: Bottled in December 2016, this Imperial Stout was brewed with honey to give it a bit of extra sweetness and body.  An old tweet from that time informed me that it cost $12 for the bottle.

Appearance: Black/dark cola brown body with wisps of light lacing up top.

Smell: Rich dark malt and lingering notes of honey.

Taste: Opened with rich dark malts before getting progressively more roasty.  The beer finished  with subtle honey and moderate amount of heat mixing into what had become an elevated roast coffee flavor.  Aftertaste was a boozy mix of honey, bitterness, and roasted coffee.

Mouthfeel: On the thicker side with low carbonation.

Hype: This had been released to some fanfare around a time I recall the brewery putting a number of well received stouts.  I was also happy to finally get to open this after seeing it in my fridge for so many months.

Overall: Unfortunately the wait wasn’t really worth it for me as I was not a fan.  The beer was a bit roastier than I typically prefer, though I was actually fine with that until the finish set in.  I felt like the beer unraveled at this point as the competing flavors and noticeable alcohol did not come together well.  I also found myself wishing that the honey took on more of a role throughout, though I can’t say for sure if it had originally or not.  I’ve been having some pretty mixed luck with my review beers this year, but I do expect to start turning that around real soon.

2017 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #4 – Hamlet

Tags

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

With this review, it’s time to finally put 2017 to bed.  Released in the final days of December, this is the last ever exclusive beer brewed for the Night Shift Barrel Society.  It’s been a fun few years, so let’s see how it all ended.

Beer Name: Hamlet

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Dark Sour Ale

ABV: 9.0%

Description: I present to you, for one last time, the brewer’s notes: Brewer’s Notes: pours a deep, enticing shade of mahogany; vibrant aromas of port and earthy dark fruit; flavors of fig, dark raspberries, and pale chocolate, with an assertive tannic backbone.

Appearance: Deep, dark reddish-brown body topped off by a thin, bubbly layer off-white foam.  It doesn’t affect the beer any, but worth noting is that both my bottle labels looked like the machine they used to apply them misfired a bit (the good side of the neater bottle is shown above).

Smell: Very reminiscent of red wine, it was equal parts sweet and dry with a little bit of funk going on in the background.

Taste: Started out with a berry-like sweetness that blended red and white wine influences before settling into a more earthy, dry character.  The finish brought in a subtle layer of funk and a little bit of warmth.

Mouthfeel: Fairly thin bodied with a low amount of carbonation, comparing this to wine again seemed like the right call.  

Hype: I had high hopes for this.  As I said throughout the 2017 series, I was looking for them to end things with a bang.

Overall: Overall, the beer the was pretty good.  I enjoyed it and found it to be an excellent representation of the barreling process applied.  That said, I couldn’t help but feel like they played this way too safe.  Given the number of beers Night Shift has brewed using the red and/or white wine barrel approach (going all the way back to 2014’s Farmer’s Duel) I felt like I’ve had this before.  Between that and the sloppy application of the bottle labels (which I’ve noticed in a few Untappd photos as well), I couldn’t help but feel like they mailed this one in a bit.  As such I found this to be a somewhat disappointing ending to a special release series that from its inception was designed to showcase what initially made the brewery stand out – creativity.

2017 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #3 – Macbeth

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Barrel Society, Night Shift Brewing

I found out recently that this is looking like it will be the second to last Barrel Society brew ever since the brewery is taking the membership in a different direction for next year.  With the end of an era fast approaching, I took advantage of a day off and swung by the brewery to check this out on tap.

Beer Name: Macbeth

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Saison

ABV: 5.7%

Description: I present to you, the brewer’s notes: Macbeth pours bright yellow and glows as it hits the glass. On the nose, it sports bold notes of grapefruit zest and Sauvignon Blanc, supported by funky Brett character. Once you sip, you can expect notes of lemon, vanilla, and ripe grapefruit pulp; with an earthy quality from the Brettanomyces, and a lingering oaky finish.

Appearance: Light, easy to see through golden-yellow body with some small bubbles lazily running up the sides.  White foam formed up top around the edges of the glass only.

Smell: Tart and (citrus) fruity.

Taste: Subtly tart throughout, the lemon was definitely the standout taste with grapefruit pith more in background.  The finish was crisp and dry in a way very reminiscent of white wine.  There was a slight bit of funk on the very end.

Mouthfeel: More or less medium bodied, with a bit that slightly syrupy finish I tend to get from sours.  Moderate carbonation towards the end.

Hype: Always elevated for these releases, though I think this one and the next will have very high expectations.  Hoping for the series to end with a bang.

Overall: There’s a small part of me that’s all  little bit disappointed that this wasn’t a Scottish ale, but I can get over that.  I really enjoyed this brew and found it refreshingly light and delicious.  This was probably as good as the style gets for me and I  was really impressed with how well the wine barrel aging came out in this beer.  Although I’d personally consider this more of a spring or summer beer myself, it would fit in nicely on any occasion where one might consider a glass of white wine as well.

2017 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #2: King Lear

Tags

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

Jumping back into my beer reviews with the second entry in this year’s Barrel Society lineup.  While not exactly a new release at this point, I at least got around to this review in a slightly more timely manner than I did for release number one.

Beer Name: King Lear

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Double IPA

ABV: 8.3%

Description: Submitted for your approval, the brewer’s notes: Pours a rich, dark orange with a bright white head; grapefruit, classic Brett funk, and oaky white wine on the nose; a cascading symphony of tropical fruits on the palate, across a background of funky stone fruit; finishes with dry, tannic notes imparted by this beer’s time in barrels.  Some additional bits of information from the label add that this double IPA was aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels with brettanomyces.  Bottled in July 2017.

Appearance: An orange/amber body underneath a fluffy layer of off-white foam.

Smell: Sweet tropical fruit with a funky tartness lingering on the end.

Taste: Light, sweet tropical fruit upfront turned tart and funky towards the middle.  From there, the beer went on to close with a moderate hay-like funk that combined with dry white wine, oak barrel, and just a hint of grassy bitterness.  In its final settled form this drank equal parts (tart) fruity, funky, and oaky.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, medium body with a moderate amount of steady carbonation throughout and a dry, almost wine-like finish.

Hype: Always elevated for these releases.  With only four planned for this year, they should all be amazing.

Overall: Overall a very solid brew.  Given some basic similarities, I couldn’t help but think of the wine-styled IPAs I’ve had from Trillium recently.  With that reference in mind, I do say that the front end of this beer with its juicy tropical fruit and mild bitterness held up quite well in comparison.  The Brett and barrel aging added a lot of complexity to the finish, making the brew tart and oaky in place of the typical DIPA bitterness I would otherwise expect.  By personal preference this isn’t a style I would want frequently, but I also don’t doubt that the brewers got exactly what wanted out of this.  I enjoyed my first bottle and have every intention of doing the same with the second.

2017 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #1: Titus Andronicus

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Everett, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Barrel Society, Night Shift Brewing

I’d been hoping to get to this beer for a little while now, pretty much since its release back in March.  Scheduling conspired against me, however, so I am just now finally able to review it.  The good news I suppose is that with the Barrel Society switching to a quarterly release schedule this year I am not too far behind on the current lineup.  Naming theme this year is Shakespeare’s plays.

Beer Name: Titus Andronicus

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Barley Wine

ABV: 11.2%

Description: From the front of the label, this is a barley wine aged in port finished bourbon barrels.  From the brewer’s notes: Titus Andronicus Brewer’s Notes: pours dark amber in color; nose of fig, plum, caramel, and bourbon; sips with big notes of port, molasses, toffee, and dark fruit; finish is sweet, mellow, and well-integrated.

Appearance: Dark caramel brown body with a thin tan head that did not stick around for long after the initial pour.

Smell: Sweet, brown sugar and caramel with a bit of heat on the end.

Taste: Toffee, caramel, and brown sugar sweetness upfront mixed with dark fruit about halfway through.  A slight bit of oak also came out in the middle as the beer transitioned to a moderately hot finish, the port influence coming out just a tad bit more than the bourbon.

Mouthfeel: Slightly slick, medium-plus thickness with low levels of carbonation.

Hype: I was hoping for a lot with this one.  Since there are fewer beers in this year’s series I am expecting them all to really stand out.  I was also excited by the style; I’ve always been on the lookout to get more into barley wine and it’s a style Night Shift has done very well in the recent past.

Overall: Very good, I enjoyed how the opening sweetness blended in with the port finish.  Definitely not a brew to drink quickly, this was a nice beer to sit down with at the end of the day and slowly sip at.  My one nitpick is that I wish the barrel influence was just a bit less noticeable in the middle, but this was only a minor observance and perhaps particular to my tastes.  Very curious to see how the other bottle ages.  Solid start to this year’s series.

Night Shift and The North – North by Northeast

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Everett, Massachusetts, New England, New York, Night Shift Brewing, The North Brewery

Even though the weather suggests my unofficial stout season is at end, I won’t let that stop me from seeking out one of my favorite styles.  I caught this on draft while visiting Night Shift last week and had to give it a try.

Beer Name: North by Northeast

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA) and The North Brewery (Endicott, NY)

Style: Stout

ABV: 5.5%

Description: Since the brewery was kind enough to offer a description I will share that.  They have it listed as a stout brewed with chocolate, salt, and raspberries.  Brewed in collaboration with New York state’s The North Brewery, whom I have admittedly not heard of before.  My 16 oz. pour cost me $6 at the brewery.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown body with a foamy light tan head.

Smell: Notes of light, roasty cocoa.

Taste: Slightly sweet bitter chocolate upfront, followed by roasted malt and a touch of caramel sweetness and salt.  There was also a mildly sweet and tart raspberry presence that drifted on the periphery of the beer when first poured.  After sitting for a bit, the beer settled into a combination of raspberries and roast, with the other elements occasionally sneaking in on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a light carbonation level.

Hype: I’m always partial to trying out new stouts, but I think that’s about the extent of the hype on this one.

Overall: I’m generally not a huge fan of roastiness in my beers, but something about this one was really enjoyable.  The addition of raspberry and salt really worked out well here, cutting into the roast a bit and giving the beer an intriguing flavor profile.  Nice brew and a successful collaboration.

Night Shift Brewing Company – Rickey Weiss

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Everett, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Brewing, Weiss

If you’ve never had a raspberry-lime rickey, you sure are missing out.  A mixture of club soda, lime, and raspberry (in varying degrees of fresh fruit and syrup), it is one of the most refreshing warm weather drinks out there.  It’s also an excellent candidate for becoming an adult beverage.  One of our summertime traditions at work is to get rickies to go from the diner downstairs and mix in vodka back at the office.  Knowing how tasty that is, I was curious to see how the drink would translate into a beer.

Beer Name: Rickey Weiss

Brewery: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Sour Ale

ABV: 4.7%

Description: Per the notes available at the brewery, this is a mixed fermentation sour ale aged with raspberries and limes.  Not available on draft, they were offering bottle pours at $6 for 12 oz.

Appearance: A bold reddish pink body with a fizzly white/pink layer of foam across the top.

Smell: Light hints of tart fruit and a little bit of funk.

Taste: Started out with a burst of tart lime before the raspberries came on and sweetened things up a little bit.  The finish was tangy and mixed in a subtle sweetness and just a little bit of funk.  Overall though, I would say that lime was the primary flavor in this one.  Very light and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Light and bubbly, this felt very similar to the drink that inspired it.  A tingling of bubbles on the end mostly negated the syrupy feeling I tend to get from this style of beer.

Hype: I really wanted to try this out from the moment I saw it released last month.  Tons of potential here as the Night Shift weiss series tends to be very well done.

Overall: I liked this and think the brewers did an excellent job capturing the essence of a raspberry-lime rickey.  Since I got to try it on particularly warm day I really appreciated how light and refreshing it was.  That said I don’t think it really compares to our work concoction, though it is admittedly hard to compete with that on account of the fresh fruit and ice.  Definitely would recommend breaking this out on a warm day though.

Stout Season: Night Shift Brewing Company – Cow Tipper

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Everett, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Brewing, Stout, Stout Season

When I heard that this was being released I was definitely intrigued.  Night Shift has been putting out some great stouts lately and something about a chocolate milk stout just sounded too good to miss out on.

Beer Name: Cow Tipper

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Chocolate Milk Stout

ABV: 6.0%

Description: Per the brief brewer’s notes, this is a stout brewed with chocolate and lactose.  Currently available as a limited release to drink on draft at the taproom or take to home in 4 packs.  Cost was $6 for a 16 oz. pour and $14 per pack of cans.

Appearance: Black body with a healthy light tan head forming with the pour.  The foam left some nice lacing on the glass as I made my way through the beer.

Smell: Sweet milk and dark malts with a faint hint of roasted coffee.

Taste: Right out of the refrigerator there was a moderate level of roasted coffee that began on the front and carried through to the finish. This faded somewhat after a few minutes, more clearly leaving behind creamy notes of sweet milk, lactose, and bittersweet dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Just a touch above medium with mild carbonation.

Hype: Nothing out of the ordinary I suppose.  As mentioned already, I was certainly eager to try this.

Overall: Highly enjoyable.  Considering it was labeled a chocolate milk stout, I wish there had a bit more sweetness in comparison to the bitterness and roast, but this was still very good regardless.  Nice, easy to drink way to get my stout fix.

2016 Night Shift Barrel Society Release #7: Olympus

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Massachusetts, New England, Night Shift Barrel Society, Night Shift Brewing

And with this beer I bring to a close my reviews of the 2016 Night Shift Barrel Society lineup.  It had been an excellent run thus far and the final offering was of particular interest as it gave me a chance to try a style I haven’t had before.

Beer Name: Olympus

Brewer: Night Shift Brewing Company (Everett, MA)

Style: Oud Bruin

ABV: 8.4%

Description: I will once again turn this section over to the brewer’s notes: pours brown with dark red at the edges of the glass. Aroma is slight chocolate with dark fruits, tart cherries, some Brett funk and red wine tannins. Taste follows nose, some dark fruits melding with the red wine character, the sourness and cherries in the back finishing sour and dry.  The bottling date was December 2016.

Appearance: Medium brown body with reddish/amber highlights.  Topped off by a thin bubbly white head.

Smell: Tart and sweet dark fruits with a moderate hay-like funk on the end.

Taste: Closely followed the smell.  A funkiness in the background began right away but didn’t really peak until the end when it took on some red wine and oak barrel flavors as well.  At the forefront of all this were tart dark fruits and sour cherries.  As the beer sat and settled into the glass sour cherry, oak, and that hay-like funk emerged as the primary flavors.  The finish was dry with just a little bit of heat.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with a few bubbles on the end.

Hype: I was excited for this one. It was a new style for me and I was optimistic about the 2016 lineup ending on a super high note.

Overall: It was a bit intense drinking this on my own, but overall this was a very good beer and a solid final entry.  Here’s to 2017!