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Old Man
Tree House Brewing Company
- From:
- Tree House Brewing Company
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #19 - ABV:
- 5.4%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #16,907 - Avg:
- 3.87 | pDev: 11.11%
- Reviews:
- 70
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 02, 2023
- Added:
- Oct 27, 2012
- Wants:
- 7
- Gots:
- 83
Our classic English-style Bitter returns to pay homage to a great man and an integral part of the Tree House team - Nate’s father, Dan! Dan has been spent his work-tirement assisting Tree House on the canning line and in many other ways both physically and spiritually. This beer is an homage and a thanks to a great man - and more broadly to fathers everywhere. Thanks, ‘Da’.
Don’t be fooled by the name - our interpretation of an Extra Special Bitter carries light bitterness and a gentle earthy noble hop character from Fuggles hops. The hops are balanced by an airy fruitiness and a rich base of flavors evoking caramel malts, brown sugar, and hazelnut. It is a wonderful and simple beer we find best paired with fish and chips, smoked meat, roasted chicken or, ideally, a day on the river.
Don’t be fooled by the name - our interpretation of an Extra Special Bitter carries light bitterness and a gentle earthy noble hop character from Fuggles hops. The hops are balanced by an airy fruitiness and a rich base of flavors evoking caramel malts, brown sugar, and hazelnut. It is a wonderful and simple beer we find best paired with fish and chips, smoked meat, roasted chicken or, ideally, a day on the river.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Alieniloquium:
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida
3.36/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.36/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
16 oz. can. Murky amber body. Small white head. Smells of caramel, some bready malts, and just a bit of banana. Tastes of caramel, bread, and the same banana. Moderate bitterness. Medium light body. Pretty good. Flavorful ESB, though heavy on the banana bread flavor.
Nov 08, 2016More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Jw13 from Massachusetts
4.21/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Nitrogenized version of Old Man. Pours almost clear dark amber with a small head that dissipates quickly. Smell is of brown bread and malt, with some blackberry and cherry notes appearing in the flavor. Lightly carbonated, with a touch more body in the feel than I expected. A nice expression of the style. I've had the original Old Man before, and I don't know if I could tell it apart from this "nitro" variant unless they were side by side.
Sep 02, 2023Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas
3.91/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.91/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear dark amber/light brown color with a one finger head of fluffy off-white foam. The fads very fast leaving almost no lacing on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is rather strong of brown bread smell mixed with notes of a light cocoa and some smells of cherry and raisin. Along with these smells comes a little bit of harvest fruit and some light earthy and herbal hop smells.
Taste – The taste begins with a brown bread and slightly sweeter taste of plum, cherry, and pear. There is a bit of a hay flavor and notes of earthy hops upfront with the later getting slightly stronger as the taste advances. At the same time the brown bread and pear increase at a slight expense of the cherry and plum. At the end a touch of pine comes to the tongue, leaving one with a rather nice, slightly sweeter, but very pleasant brown taste.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is slightly lower. For the style, the feel the taste is rather nice and makes for a nice easy sipper.
Overall – A good and tasty ESB with a slightly sweeter nature. Quite tasty!
Jun 17, 2023Appearance – The beer pours a clear dark amber/light brown color with a one finger head of fluffy off-white foam. The fads very fast leaving almost no lacing on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is rather strong of brown bread smell mixed with notes of a light cocoa and some smells of cherry and raisin. Along with these smells comes a little bit of harvest fruit and some light earthy and herbal hop smells.
Taste – The taste begins with a brown bread and slightly sweeter taste of plum, cherry, and pear. There is a bit of a hay flavor and notes of earthy hops upfront with the later getting slightly stronger as the taste advances. At the same time the brown bread and pear increase at a slight expense of the cherry and plum. At the end a touch of pine comes to the tongue, leaving one with a rather nice, slightly sweeter, but very pleasant brown taste.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is slightly lower. For the style, the feel the taste is rather nice and makes for a nice easy sipper.
Overall – A good and tasty ESB with a slightly sweeter nature. Quite tasty!
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania
3.96/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16oz can into a dimpled mug.
Nice color to the body, head disappears quite quickly. Good strong malty aroma and taste, touch of caramel. Body is a touch thinner than I would prefer, but a good interpretation of the style.
May 10, 2023Nice color to the body, head disappears quite quickly. Good strong malty aroma and taste, touch of caramel. Body is a touch thinner than I would prefer, but a good interpretation of the style.
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania
3.98/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.98/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16 oz can
pours a clear dark amber color, thin off-white colored head. decent head retention, but eventually fades to just a ring. toasty bready malt aroma, a little caramel, some fruity esters. taste is similar, well balanced not too sweet. medium bodied.
Dec 29, 2022pours a clear dark amber color, thin off-white colored head. decent head retention, but eventually fades to just a ring. toasty bready malt aroma, a little caramel, some fruity esters. taste is similar, well balanced not too sweet. medium bodied.
Reviewed by jngls from Germany
3.76/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
6 months old. Can to pint glass.
L: Pours a murky golden brown with a beige head that dissipates rather quickly and doesn‘t leave any lacing. Plenty of floaters.
S: Malty with notes of caramel and brown sugar.
T: Malty and earthy with a medium sweetness and a slight bitterness. Caramel, biscuit and brown sugar. Minimally roasty.
F: Light, crisp and crushable.
O: Nothing too fancy, but overall a great execution of a classic style. Could drink this all evening long without getting bored of it.
Dec 03, 2022L: Pours a murky golden brown with a beige head that dissipates rather quickly and doesn‘t leave any lacing. Plenty of floaters.
S: Malty with notes of caramel and brown sugar.
T: Malty and earthy with a medium sweetness and a slight bitterness. Caramel, biscuit and brown sugar. Minimally roasty.
F: Light, crisp and crushable.
O: Nothing too fancy, but overall a great execution of a classic style. Could drink this all evening long without getting bored of it.
Reviewed by mvogt from Massachusetts
3.91/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.91/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Sweeter than I prefer - I can understand why other drinkers would rate it more highly. The sweetness overwhelmed most of the other flavors for me. Nice color and clarity, appropriate mouthfeel.
Aug 18, 2022Reviewed by Braunmeister_1943 from Pennsylvania
3.76/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.76/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Really beautiful almost ruby red color with a fine creamy head. A very mild nose. Caramel malty flavor with a slight hop bite. A really nice ESB! Almost has a nitrogen creaminess! Well done, Treehouse!
Aug 14, 2022Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland
4.28/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can poured into a willi becher. Pours a medium-dark brown with a creamy light tan head. Decent retention and lacing. Aroma and flavor feature earthy hops, nuttiness, some caramel, toasted malt, and hints of milk chocolate and coffee. Mouthfeel is creamy and moderately carbonated, not thin at all. Goes down very smooth, as is appropriate for the style. Overall a flavorful and top-tier ESB.
Aug 02, 2022
Old Man from Tree House Brewing Company
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
390 ratings
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