Nomad Sugar Maple
Tree House Brewing Company

 

Super dark black with a tan head, thick but fades quickly. Nose is cacao and malty. Taste mild, chocolate, not much to it. Very much like normal nomad EXCEPT there is a sweet tea flavor to this one. Mild bitterness and moderate dryness.

Poured from a can into a tree house tulip glass
Appearance – The beer pours a very deep brown, nearly black color with a puffy head of tan colored foam. The head fades pretty quickly, leaving a touch of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is rather heavy of a brown sugar and molasses smell mixed with notes of toffee and a good showing of roasted and toasted malt. There are notes of cocoa nibs and coffee as well, adding to the dark, along with some bits of smoke and some burnt bread.
Taste – The taste begins with a dark and roasty brown dread flavor mixed with some of the molasses and brown sugar that were in the nose. There are also some light bits of coffee and some nut, both of which remain very light, but add a touch of a backdrop throughout the taste. As the taste advances some wood and notes of cocoa develop, all while a bit of dry maple takes the place of some of the other sweet. At the very end a touch of earthiness and some toffee joins in, creating a dark, mildly sweet, and lightly bittered taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is medium to light in thickness and creaminess with a moderate carbonation level.
Overall – A decent brew overall. Rather robust in flavor for an only 4.6 % brew.

 

 

Can from warnerry, labeled “Summer 2025”
Amazing quantity of head. Subsides a bit quickly, but it was great while it lasted. Perfect SRM. Smell and flavor are remarkable. Feel is really good, though there is a bit of the off feel that I get in a lot of Amber beers. Really nice overall.

 

On tap in Saratoga springs.

On tap at Tree House Brewing in Saratoga, NY.

This one pours a very dark black, with a small fluffy head, and a bit of lacing.

This smells like milk chocolate, roasted malt, a bit of woody spice, and some light peppery bitterness.

The maple wood infusion here is a really nice thing, adding a warm woodsy spice to it. My mind might be creating impressions of maple, but it’s definitely not too sweet, just a nice and uniquely oaky dark lager. Nomad has some wonderful interplay between sweet chocolate and herbal roast, and the maple wood is just another dimension that makes this even more delicious.

This is pretty creamy and very drinkable.

Any variant on this beer is going to be pretty tasty to me.

 

 

Canned Winter 2025

Somehow, this is my 200th Tree House review. There was a point where I thought I’d hit this milestone much sooner, but either way I’m happy to be here. The OG Nomad still stands as my favorite Tree House Lager to this day, so it seems fitting for this review to be a variant of that legendary beer. Let’s crack it open and see what the sugar maple adds to this one

Pours a clear deep mahogany brown with 3 fingers of soapy light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

It seems a touch more fruity and spicy in the nose than the base beer but still pretty similar. I’m picking up on aromas in of acidic coffee, black cherry, black tea, herbal hops, raisin, burnt toast, toffee, light maple and cocoa powder

In taste it’s sweeter than the OG but still nicely balanced. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting black cherry, dark toast, toffee, maple wood, light roast coffee, brown sugar, cocoa powder, light peanut, and herbal hops. The swallow brings notes of toffee, dark toast, medium roast coffee, cocoa powder, smooth oak, raisin, black tea, and light maple

A light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes neutral but refreshing

Of the two Nomad variants I’ve had this one is the best, but still it doesn’t live up to the original

 

Pours a dark brown color with ruby and beige edges and less than a finger of head. The nose has solid roasty notes. The roasted notes carry over into the flavor profile and merge well with some cocoa on the finish. The body is pretty thin even for the style.