Tree House NEIPA Dominance

1. I agree 100% regarding their other styles. I feel like a lot of people only drink TH and have this sort of "why drink anything else if I can have the best" falsehood planted in their heads. I would see people checking into social media or untappd with the whole "I don't normally like ______ but I like this" sentiment for TH beers. Everything TH makes isn't good. A lot of their hoppy beers are though.

/puts on helmet and body armor

2. When I come back home to Massachusetts, TH is actually a brewery I want to get beer from because their beers are unique. I think a lot of breweries are producing beer like Trillium used to but few if any are making beers like TH. That house yeast blend is really their differentiator. I agree about aroma too. There are much more aromatic beers than TH.

I wonder how much of their rating is from wanting to like it versus actually liking it. You go all the way to the brewery, you've invested that time, you get a dud. I feel like a lot of people convince themselves that it isn't a dud. I've had a few duds myself. I've had plenty that I haven't been wowed by. That's not to say they weren't good. I just did not understand the hype as I was drinking the beer.

 

I say it meets the haze parameters. The rest of what to call it is up to others to figure out for themselves. Of course, it becomes tricky if you think something can be the prototype of a thing, but can't be called by the name of that thing.

 

Tree House, imho, are easy to like even if you don't know much about craft beer. One big smack of juice without so much nuance.

Other Half, for my money, show a whole lot more craftsmanship in the depth + complexity of their NEIPAs.

But I'm from NYC, so I'm probably just being a homer.

 

I think you might be into something. IMO it's easier to brew "one big smack of juice" than brew a juicy NEIPA that also offers some bitterness so that you don't forget you're still drinking a beer.

 

Keep in mind that those breweries are two different worlds ... Alchemist is old school and still kills it better than most. Tree House is great though I've found many hazy IPAs that are comparable around the US, their stouts however are world class.

 

Two of the greatest things about living near Tree House are the ability to drink plenty of Tree House beers and being able to trade Tree House beers for stuff from all over the country. I can say that those opportunities have afforded me countless amazing NEIPAs. The short story is yes- Tree House is special and deserves the accolades. I am sure the ratings are affected by many of the reasons listed in this thread, but the beer is damn good! Living in MA I have also been able to get Trillium, HF, Lawsons, and Alchemist stuff regularly as well. Most of the HF and Trillium NEIPAs as similar to Tree House- IF I had to rank them, it would be:

1 Tree House
2: HF

The difference is small between TH and HF IMO, and I wish I lived closer to HF for their better overall beer portfolio.

3: Trillium
4: Lawsons
5: Alchemist

I am not as big of a fan of Alchemist, although I will never turn one down. FYI- and again IMO- BLDG 8 Brewing makes IPAs/DIPAs that are similar to Alchemist beers, but are easier to come by.

I have also greatly enjoyed NEIPAs by Aslin, Other Half, Monkish, Tired Hands etc. But Tree House's NEIPA portfolio has them all beat. Just for fun, though, here are my favorites from those mentioned:

Tree House: Very Green
Other Half- DDH Space Diamonds
Monkish: Foggier Window
Tired hands: Oblivex
Aslin: Johna and the Giant Peach
Trillium: DDH Stillings Street
Alchemist : Focal Banger
Lawson's Triple Sunshine
BLD 8 IPA

Finally, in this long winded post- The two best NEIPAs I have ever had was Curiosity 35 by Tree House and the first release of Doubleganger. Those beers were just incredible.

 

I view it the whole Tree house thing as a big circle jerk with literally thousands of people committed to buying/hyping/trading the beers they hyped up.

 

Locally available? This might be better suited for a regional thread. Unless you are looking for "credible considerations" that are overshadowed by historical hype across the board. In which case, be prepared for numerous responses with bias regard


On a separate note, Tired Hands can be considered as an influencer of the NEIPA catalog with PUNGE and related; however they also tackle a variety of styles whereas Trill tackled (past tense) one at the time...so Tired Hands remained known for their farmhouse(d) wilds, then the milkshake came about

 

Tired Hands isn't even the best NEIPA Brewer in a 25 mile radius. They do influence sheep.

 

That's got to be a record for the biggest circle jerk of all time then. . . well Tom Brady fandom may be close... But in both cases, GOAT GOAT GOAT!

 

Fun fact, Tired Hands first brewed the milkshake as a joke. They wanted to troll people who didn't like the taste of beer. Look what happened ..

 

Suppose I just like to reminisce on the whole HopHands controversy


...back then the 25 mile radius wasn't as substantial

 

I also forgot HF best-OF first and last things

 

Just curious, have you visited the brewery before?

 

Only had a handful of their portfolio.

 

Thanks for the tip - really interested to see if all the hype about Tree House is warranted (likely yes). They don’t distribute here so while I’m very fortunate to have my pick of the great West Michigan breweries - Founders, Bell’s, Short’s, as well as others nearby (Dark Horse, New Holland, Odd Side, Brewery Vivant) those renowned New England breweries still remain very elusive.

 

I haven’t had a lot of Tired Hands beers, and I wouldn’t call Hop Hands a NEIPA. It’s hazy as hell straw colored, fruity, and very dry and very bitter, they call it a PA and the abv supports that. In every way I’d guess that beer to be a lower malt bill Session IPA. I’ve had a few other brews at Sir Isacc Newtons in Newtown Pa, none of which follows the NEIPA formula of soft mouthfeel, soft hops, fruity, but again my exposure is really limited just my impressions on 2-3 beers.

 

Ah, ok. If you’re ever in the area you should give them a visit. I had a similar opinion of their beers (slightly overrated) but then I got some from the source. I gotta say, I think they’ve earned the praise. Even if you don’t dig their hoppy beers, most ideal not all of the stouts I’ve had are world class.

 

Was more referring to PUNGE, as their take on the NEIPA, when it came out. HopHands is a fairly clean pale ale, aside from the appearance

 

Just noting theTired Hands beers I’ve tried, can’t remember the others. I know better, but when I think of some breweries I go immediately to the NEIPAs they offer and kinda forget the rest.