Bright - Centennial
Tree House Brewing Company

Note: This review is based upon scrap paper notes that I found while cleaning out a junk drawer. The note was dated August 2019.

Pours a hazy golden straw color with a finger of head. The nose has floral and grassy notes with a hint of citrus. The flavor is a delicious blend of earthiness and grapefruit. The finish is decently bitter.

 

 

 

 

From a can (brother-in-law had left in fridge after a run but left a bunch) dated 8/6/2019
but consumed November 30. Still good! A hazy gold pour with a couple fingers head. The aroma and taste is grapefruity..has tart lemon-lime taste, with a dank, piney bite. Was overall surprised how much I liked after the time delay. Have not had Bright proper (as opposed to this Centennial version) so cannot compare but this was excellent and a welcome addition to my buy-whenever-available list.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Hazed light golden pour with thick foamy white head. Nice lacing.

S: Citrusy and floral.

T.F: Strong Centennial hops. Grapefruit rind, tangerine, and citrus. Floral character and spice. Lighter pine... but mostly grapefruit and citrus peel. Creamy carbonation... some fruit sweetness up front balanced out with some modest hop bitterness.

O: A typically outstanding Tree House IPA. Not my favorite of their brews, but very glad I got to try it. Worth checking out.

 

Consumed 9/2/19

A: Golden yellow - some chill haze, but mostly clear (this is a Bright, after all) - pours with a small white head, retains a few wisps, small collar leaves some nice lacing

S: Centennial, duh - more floral than straight-up orange and grapefruit - plenty of citrus overall - orange and grapefruit juice - loads of floral citrus notes and grapefruit zest - herbal hops, some notes of earth and spice - some light tropical notes - clean, pale malts

T: Orange and grapefruit juice, oily citrus rind - flowery, floral citrus - earthy notes, some spice - lingering citrus oils - leafy hops - nothing too tropical in the flavor - medium bitterness, which actually seems a bit odd for Centennial - malts are fairly nonexistent, just a pale background

M: Medium body, smooth, carbonation on the low side

O: Have you ever heard of this beer called Two Hearted?

I can't drink a Centennial-only beer and not think about Two Hearted. Needless to say this reminds me of Two Hearted, but it's distinctly Tree House. There is clearly a lot of dry hopping here, and I would not really describe this as balanced. Needless to elaborate, though: it's good.

A- Very slightly hazy tallboy pour into a becher. White foam rises up to a finger high with pretty good retention and a creamy consistency. A thin sheet of lacing at the top with consistent, large sheets of lacing at each sip.

S- Floral, pineapple, berry, orange, grapefruit and dank herbal hop notes. Also hints of melon and mango to go along with that. Hints at a light bit of sweetness complimenting the fruity hop notes. Medium overall level of hop aroma for modern standards but smooth, balanced and clean.

T- The things that were suggested at in the aroma are all present but find more balanced and harmony on the taste buds. Oranges, grapefruit and tangerine bring the citrus up front before notes of mango, apricot, papaya and melon bring the softer juicier fruits. Floral, dank herbal, slight pine and berry hop hints as well. Medium sweetness and a bit bready.

MF- Fluffy and very creamy. Just smooth as can be and so silky. Tree House rule the mouthfeel. Very high level of carbonation is cut into by the great texture and it all works out very well. Ends with a clean citrus bitterness.

A nice blend of citrus, floral, dank and juicy hops. Balance to all of the different hop notes and an easy drinker without any powdery bitterness.

 

16 oz canned 8.6.19, opened 8.28.19, poured into a Treehouse Teku glass

Two finger bubble white foam cap over golden yellow translucent liquid, rocky lacings, good retention settles to a ring

Aroma is grapefruit citrus,

Taste is grapefruit, grapefruit rind

Hop taste lingers, nibbles, fry finish

Good beer

 

Serving: Can
Canned: Aug-6-2019 (Consumed Aug-25)

It pours a hazy goldish with a couple fingers of white head that settles to a cute little cap, confetti lacing. The aroma has tart orange, lemon juice and lime rind right off the bat, with a pine botanical kind of bite to it and white bread following. The lemon-lime-pine thing is present in the flavor, too, and comes with that classic lemon pledge character that I was expecting due to the hop variety. This is accentuated by the alcohol and a touch of more pronounced malt character compared to their non-Bright beers (crystal malt perhaps?). It is fairly dry, with active carbonation and a relatively resinous finish. Still less sappy than a west coast version of the same beer would be and still sporting the slightest tropical/mango character (the yeast/biotransformation?) but it is definitely its own beast and an enjoyable beer to be sure. Very tasty and a worthy representation of what this classic hop can do.

4...4.25...4.25...4.25...4.25