Night Shift Brewing is spreading its wings this summer with the addition of three new Owl’s Nest beer gardens in the Greater Boston area, opening throughout June.
The Everett, Massachusetts-based brewery previously operated two seasonal beer gardens – Owl’s Nest Esplanade along the Charles River in Boston and Owl’s Nest Herter Park in Boston’s Allston neighborhood – and on June 2, it added a third at Canal District in Cambridge. Later this month, it will launch at Hood Park in Charlestown (opening June 23) and University Park in Cambridge (opening June 29).
“The two Charles River locations [Esplanade and Herter Park] have been received so well, that everybody is like ‘I want that in my space,’” co-founder Rob Burns told Brewbound. “We’ve actually had to say no to several other opportunities.”
Each location will feature a rotation of local food trucks, as well as a variety of Night Shift’s beer offerings, including its flagship Whirlpool New England IPA, Santili American IPA and Lime Lite lager, as well as its beyond beer offerings, including Hoot Hard Seltzer, Gold and Delicious Hard Cider, and multiple Night Shift wines. The locations will also serve non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing Co.
Night Shift views the locations primarily as a way to expand brand awareness, more than driving production growth or profit. Each location – with the exception of Esplanade and Herter Park – are “flexible” locations, allowing the company to assess after each season if they should stay or move elsewhere.
“They’re brand builders more than anything else,” co-founder Michael Oxton told Brewbound. “It’s hard to predict locations. And if it isn’t what you expected, if the volume is low, then we probably wouldn’t do it again the following year. But if the brand was connecting with people, then it’s still a net win.”
Night Shift operates two taprooms: its flagship in Everett, and its Lovejoy Wharf location, next to Boston’s TD Garden arena. At the moment, there are no plans to add additional brick-and-mortar locations.
“We’re waiting to find something that feels right for the brand, right for us, and the time,” Burns said. “January and February definitely gave us a strong feel of how aggressive to be about seeking some growth opportunities. We would like to make sure this ship is floating fine before we add more to it.”
Night Shift also has to consider staffing when deciding on any location extension. The company hired about 50 people in 2021, but also lost about 30, and still has about 18 open roles, according to Burns.
Night Shift produced 38,840 barrels in 2021, a +6% increase after a -2% decline in 2020, according to the Brewers Association. The growth came as Night Shift offloaded its Night Shift Distributing (NSD) business to Sheehan Family Companies, which took on the Night Shift beer brands on October 15. The brewery spent the next several months transitioning to Sheehan outlets.
“That was certainly a bigger undertaking than we realized it was going to be,” Burns said. “We didn’t think it was going to be easy, but man, it was a ton of work.”
Night Shift is distributed in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Like many, Night Shift had a slow start to the year, but has begun to recover, with its Lovejoy location recording its best Saturday on record over the Memorial Day weekend. That same week, its wholesale business posted its best week of the year. For 2022, the company is targeting flat production growth, with a greater focus on “building the foundation for growth in 2023,” according to Burns.
Part of that includes the recent launch of Day Lite orange wheat lager, the newest year-round offering in the brewery’s Lite series. The 4% ABV light lager joins the Lite family of lager, including Nite Lite and Lime Lite (both 4.3% ABV).
The Lite series is Night Shift’s answer for people who are “still wanting the quality of craft beer, but not a double IPA,” Oxton said. The latest “easy drinking” release also provides a beer option to consumers who may have “a hard seltzer itch,” he added.
Each of the Lite family offerings are now available in 12 oz. 12-packs. Nite Lite and Lime Lite are also available in 16 oz. 4-packs. The latter two offerings are scheduled to undergo a packaging refresh – in line with Day Lite’s bright, graphic imagery – which will slowly roll out this year, beginning with Lime Lite in July.
The brand family makes up about 20% of Night Shift’s wholesale volume year-to-date. Including new markets, the series’ share increases to 30%, according to Burns. Combined with the brewery’s other flagships (Whirlpool and Santilli), as well as Hoot Seltzer, the offerings make up more than 80% of Night Shift’s volume.
“That series on its own has a very, very bright future,” Oxton said. “It really resonates with people.”
Additionally, Night Shift is launching three new seasonal offerings this year: Shandy Beach, an 8% ABV “tart and tangy” shandy with “aromas of fresh lemon zest and lemon candies” (hitting shelves this week); Pink Drink, a 6% ABV hard punch with “notes of pineapple, mango and kiwi;” and Blueberry Piescraper, a 7% ABV blueberry ale with “spices, vanilla and milk sugar.”
“We’re playing around with FMB-style stuff that aren’t necessarily in the seltzer camp, but are inspired by other fun things,” Burns said. “We’re trying not to take ourselves too seriously and put out what’s fun to drink and [will] put a smile on your face.”
Night Shift also recently acquired a distilling license, but no spirits-based offerings are concretely planned yet, according to Oxton and Burns.
Editors note: Brewbound previously reported the addition of four new Owl’s Nest locations. The fourth location in South Station has now been put on hold, but Night Shift’s is “hoping it will make a future debut down the road,” according to a company spokesperson.