New England Series: Night Shift Brewing Trifecta

While I was perusing The Craft Beer Cellar, I inquired about local beers that are very exclusive to the area and I was pointed to a bottle of Night Shift Brewing Trifecta. Night Shift Brewing was started by three friends who hombrewed at night after work, hence the name Night Shift Brewing. Eventually they upgraded to a nano-brewery setup in Everett, Massachusetts, and their ales are now available in the greater Boston area. This bottle I got my hands on was truly a very special and exclusive Belgian-style pale ale that not many others have had the fortune of enjoying.

Trifecta acquired its name from the three different trappist yeasts (from beers brewed in Belgium under the supervision of monks) that are utilized in this Belgian-style pale ale. Each individual yeast strain brings different flavor profiles to the table that are complimented by the hops, malt, and vanilla beans. In the glass, it is a dark orange with a head that quickly disappears into nothing. Strong scents of cloves are in the aroma with hints of what smells like coriander, vanilla, and even some cinnamon and fruit. The taste greet your mouth with strong flavors of cloves accompanied by floral and slight alcohol notes. The cloves are present through the finish, but are joined by some fruity sweetness, vanilla and something akin to a spicy cinnamon. The maltiness gives it a medium body with creamy elements from the vanilla. All around a lot of great flavors, with lots of complexity from the three yeast strains.

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What is really interesting is checking the tasting notes from the actual brewers on their website. They examine each batch (I got batch #2) and give their notes as well as criticisms and prospective improvements. The head retention (or lack there of) is mentioned as something to work on for batch #2, as well as more hoppiness. There is a batch #3 out right now, which sounds like it has a much more prominent hop profile, so I am hoping to get my hands on one of those bottles before I go home.

If the other beers coming out of Night Shift Brewing are as good as Trifecta than they are definitely a brewery to keep your eyes on. Though they are only available in the greater Boston area, I would not be surprised to see their Belgian-style pale ale bring them more exposure and a larger area of distribution.