Night Shift Brewing

I think this is a bit misleading, mid-late Sunday afternoon isn't exactly a busy time for anything (bars, restaurants, tap rooms). Nightshift has said 2 - 4 pm on a Sunday is a peak time, but I was seeing the line was clearing up on Twitter around 4ish.

Many of those places you listed have lines and are packed Saturday afternoon/night, Friday night...times when people go to bars.

I understand your point, but you can't sympathize with people complaining about a line? Lines suck. Getting a cold sucks. Parking in Boston sucks. So people complain.

Personally, I don't care if there's a line at a restaurant for reservations or a bar is crowded. As I've said on this board before, I don't go Redbones for example at 5 pm and expect a bar seat. I know when it opens up after dinner. But tap rooms, and specifically Nightshift weren't this busy last year. All of a sudden when you go somewhere, and there's a 40 minute line, and then you get inside and there's no where to sit...when previously it was a comfortable atmosphere...it's irritating.

But this is no fault of Nightshift's, and I can see how that may be misconstrued that way.

This is an excellent point, and it is definitely one I hadn't thought of. If I just paid for an Uber and drove 15 minutes over to Everett and see a 50 person line, it's a bit deflating. It's even more deflating when you go to Bone Up and there's also a line. What do I do, just pay for another Uber and head back home?

I live in Davis, so if Five Horse is packed (as it often is) I can just go around the corner to 8 other bars. No big deal.

Again, another good point, and something I will do in the future, as I know now to avoid peak times. And if I go at peak times, it also won't be nearly as irritating, because I'm fully expecting a huge line.

Nightshift does a great job at just about everything, and this won't stop me from going back. As @emannths said, I've simply had to recalibrate my expections. And one thing they're particurly great at is updating their Twitter page about the line.

 

Great points, especially the uber. Hadn't really considered that. I travel a long way to get to Night Shift so I'd definitely be bummed but at least I'm driving by car and can go elsewhere. Granted my trips without Uber usually mean maybe a beer or two and then take home beer so I'm not really there for a night out. Most of the time I'm there on the way to the airport so I'm going on a weekday when they first open and aren't busy or I'm going there on the way back from the airport for take away beer.

 

I hear you. I often Uber over to the Night Shift taproom from Somerville and this has been my experience the last two times I've gone over.

Down the Road Brewing's new taproom will be opening soon in Everett, less than a mile from Night Shift. Unfortunately it's on the far side of the "rotary of death" making for a very unpleasant walk.

Idle Hands's taproom is about a 30 minute walk from Night Shift, mostly along the Northern Strand bike path. Nice walk if the weather is cooperative and you have the time. And then you are within spitting distance of a couple of good beer bars in Malden Center - Ferry Street and Hugh O'Neil's.

Does anyone have any info on the bar that is opening up in the building next to Bone Up? I'm assuming they will focus on craft beer given the neighborhood.

 

Uber Pool dude!

I've used Uber Pool from Mystic to Nightshift for ~$2 - 3. Sometimes it's even that cheap from Davis Square to Nightshift.

 

They made $95m in 2015, but sales slowed dramatically

 

Sometimes you need a little walk to sober up between taprooms ;-)

 

Their 2016 revenue can be seen here: http://www.bostonbeer.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=69432&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2248428

They continue to struggle but are far from losing money, I was surprised to see that Hopscape under-performed because I thought it was a decent beer. They have many problems but probably the chief issue is perception. Sierra Nevada at least is perceived as still a "craft beer" brewery. Jim keeps trying to make likable beer. Personally I think if they kicked up their BA beer program and maybe looked at brewing either Belgian style beers or Barley Wines they could succeed. Those beers are much more up their alley. I've never had one of their Utopia beers but given the cost and ratings there's got to be something there. If they can produce a beer that people will pay that much money for then they could probably produce a bunch of great BA beers. If they came out with a line of really good BA beers that could change their perception pretty quickly. Then again Jim's a billionaire and I'm not so what do I know

 

In semi-related Night Shift news - we are psyched to announce our first round of brewery partners for our Distro business. Launch event at Brewer's Fork on April 6th! Also check out my interview on BostInno here.

 

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2017/...nounces-its-first-class-of-partner-breweries/

Awesome.

 

I made the walk from Down the Road's location to Night Shift when DtR was a gun range. It wasn't fun. I can't imagine many people will say "hey, there's a line at Night Shift, let's walk to DtR" more than once.

 

Pipeworks coming to MA!

 

Excited for Pipeworks and Magnify! Haven't heard as much about the other two, but more beer in Massachusetts ... always a good thing.

 

Yea back when i was doing a brewery crawl around Boston without a car, i walked from Night Shifts old location to Mystic past the gun range and the gentlemans club (if i'm thinking of the right place). Not a great area, but i would walk from Night Shifts current location over there no problem.

 

This area is night and day what it used to be like when the "best bar" in that area was Good Times. You certainly wouldn't have walked around the Assembly Square area at night or ventured over to even Night Shift's current location. You could go to the Burren or Joshua Tree in Davis square. Redbones was still new and I don't remember them having a good beer menu, I don't think they even served beer back then. You had Finnegan's Wake and The Snug before they got flooded and Elephant Walk took over. I miss The Snug, just a basement bar with a pool table. No pretense, just a place to go have some beers with good friends.

 

Too crowded? Because the beer is great? Or everyone knows that? If you are in the business of selling beer, crowds are a good thing, yes?

 

No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

 

Thanks Yogi

 

Looking forward to trying Nelson OHTT

 

Just saw that today. Disappointed Fluffy is gone, but I'm excited to try this one hopefully.