Trifecta - Night Shift Brewing

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle served in a snifter.

pours a slightly hazy, medium-dark amber while yielding a big foamy off-white head, a good two fingers' worth. mediocre retention as it soon fades to a thin cap, collar around the glass. some patchy lacing left behind... nose offers a good dose of spice along with some citrus and banana; some apple maybe, touches of vanilla and belgian yeast.

flavor more or less follows the aroma but wields a heavier concentration of the spices than i took from the nose. (bit of a turnoff there.) belgian yeast is evident, some hoppy bitterness in the finish. not bad. medium bodied mouthfeel, somewhat syrupy.

overall not a bad beer, and while i'm glad to have tried it and wouldn't object to a revisit if offered, i don't see myself seeking it out again. just sort of middling belgian pale.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:19:32 | More by BostonHops

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.51/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip, the beer was gold in color. There was a thick, fluffy white head which lingered. The head was very sticky.

Spicy, banana aroma. Kind of fresh.

Some banana in the taste. Sweet and spicy. Earthy.

Dry, crisp. A pleasant beer.

Would likely drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 21:52:58 | More by lordofthewiens

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not that packaging matters much but I'd say although it looks like a caged-cork Belgian bottling the wire cage is far too wound up and painful on the fingers to open, like a cheap imitation of the cages on good beers, and the cork is so spongey on top you basically need pliers.

Poured a half inch tan head of average lifespan. The body in masstone is a hazy raw sienna yellow color but held to the light it's more orangey. The smell is mild but in the Belgian style hints at a sweetness, fig, and tropical fruits. Although the taste isn't bad it just isn't a match to the smells nor really a match to Belgian Pale Ale. It's a fairly ordinary American brew.

But, I have to say I'm proud my neighbors in Everett are giving brewing a go.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 07:55:41 | More by MoreThanWine

skinny1929

Massachusetts

2.25/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 1 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A - Too murky and cloudy for the style. Little to no carbonation. Head quickly fades and beer is rather flat. Not pleasant to look at.

S - Did not smell too much vanilla which is ok. Some banana scent is picked up.

T - Belgian yeast character (banana) and hints of acidity (lemony). Barely picked up any vanilla. Not complex.

M - Full bodied...entirely too much for the style. Little to no carbonation left me quite displeased.

O - Not pleased with the experience at all. The murkiness of the beer and lack of any carbonation was a let down. I was expecting something light to medium bodied but got a flat full bodied beer without any complexity given the intent of the beer. My mouth and stomach did not want any more of this beer after the first few sips.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 12:05:22 | More by skinny1929

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Trifecta pours a hazy dark amber with minimal foam and only a couple spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is full of orange citrus and lemon zest, along with some peppery spice and a touch of coriander. Some dark bread notes and a touch of bubblegum are also present.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is smooth with very light carbonation. The flavor is bready with spices mixed in. Dark wheat, lemon citrus, banana, bubblegum, clove, and pepper are present. It finishes dry with lingering wheat and clove.

A tasty beer with a bad appearance. Don't let the looks fool you.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 01:11:43 | More by WanderingFool

Dope

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 4, bottled on 4.19.12, 7.3% ABV

A: Pours a nice cloudy pale orange with a huge effervescent white head on top. Fades quickly, not a whole lot of lacing left behind.

S: Wow, a really nice zesty, almost wheaty banana smell. It's semi-sweet, crisp and refreshing. Some belgian yeast spice hiding in there along with plenty of vanilla. Enjoyable but a bit subtle otherwise this would be a 4.5.

T: Bready with lots of spicy belgian yeast. A bit lemony or maybe it's lemongrass. Sweet but not overpowering vanilla in the middle. Finishes with an earthy sort of bitterness.

M: Crisp, smooth and medium bodied. A bit drying with the earthiness in the finish.

O: Definitely a unique example of the style. It's pretty much exactly as described on the bottle. It's fairly complex with good balance and a nice crisp, refreshing drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 02:14:06 | More by Dope

SirSketch

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Golden orange color that is mostly clear. Thin white head that dissipates.

S - Yeast-driven aromas are highlighted. Banana, cantaloupe, tart apple and mixed peppercorns abound.

T - Apple juice and peppercorns upfront, but the esters soon turn into bubblegum. The pilsner-like malt and malt sweetness come though. The vanilla beans are more apparent in the flavor but come off as a bit oily.

M - Medium bodied with low carbonation.

O - This beer has a lot of potential, though a couple of changes would help immensely. The vanilla beans only add an unenjoyable oiliness, and the mix of yeast strains seems to muddle the flavor and create strange esters. Otherwise, this is a delightful Belgian ale with a nice fruity nose and a tart malty flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 04:12:13 | More by SirSketch

beerik

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Batch # 3, Bottled 4/2/12. Drunk 4/25/12--nice and fresh!

Opening the Bottle: Nine twists of the wire cage just to get at the crookedly inserted cork which was dimpled from the plunger of the wine-bottle corker that put it there. I get the sense this was brewed in someone's basement.

Aroma: Numerous esters, clove, a subtle earthiness, and of course some alcohol.

Taste: Belgian yeast character--clove, bubblegum, hints of unripe fruit and overripe fruit, banana, and something slightly woody. Light, refreshing, yet full of flavor.

Appearance: Golden amber. This beer's relatively dark color serves as counterpoint to its light and quenching character while heightening the perception of full flavor.

Overall: Not bad. Even for a few guys who will, hopefully soon, quit their "day jobs." A very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 08:36:05 | More by beerik

jlindros

Massachusetts

2.1/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Tap at the Tavern in Framingham for the Jack's Abby Marathon charity event.

Light fizzy head, hazy carrot colored, what weird characters lurk in the murky depths below, it looks a little sad.

Nose is, awful! Rotting sugar syrup that partially fermented and left booze and rotting flesh behind, syrupy deluge, then something else off I can't put my finger on, some chemically thing that leached from a mulching pile of old vegetables, bad Belgian esters, and perfumey bad phenols, at least there are some light grassy hops.

Taste is also bad, maybe even worse than the nose! Starts with cabbage water, mushroomy dirt like the cow fertilizer covered mushroom stems thrown right into the beer. Earthy herbal icky over spicy hops that even on their own wouldn't be too great. Then into bad esters, chemically phenolic mess, syrupy fermented rotting sugar again. FInish is long lingering bad herbal spicy hops and sticky fermented rotten syrup.

Mouth is med bod but syrupy and lower carb, slightly slimy.

Overall wtf, with the rep these guys get what the hell happened to this beer... just a mess.

Edit: Someone else who has had the beer before said this is not the normal represenatation of the beer, but until I have it again... the beer I had was at a reputable bar, on draft, with all the other beers I had on draft tasted fine, so not sure what to think of this one... maybe a really bad batch?!

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2013 13:09:48 | More by jlindros

rudzud

Massachusetts

2.04/5  rDev -43%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Enjoyed at The Tavern in Framingham at the Beer for Boston charity. Poured into a Jack's Abby pint glass.

A - Poured a light hazy copper hue with no head at all, no head at all with thin wisps.

S - aromas of light fruit but for the most part its old vegetable...onion, and cabbage.

T - Taste is just as bad...no, worse. Cabbage, rotten onions, ugh. This is awful. Just awful. This is not good no matter how you cut it.

M - Mouthfeel isn't bad, just thin.

O - Overall this was immediate regret. Just an awful beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2013 21:01:03 | More by rudzud

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

First had: on tap at Night Shift

Hazy amber pour, with a wispy white head. Aroma of citrus and fruity esters, sweet malts, spicy yeast. A good Belgian-style profile in the taste, bready malts, ripe fruits and citrus, moderately earthy, with hints of clove and pepper, a little bland in the finish. Lighter medium body, and pretty good overall.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2013 23:01:21 | More by Rifugium

NilocRellim

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the tap at the brewery on September 8th, 2012.

A very deep red/orange colour and an eggshell foamy head. The smell of sweet citrus, bananas, melon, and subtle vanilla. The taste had a nice spice to it with the citrus flavours, hops, and vanilla coming through in an extremely balanced taste. An amazing balanced between the three kind of hops and the vanilla beans.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 21:31:51 | More by NilocRellim