Night Shift Matisse

It has been an eventful month for Night Shift Brewing. First they launched their new light lager Nite Lite in cans, with the goal of syphoning business away from the big macro brands. It will be very interesting to see what kind of sustained market that beer attracts. Next they announced that they are opening a second taproom this year, this one right in the city of Boston. While Massachusetts has seen a major brewery boom over the last few years, there are still relatively few taprooms right in Boston, so it is great to see an established brewery like Night Shift make a play for this market. Through all of this news Night Shift continues to churn out one of the strongest and most diverse lineups of beers in the state. In some ways I think their beer is a little underappreciated because many of their core brands are so readily available, they don’t get the stream of people posting waiting-in-line pictures on Instagram. In my mind this is a huge positive, I love great beer that I can find at the bottle shop. A newer addition to the Night Shift  lineup that is earning substantial buzz is Matisse, a saison that was awarded the silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Night Shift Matisse is available on a regular basis on draft and in 16 oz cans.

Night Shift MatisseNight Shift Matisse pours slightly hazy light yellow with a solid white head. The aroma is all Belgian style yeast, fruity and spicy. The flavors from the fermentation take center stage too, notes of pear, coriander and green apple. This is balanced by a light malt backbone, hints of bread crust and cereal. Some mild hops round out the flavor, touches of citrus fruit and herbs. Matisse is light and refreshing, not too boozy at 6.0% ABV. The finish is crisp and dry with a little lingering yeast flavor. This is a stellar saison, tons of flavor, complex but approachable and super easy to drink. I will have more than a few cans of Matisse this spring and summer. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.

Previous Night Shift Reviews:

Night Shift The 87, Night Shift Bennington, Night Shift WhirlpoolNight Shift AwakeNight Shift SantilliNight Shift MaracuyaNight Shift Mainer WeisseNight Shift Thunder Moon, Night Shift Morph IPA, Night Shift Ever Weisse, Night Shift Grove, Night Shift JoJo, Night Shift Taza Stout, Night Shift Simcoenation

 

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