Tree House Brewing Co. (January 2016)

nice tip o' the hat to the Starman on the Lights On cans. RIP

 

Got the 2nd-to-last pair of VG cans on Friday, which was a very, very pleasant surprise - either not everyone in front of us was maxing out (we were cards 57 and 58), or they had more than two cases left. No complaints. It is, as expected, just insanely good. Props as always to the crew for getting us in and out as quickly as humanly possible.

Coolest part of the visit was meeting the guys in front of us in line. It was one guy who's getting married and whose buddies flew him up from Alabama for his bachelor party. Sounded like they were having quite the whirlwind tour - and it didn't hurt that they, too, got some VG cans! Talking to them, it's easy to remember how spoiled we sound - when I told him it's a 90-minute drive to Tree House from where I live, as an excuse for why I don't get out there as often as I'd like, he reminded me just how much more spaced-out things are down south.

 

So, I made it up there as expected on Saturday. Got there at 11:20am - there were 25 orders ahead of us. The posted limits were truncated even further by the time our cards were processed, and mostly everything was gone. Cadence, Lights On & Alter Ego were what remained... in trace amounts. I shocked myself by having the willpower to not try my haul immediately upon leaving.

 

Is this the norm for a Saturday? I was planning on stopping in this upcoming Saturday, but not sure what to expect to be available. Is it worth waiting until I can find a time to stop by midweek? Not afraid of a line, just want to try some of this stuff.

 

The way it has been lately, I personally would not go on Saturday. Cans have been gone by then and growlers running thin with low limits.

 

Honestly, the way it's been going, I'd tend to think that Thursday is the best day to go. You'll still get some cans, and you'll be able to get growlers. Seeing that there's usually 3 choices of cans you usually have plenty to choose from.

 

I have to wonder what the future holds. They are certainly expanding slower than many mediocre breweries, let alone the big ones. This could very well be their personal choice. As a small business owner, I know how much it sucks to be worrying about making payroll even though your selling out of product. Expansion requires a lot of capital.

But I also wonder if it's a practicality issue. Could they really expand at the current location? With all the additional traffic, parking and lines. I've parked pretty far back on the farm before, so I assume they own that? So there is room but would the town/neighbors allow them to build?

 

You realize they just opened their new brewery in April 2015, right? It is absolutely crazy to question their rate of expansion.

Edit: Also, land and payroll are not the only factors limiting the rate of expansion, and some of the limiting factors are beyond TH's control. The hops TH and many other en vogue Northeastern brewers rely on are in limited supply, and I understand that contracts must be made months if not years in advance. It may just not be possible to get enough galaxy and citra to have Julius and Green on the shelves of every beer store across the state. The availability of cans is also a consideration ... you can tell TH is being squeezed somewhat by the can company by the shear number of Julius and Green cans in the brewery right now, which I wager have to be ordered in order to get a smaller number of blank cans. And yes, you are right in assuming that there was at least some local opposition to the move/ expansion of TH. It may have been largely one guy, if I remember correctly, but the feelings of the neighbors, and the willingness of various agencies to approve expansion also must be considered.

 

I imagine they wont expand until they can afford to move into a huge facility with a great taproom and plenty of room for parking. Of course this will be a few years from now.

One of the things people like about TreeHouse is that it's off the beaten path. Sure you wait in line but thats all apart of the experience. Being able to grab cans just as they are being packaged and getting rung out by one of the owner is something people like and something that would disappear if an expansion happened.

 

But shouldn't this start the trend of a new brewery every April!?

 

I'm not questioning it in a judgemental way, but I'm sure they have thought of the future. As I said, I know its their choice. And it's always nice to not take on debt to expand.

I just know of a couple breweries that went from tiny tap rooms to giant pre-fab buildings. I'm sure if they wanted to get the funding, they could.

Again, I'm just musing on the idea. I'm sure the owners are making a nice salary and don't need to rush anything

And actually no I didn't realize it was that new. I must have gone for the first time just weeks after it opened.

 

Who knows if they have even considering expand much more. For example other breweries like hill farmstead and alchemist do not want to brew bigger batches for quality control.

 

Oh I see its that time again in here..."Just brew more beer!"

 

Can we add "They should just can everything" and "Why don't they expand their hours" yet?

 

Any ideas has to what else they will can for tomorrow?? Dr.j?!?!

 

Dr J is always a safe bet

 

I want to believe that they will do something special; I only get to go up a few times a year, and I'm making the trip this Thursday. They have done King Julius, Juice Machine, and Very Green recently. One can only hope they keep this trend up.

 

Personally really have my fingers crossed for a Eureka/Single Shot day soon.

 

My guess is a new Curiosity. Mainly because I've always missed out on them and I'm hoping they have one for tomorrow! Hope people are feeling strong to carry out the case+ worth of beers!

 

Eureka w/Citra for tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/TreeHouseBrewCo