Today we are tasting Shades On, a sour IPA from Night Shift Brewing in Everett, MA. It is 6% ABV and pours a hazy, straw yellow. This beer smells like your typical IPA: citrusy and hoppy. But then things get weird! Sour dominates the taste, especially in the finish, and the beer isn’t as crisp as you might expect an IPA to be. It won’t make your face pucker up, like a true sour beer might, but it’s just sour enough to let you know that you’re drinking an experimental type of beer. I would definitely drink it again, but I might not go out of my way for it. If you are an IPA purist, Shades On could be a turn off. If you like a beer that doesn’t play by the rules, you’ll love it! I give it 3 out of 5 Huz-stars, (which are like stars but better). Huzzah!
I started to daydream about who in Boston’s long history I would like to share a Shades On with? I decided it would provide me with a good opportunity to confront an infamous figure from American history: Dr. Benjamin Church. Church was a major player in pre-revolution Boston and a member of the Sons of Liberty. Once the war started, he joined the Continental Army as America’s first Surgeon General. But for years, he'd been selling rebel secrets to crown officials. He often learned them at gatherings at the Green Dragon Tavern--join our tours to visit this historic watering hole! Lucky for the revolutionaries, his duplicity was discovered and he was eventually banished from the colonies. If I were drinking a Shades Up Sour IPA with Benjamin Church, I would ask: “what made you sour on the Sons of Liberty Ben!?”