Tree House Brewing (2022)

I enjoy FF quite a bit, but their IPAs can’t compare to TH. For me, it’s not even close, and I wouldn’t put FF in the same sentence as HF.

 

Yeah, I love FF, but other than their wild ales / saisons, I don’t think they’re quite on the level of HF or TH. When it comes to ipas, I don’t think many can compare to TH

 

I would go
HF



FF


TH

My problem with treehouse is the IPAs that I have had from them are just too juicy. Prefer FF. Also prefer FF for their lagers.

HF is probably the best brewery I have ever had at least a dozen beers from IMO. However I think FF belongs in the same sentence. Just like TH belongs in same sentence as FF, but would not put TH in same sentence as HF. Too big a difference for me.

with all that said I would gladly drink beer from all three breweries. They all have shown that they can brew a variety of styles very well.

Probably the biggest difference between all three of those breweries is the quality of saisons at Hills Farm are phenomenal.

with all that said it’s been a few years since I’ve had any hill farmstead beers which is sad. Give me a case of Arthur’s any day of the week.

 

Now I’m kind of curious. Does everybody prefer the extremely hoppy fruity treehouse IPAs over others? In fact I’d probably take counterweight headway and a lot of New England brewing Company IPAs over treehouses most of the time. Unless of course I’m in the mood for a beer like that.

 

Headyway is great, but it's a "daily driver" IPA, and doesn't compare to 90% of what TH puts out. Crucial Mass, however, is definitely on the same level as a lot of TH stuff.
I think you're being a little jaded by the TH hype. Their IPAs are world class and many of them are better than the HF ones I've had. However, a lot of their new, high ABV offerings are sub-par, but the classics are at the top of the food chain.

This is all subjective.

 

I find it odd that King Julius is too juicy, but Double Burst isn’t? To me, double burst is sweeter with a less balanced finish.

 

Based on the amount of people that go there and how much beer they sell you’re probably in the majority. I still prefer a beer like heady topper that has a good bitter backbone to it. I think that’s my preference. Of course I drink black coffee and a lot of it so that might make my taste buds a little bit different. For me again The six treehouse IPAs that I had are too juicy and too sweet. Headway is less sweet, less tropical fruity, and a little bit more bitter. All things that I like. It could also be the treehouse yeast strain too. That definitely adds another level of tropical flavor.

if I am in the mood for an extremely tropical, fruity, over the top hoppy beer then it’s hard to beat treehouse. However most of the time I prefer a beer like headway or heady topper or even sip of sunshine that has more bitterness and more citrus flavors.

 

I have never had double burst. Plus it was king jjjjulius.

 

TH's IPAs are distinct to me and I'll crave specifically those IPAs at particular times, but they're not my favorite. I do like balance and I like when breweries feature specific hops well, which I think FF particularly excels at.

 

FF hoppy beers are just OK to me. I find a bit too much astringent hop matter in the beer. I’m glad they sell singles so you don’t need to buy full four packs. I completely ignore their DIPAS, though I only buy DIPAs from a few places because I think most are muddled messes. If I’m going to drink beer at 7.5% ABV or higher, I need to really like or even love the stuff.

I also think FF mixed fermentation and spontaneously fermented beers are very soft, not overly acidic, and easy to drink but lack the depth and character of HF or SF.

On another note, I love NEBCO. A nice counterpoint to all the hazy/juicy beers available everywhere. You asked if “everybody” prefers the more juicy IPAs the likes of which Treehouse makes and, while I’d say it’s not everybody, I’d say it’s the majority. How else do you explain the proliferation of these kinds of IPAs? Look no further than Treehouse’s expansion to FOUR (the Tewksbury location opens in the fall) locations selling primarily juicy, hazy, low-bitterness IPAs.

 

Exactly. Everything is subjective. In fact, I wish I could stop ranking breweries (and everything else) in my mind. We can enjoy them all from time to time.

 

Also I think saying that I’m jaded is not necessarily fair. With the treehouse quite a few times early on in their career. I prefer those early beers to these.

I prefer headway to crucial mass…

 

I'm with lic217 in often preferring a more bitter IPA for much of my drinking. These are the beers I prefer when the beer is not the focus of my activities. Cooking, grilling, sitting with a few friends, watching a game. The beer isn't the focus and there's often food present so I just don't get the same enjoyment out of juicy beers to justify the premium cost. That's why I often have more bitter (and more affordable!) beers like Two Hearted, Be Hoppy, Torpedo, and Little Sip on hand.

With that said, at times when the beer is the focus, when I want to just let the flavors wash over me and marvel at how amazing beer can be, whether reading a book or enjoying a quiet evening with my wife, TH is in a class of its own for IPAs. The density of the hop flavor they pack into their cans is simply amazing. I stick to the classics, especially Green, Very Green, Haze, and when available, Super Sap, and I'm just blown away every time.

If I haven't been to TH lately, I'll often opt for Burlington or other shelf NEIPAs, and simply none of them compare. There is something unique about the combination of yeast, hops, and body in TH IPAs that no other brewery - not Fox Farm and not even Hill Farmstead - can match for me.

I'll admit I never buy the Finback, Equilibrium, or other super hype NEIPA cans I see around because they cost 50% more than TH and are less fresh. Maybe they could compete if I gave them a chance, but with TH just down the road, there's no need to spend that kind of money on beer that's not as fresh.

 

There are a lot of over hopped shit beer that come in overpriced 4 packs. HF, FF, treehouse, NEBCO, counterweight are not those. All of their IPAs are a little different from each other but well done for what they are.

FYI and completely random; drinking east rock right now and for price and availability their lagers are tough to beat…

 

I hate to be pedantic: If A=B, and B=C but then C does not equal A? That is a flawed argument. Illogical

 

CW, NEBCO, and East Rock need their own threads or we all need to be updating the CT thread. After moving from MA a few years ago to the RI/CT boonies I buy 90% of my beers in CT. Hell if you can get Sea Hag for $10 then I think all is right in the world!

 

Making a trip to Tree House and Trillium from Minneapolis at the end of July. Haven't been since before the pandemic. From the looks of their websites neither of them do single cans anymore? Can anybody confirm this for either Tree House or Trillium?

If they don't do singles anymore, would anybody in the area like to split some 2/4 pks of the IPA's & stouts? I'll be in the Boston area on 7/31 & 8/1. Send me a message if interested and thanks for any help.

 

Can confirm Tree House no longer does single cans, mostly four-packs (although some bottles are singles); same with Trillium.

Tree House does offer a number of mixed packs, and while they tend to have too many contain too many beers I'm not interested in, it could be an option for you if you're looking for a variety and haven't been in years.

 

Since we're being pedantic, he didn't say A = B and B = C, he said A > B and B > C, therefore the conclusion A > C is logical. He also said that A - B < A - C and B - C < A - C, which also implies A > C.

 

Skip Trillium