Canada Gold
Tree House Brewing Company

 

 

straight up one of the best lagers ive ever had, and while this is definitely the kind of beer to pour, admire, contemplate, and be thankful for given its quality and presumed rarity since i never get to drink treehouse living out west, but its also like, one of those beers you just want to crack and drink in three sips straight from the can and then do it again and again and again, which i guess means this is a lager that transcends boundaries between craft people and yellow beer people, but is also just so dialed in, refined, and refreshing that nobody really can set this down, i was very impressed, and these six cans disappeared awful fast. all canadian ingredients! golden and slightly deeper yellow toned in color, crystal clear and sporting well over an inch of airy and lasting white head, looks mega. the nose and taste are biscuity and not minimal, agricultural, harvest timey, earthen, non minimal even though this is dry and clean, great minerality, water chemistry, and cold fermentation are evident, the yeast is slightly european in this, german really, doughy but yet not raw at any point, insanely crisp. at first i thought this was light on the hops, but as i drink more of it i can appreciate a little back end snap, as much a texture thing as aroma and flavor, light bitterness to wash it down, subtle herbal character, noble-esque, but actually from canada, a varietal called sasquatch i dont think ive heard of before, way cool, well out of the way but a nice contribution. the whole it much much more than the sum of its parts i reckon here, and this is just intelligent and professional brewing on display, a lovely take on the newly hot in craft canadian lager, could drink this indefinitely in hot weather. soft feeling, dry, european a little bit even though its still decidedly canadian first, and wonderfully carbonated, super refreshing. its got some body still which i like, and is real clean and brisk, elite in overall quality. i see there is a sugar maple edition of this, which has me frothing, got to find some!

 

Very nice lager

 

 

 

Consumed 8/6/23

Note: Review 1,500

Golden yellow with some pale straw undertones, very clear, pours with a medium size white head, fades to a nearly-solid wispy cap and leaves some streaks of lacing
Layers of soft pale grains, light bread, toast, touches of bread crust, biscuit, cracker, slight touch of grass, above-average bitterness (at least for the style), some touches of apple skin, spritz of citrus, hint of hard water/minerality, light malty sweetness but finishes very dry and crisp
Light body, medium carbonation, very crisp

I intended to save slot 1,500 for a beer I've wanted to try for about 14 years: Pliny the Younger. But I have no idea how many more years may pass before I quit making excuses and make the effort to get it. More importantly, in many ways Tree House Canada Gold is fitting for a personal milestone. Molson Canadian, way back in 2006, was one of the first beers that really opened my eyes to trying different beers. That beer will always hold a special place in my heart, and I still buy a 12-pack about once a year. And on some level, Canada Gold is a world-class interpretation of a Canadian macro. Tree House lagers are under-appreciated, and this one is definitely going to slip under the radar for most. Personally, I absolutely adore it. It's malty, bitter, and inexplicably complex for a little 4.3% Helles/Light Lager/Canadian-inspired beer. My only real criticism is that these should be 16oz cans!