Bear With A Hint Of Coffee
Tree House Brewing Company
- From:
- Tree House Brewing Company
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- American Brown Ale
Ranked #78 - ABV:
- 6.4%
- Score:
- 89
Ranked #14,584 - Avg:
- 4 | pDev: 10.75%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 27
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 27, 2026
- Added:
- Feb 01, 2019
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
We are excited to welcome Bear back, this time with a tasteful and restrained addition of custom roasted coffee! After careful deliberation and assessment, we chose a coffee that exhibits delicate flavors of milk chocolate, cinnamon, and molasses. The base beer features flavors and aromas of toffee, caramel, chocolate, brown bread, and black coffee - a lovely pairing for the delicate, lightly roasted coffee for which it shares the glass. Though this beer is rich with flavor and complexity, it drinks smoothly and easily… an ideal pairing for a hearty winter meal or a day spent on the ice. A winter treat, indeed!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by thebeers from Pennsylvania
3.78/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Black with a fat finger of frothy dark khaki head. Good retention and lacing. Modest aroma of chocolate and coffee. Creamed coffee and chocolate in the taste. Dully bitter, slightly metallic finish. Moderately creamy feel with a light zip to the carbonation. Nice coffee beer.
Apr 27, 2026
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts
4.04/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can poured into a snifter.
A: Dark mahogany brown color, and opaque. Three fingers of dense but fine-bubbled brown head settle to two and hold fast there. Chunky rings of sticky lacing.
S: Lots of malty nuance. Hazelnut fudge, toffee, brown cocoa powder, chicory, brown molasses. Undertones of medium roast coffee with some acidity and a little bit of smoke begin to pull through more with time and warmth. More freshly roasted hazelnuts. Some steely and earthy hops underneath.
T: Coffee is a little more apparent in taste. Opens with roasted hazelnuts and a kiss of smoke, along with the medium roast and acidity of the beans. Heavy malt toast and roast, with some soot. Chewy caramel, toffee, brown, cocoa, and fudge. Big pine and grapefruit hop pull. Orange wedges, too. A bit steely. Finishes with trailing smoke and citrus hops.
M: Full bodied with some heft and chew. Creamy and rich. Carbonation goes a bit aggressive with a seltzer carbonic bite.
O: A solid enough beer, but I prefer the base version. The coffee here brings more acidity and also throws the perceived acrid/roasty flavors up a notch or two. The hopping seems a bit more aggressively pac northwest than I remember, too, which doesn't meld as well. Also feels a bit over-carbed. Mostly these are all nitpicks that did not derail the experience and I'd gladly drink more, but the OG version is still where it's at.
Dec 23, 2025A: Dark mahogany brown color, and opaque. Three fingers of dense but fine-bubbled brown head settle to two and hold fast there. Chunky rings of sticky lacing.
S: Lots of malty nuance. Hazelnut fudge, toffee, brown cocoa powder, chicory, brown molasses. Undertones of medium roast coffee with some acidity and a little bit of smoke begin to pull through more with time and warmth. More freshly roasted hazelnuts. Some steely and earthy hops underneath.
T: Coffee is a little more apparent in taste. Opens with roasted hazelnuts and a kiss of smoke, along with the medium roast and acidity of the beans. Heavy malt toast and roast, with some soot. Chewy caramel, toffee, brown, cocoa, and fudge. Big pine and grapefruit hop pull. Orange wedges, too. A bit steely. Finishes with trailing smoke and citrus hops.
M: Full bodied with some heft and chew. Creamy and rich. Carbonation goes a bit aggressive with a seltzer carbonic bite.
O: A solid enough beer, but I prefer the base version. The coffee here brings more acidity and also throws the perceived acrid/roasty flavors up a notch or two. The hopping seems a bit more aggressively pac northwest than I remember, too, which doesn't meld as well. Also feels a bit over-carbed. Mostly these are all nitpicks that did not derail the experience and I'd gladly drink more, but the OG version is still where it's at.
Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania
4.18/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I sampled this as a side-by-side with the base beer.
The base beer already has a "hint" of coffee. I'd consider this variant downright coffee forward. Roasted coffee is particularly present on the nose.
The problem is that the coffee notes detract a bit from what I consider a well above average brown ale.
I like this variant and it certainly delivers on the promise of coffee. But, I like the base beer better.
Apr 21, 2024The base beer already has a "hint" of coffee. I'd consider this variant downright coffee forward. Roasted coffee is particularly present on the nose.
The problem is that the coffee notes detract a bit from what I consider a well above average brown ale.
I like this variant and it certainly delivers on the promise of coffee. But, I like the base beer better.
Reviewed by doomXsaloon from New York
4.64/5 rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.64/5 rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Outrageous. Bold. Delicious.
Everything you hope a brown ale with hint of coffee would be (not really a 'hint,' it's pretty pronounced, which is a very good thing.)
Jan 21, 2024Everything you hope a brown ale with hint of coffee would be (not really a 'hint,' it's pretty pronounced, which is a very good thing.)
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York
4.04/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16oz. can into a Side Project snifter. Shared by schen9303.
Pours pitch black, thin. 0.5 finger frothy coffee-colored head. Thin legs. Nose is iced coffee, mocha, and a touch of roasted malt. Beers opens sweet cream in iced coffee. Touches of hazelnut and roasted malt. Light coffee tartness in the middle. Unsweet cocoa powder at the end. Body is light with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and goes down aggressive. Crisp, clean finish. Wish this one was a touch smoother.
The flavors are there and this is pretty good. Body needs a little work.
Feb 04, 2023Pours pitch black, thin. 0.5 finger frothy coffee-colored head. Thin legs. Nose is iced coffee, mocha, and a touch of roasted malt. Beers opens sweet cream in iced coffee. Touches of hazelnut and roasted malt. Light coffee tartness in the middle. Unsweet cocoa powder at the end. Body is light with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and goes down aggressive. Crisp, clean finish. Wish this one was a touch smoother.
The flavors are there and this is pretty good. Body needs a little work.
Reviewed by erosier from Connecticut
4.75/5 rDev +18.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +18.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours a deep brown color with a thick tan colored head that leaves some lacing as it fades. It smells of deep roasted malts, sweet brown sugar, and a big coffee aroma. The taste is excellent, it's not overly coffee flavored which is nice, but it mixes well with the base beer. Notes of coffee (obviously), some brown sugar, chocolate, toffee. It's smooth, rich, medium thickness to it. Overall an excellent beer, not overpowering in any area, very well balanced.
Oct 27, 2022
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!