Night Shift Barrel Society 2015

I was told there was a lot of spillage of Caravaggio while bottling so there was not much leftover to keg.

 

Thanks for the update. Unfortunate, but I guess it is what it is. Looking forward to trying my bottle when I'm able to pick it up!

 

They also said they kegged a lot more of the Hogarth than they did with Picasso because Picasso sold out on draft so quickly. TBH, I live far away so I'd prefer fewer kegs and more extra bottles.

 

Could be because Hogarth was such a shit beer.

 

Stop, Collaborate and Glisten is on the BS line now. It will apparently be back to Hogarth after that.

 

Release #4 of 2015: Cézanne, a 10.5% "super" saison brewed with local wildflower honey and aged with brettanomyces in sauvignon blanc barrels. It pours a vivid gold in color, with bright citrus and honey aromas, and soft flavors of pear, white grape, and sweet vanilla. The finish is dry, its high ABV well-masked by hints of brett and lightly toasted oak. A great summer sipper, whether it's this summer or one in the future.

 

Saw the email today, sounds interesting!!

 

Not particularly up my alley but I'm excited to try it. I was initially disappointed to see that BA stouts/porters make up a relatively small proportion of the barrel program since that's really my wheelhouse, but I've ended up enjoying that it's given me the opportunity to try some stuff I probably wouldn't have otherwise rolled the dice on. I didn't care all that much for Hogarth, but I liked Picasso a lot. Hopefully this will be another pleasant surprise.

 

They posted the tentative list of offerings prior to sign up last year, so you shouldn't have been too surprised! This is definitely a good way to broaden your horizons though!

 

It was a gift so I didn't have an opportunity for a heads up!

ETA: Still a great gift though. Plus I get to feel like a big man when I go to the brewery and get to drink from the VIP tap.

 

Ahhh, that makes more sense! It is a sweet gift!

 

Cezanne from McKenzie's is one of my favorite saisons of all time. I am really excited to try this one (which has no connection or affiliation or collaboration or anything with the other one) and compare Cezanne's. Night Shift rarely disappoints with these barrel releases.

 

Cezanne is solid. Let it warm a bit and the honey really pops. Hides the 10% very well.

If you want it on the BS draft line, don't wait too long. Word is only 2 kegs, then it will be back to Hogarth.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the kegs!

 

Great news about Cezanne, bummer about the draft line. So far this year the members' tap has really lacked the excitement and diversity it had in the past. I do like the Hogarth, just seems like its been on forever now. It's also the only one of the 2015 beers I've actually been able sample at the brewery since the others have come and gone so quickly.

 

This times 100. I am lucky enough to love close to the brewery, can go frequently and honestly don't feel the desire to go as much as I have in the past because of this very reason. Last year, it felt like there was something different on the line every week or two. I was hoping they had turned the corner on this when Stop, Collaborate, and Glisten, and something else different were on the line a few weeks back, but then it was right back to Hogarth and seems like it will be again very soon. I am likely still going to renew my membership next year, but lack of a better rotating society tap line this year has made me think about it a little bit more. Obviously this is not a big concern for people who don't get to the brewery much or live close by, but it would be nice to see some older stuff hitting the line, or even some pilot batches every once in awhile.

 

How many of you guys are renewing for next year? I'm not quite sure this was worth $150, but its hard to say without trying the final beers.

 

I am likely to, but my ultimate decision will be based on what styles they think will be a part of it. I know that they never tell you everything that will be included, but I would like to have an idea of what to possibly expect as it has been the last few years. Maybe @masterob8 can offer some early hints?

I have not been as impressed with this year so far as the last two, but I do enjoy a lot of what they do and have been supporting them since the beginning.

 

I'm on the fence. Being a local to the brewery, I really liked last year being able to stop by and check out all the awesome stuff on the society draft; be it the current release, a past year's release, an art beer they'd been sitting on for a bit, or anything else super special and awesome. This was probably one of the biggest perks of membership for me and got me excited about heading into the brewery every week or so. This year the releases disappear so fast I can't get in to try them and the variety just doesn't seem to be there for when they sell out.

On the positive side, I have been a fan of these beers and like the chance to get in on a limited release without having to put in a ton of leg work or worry about having funds available on release day. Judging membership strictly by the swag and bottles, I'd say I've certainly gotten my money's worth and like supporting the local brewery, especially when they're as good as Night Shift.

Going to do some serious thinking on this the next few weeks. Huge fan of the brewery no matter what I decide though.

 

As several people have noted on the thread the perk of NSBS draft line has been a bit disappointing this year and I fully agree. Last year with only 600 members and a large portion being from out of town we were able to supply a steady stream of unique and rotating beers. The demand for our beers was also significantly less and the taproom wasn't nearly as busy. This year with 1,200 members (75% are from MA) and more than tripling overall production we are struggling to keep up. We brewed 20bbl batches of each NSBS beer but after the angel's share, transferring the beer around, and just general loss we have only netted between 13-15 bbls of beer in the brite. We need 13 bbls worth of beer for the members and thus have been cutting things way too close this year.

Last year we also were able to tap limited release beers that we cellared on that line but we have run into the same demand issues. The beer is kicking too quick for us to save any. That being said we are working on squirreling away more limited kegs for the NSBS line with each new release.

Our plan for 2016 is to keep membership at 1,200 member but brew 40bbl batches instead of 20bbl and hopefully net 25-30bbls of packaged beer. This will allow us to offer more more extras as well as keep it on draft significantly longer. We also now have a better sense of volume that the draft line needs and will be planning accordingly. This also means we can cellar more kegs to rotate in and out thru the year/years ahead. We are also starting to brew beers for next year this month which will allow us to better stagger the beer releases over the course of the year.

As for what's ahead - we don't like to provide too much insight as barrels can be finicky. They can be slowly fermenting for months, not hitting the desired flavor profile, or worse case not turn out to be delicious. We have 3 more beers to go this year and we are roughly looking at a cherry quad and 2 funky beers. One funky beer is looking like a Berliner fermented with brett and the other is still being debated.

Hope that answers some questions recently brought up. Happy to answer more or go in-depth on anything.

Thanks as always to the NSBS members for their support in faith in our beers. We wouldn't be here today without you all!

Oh and beer #5 is likely to be out in early October.