Tree House Brewing (2023)

Just a little anecdote:

Having Julius on draft at Tewksbury. This is the best Julius has tasted as far as I remember. The mango, the bubblegum. Incredible.

 

Paired with a TH pizza on a sunny day was pure paradise.

 

Visited Woodstock this weekend, second time overall, first since beer there became a thing. It’s basically Tree House for the people who think Tree House has gotten too big for its own good (I don’t, for the record). Or Tree House for people who used to drive 3 hours to get their 3 IPA growlers per trip through the line at HF. Grabbed the Riwaka Motueka IPA - my two favorite hops!! - and it’s expectedly great. The place feels like an unbelievably well-kept secret hiding in plain sight.

 

I believe the head brewer at Woodstock has worked at Hill Farmstead and another well known brewery that’s slipped my mind.

 

Which German lagers have been good recently? I am particularly curious about:

Whisper
Rustle
Brisk
Solitude
Rover

 

Dear god if it was Mike Gearhart (I know it’s not)

 

I take it all those Woodstock beers are brewed on site?

 

I believe the “sweet wort” is brewed in Charlton and shipped to Woodstock where the rest of brewing process is completed.

 

Popped over to Woodstock to grab cans, I think there were two people there but the weather does suck! Would be awesome if they stayed open year round.

 

How was the taplist? Thinking of cutting through this weekend.

 

It looks like almost all the beers/some ciders to go were available on draft. They do have some special fruited/etc. ciders on draft which is great, I just had one but you get the pours in a teku.

 

So, had a House Latte with Em this morning dated best by 8/16/23. Didn’t think to check the date on a coffee product.

I opened it and noticed it looked too bubbly and spritz’y almost. Didn’t think much of it being early and pored two even glasses over ice. As I noticed a sour smell Em went for a sip just before me and wow. Absolutely rancid infected smell and taste. Felt bad for Em as she got a small amount in her mouth and was gagging sickened. I noticed quick enough as I brought my sip up and smelled it.

I know it’s oat milk which I’m sure does eventually spoil. But I’d say something should be said about that if a canned latte could spoil that bad. That was fucking revolting and I hope no one else has to experience that.

 

That sucks. Hope that was the last/only can you had.

 

TH took all the info and is working with us on it. As usual they are great

 

Does anyone know the difference in "Wet Hop" vs "Fresh Hop" in Tree House's context? I read this article to understand the nuanced difference in the broader sense, but I am curious how @DigitalNate and team interpret each term.

https://washingtonbeerblog.com/fresh-hop-wet-hop-whats-difference/

For the most part, it seems "Wet Hop" is the preferred term at Tree House. See Trail Wet Hop Cascade, Trail Wet Hop Pink, Trail Wet Hop Idaho Gem for a few examples. However, there is also a recent release of Trail Fresh Hop Strata that has clouded my understanding a bit. Maybe just a branding/artwork thing?

As an additional fun aside, my take on the Trail Wet Hop Pink was "all of the fun parts of a honeydew melon or cantaloupe, and none of the disappointment from being the last fruit in an Edible Arrangements basket". It's pretty delicious and I'm so glad I have another four cans to crush.

 

I think fresh hop was the term they used for some hops they got to TH 12 hours after picking. Maybe just the freshest version of wet hop.

Not trying to say what's right or wrong, I have some latte cans, did you keep it refrigerated?

 

Yeah, they were alwys kept cold and don’t move from the fridge until we open them. TH has their QA and team working with us on it.

 

Ah, cool! That makes sense to me.

 

Thoughts on various beers from a trip last week:

Nomad Oak (draft): delicious, perfect for sitting up the hill among the trees at TH on a cool fall day. Not notably different than regular Nomad, however, and probably wouldn't be worth the extra couple bucks for a four pack compared to the original. I'm a little surprised since I find Free to Roam a big improvement over Wanderer - maybe the oak just doesn't do as much for a darker lager?

Trail Wet Hop Cascade (draft): really tasty beer that shows the cascade hop very well. Crisp, citrusy, piney. The bartender said they do these as lagers instead of pale ales because it isolates the hop flavor better. I believe it, but I found, a bit to my surprise, that I'd rather just have a SNPA if I want that classic cascade flavor. The beer was enjoyable but seemed didn't have the delicate balance of a lager or the rounded flavor profile of a pale ale.

Silver Fern (draft): Wow, stunning in every way. Thick, soft mouthfeel, incredible hop saturation, classic NZ hop flavors, and the waves of evolving tangerine, white grape, and subtle bitter notes keep coming and coming. Up there with Super Sap and The Greenest Green as my favorite TH IPAs ever.

Autumn (can): Got this since they didn't have Green (sad day). It was very enjoyable, but not up to TH's usual standard in my opinion. Kind of one-dimensional flavor profile - sharp citrus/pineapple but without the bitterness that the Green series so delightfully imparts to Galaxy. Wouldn't buy again.

Julius (can): right on and perfect in every respect. Wish I'd bought more.

Alter Ego (can): My first time in a few years having this one. It's good but upon reflection, I'd rather just have a good ol' Julius.

Raven (can): I love black IPAs and this one doesn't disappoint. A West Coast hop profile here, with big pine notes and substantial bitterness, with a nice smoky/roasty finish. A winner.

Ma (can): similar to Raven, a great showcase for piney bitter hops with a touch of juiciness on top of a sturdy amber base. By no means a classic amber, much more akin to a Red IPA. But a damn good one at that.

Ranking the beers in order of overall preference: Silver Fern, Julius, Ma, Alter Ego, Raven, Nomad Oak, Trail Cascade, Autumn.

 

got that in cans, and 100%. probably my favorite new non-core beer I've had there in years.