Cranky Reviews

Working the Night Shift

Session IPA

Beer Type

11 to 14

11 to 14

Honourable Mentions

Rating

IBU 10

Other Info

Working the Night Shift

Night Shift

Bridgewater Brewery

4.4% Alcohol

I remember working the night shift back in the day. Blackout blind on the window, do not disturb sign on the door. Eleven o’clock alarm clock. A thermos of Joe to go. No big bosses around to boss you around. It wasn’t bad once you got used to it. But 6 months of steady 12 hour graveyards got tired after a while, or maybe I did.

The Commodores worked the Nightshift in a touching tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. Micheal Keaton and Henry Winkler had a brothel in a funeral home on the Night Shift. And the king of horror, Stephen King’s first short story collection was on the Night Shift.*  Enough  trivia night fodder, time to work Bridgewater’s Night Shift.

A pale orange fade of a pour, hazy, with a high noon daylight not midnight head. A hoppy zingy aroma, a grapefruit grind of rind, or pine perhaps? Mild peach and citrus but nothing that kicks and screams juicy. Minimal zing with a touch of bitters. Foamy, not fizzy, there is a difference.  An easy drinking refresher. Light and very mild fruit. This is a classic session IPA and would be good for the reluctant to try die hard lager pils drinker as an intro to IPAs.

Editor’s Comment: The background of the beer picture is the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album “Animals”. The picture is of the Battesea Power Station. A German company who had previously built zeppelins was commissioned to construct a 12 meter pig balloon (named Algie) to hover over the station. The plan was for a sharp shooter to shoot the balloon down if it broke free. The second day of photographing the marksman didn’t show up and the balloon broke free, flying over Heathrow Airport, panicking pilots and cancelling fights. Eventually the pig was photographed over a flat of apartment buildings and superimposed on the original power plant photo.

*Editor’s Comment: The Commodores 1985 song “Nightshift” was their first hit after Lionel Ritchie’s departure from the group. It was a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson who had passed away the year before, and won the group a Grammy. The 1982 Ron Howard comedy movie “Night Shift” was a breakout role for Michael Keaton, who paired up with Henry (The Fonzie) Winkler. Shelley Long (Cheers) stared as well. A couple of notable bit parts were Kevin Costner and Shannen Doherty. In 1978 Stephen King published his first collection of short stories, “Night Shift” which was a follow-up to “The Shining”.

Final Rating: Night Shift is in Session

Session IPA

Beer Type

11 to 14

11 to 14

Honourable Mentions

Rating

Other Info

IBU 10

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