Spring of the "New England" style IPA: Tree House Eureka

By Jack Horzempa: 
(Originally Posted on Beer Advocate)

Firstly, happy spring time everybody!

I have been extremely fortunate to have been gifted some new beers of the so called ‘NE’ style IPA. Since these beers seem to go with warm spring weather (hell, these beers are good in any sort of weather!) I will be reviewing them over the next few months.

First up is Tree House Eureka.

This is my first ever Tree House beer. Tree House beer gets crazy love on BA! In the top 10 of their top 250 beer list, there are four Tree House beers.

I have never visited Tree House but by all reports it is an ‘interesting’ visit. They are presently located in Monson, MA which is about a two hour drive west of Boston (which I am sure is time of day/traffic dependent). I have read some blogs and it sounds like it is a pretty location. They sell cans at their location and from my readings you line up to purchase what is available that day (a few cans per visit?).

The good news is that Tree House is opening a second, larger location in Charlton, MA (also west of Boston) and hopefully with this second and importantly larger brewery Tree House beers will be more readily available) You can read about this expansion here: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/blog/2016/03/08/tree-house-brewing-charlton-expansion/

So what does a revered Tree House beer taste like?

Served in my Gulden Draak tulip glass:

Appearance:

Yellow colored with a turbid/murky appearance. A BIG fluffy white head.

Aroma:

Strong citrus fruity aromas (including some lemon) with some tropical fruit as well. My initial impression is that of a creamsicle. As the beer opens up there is a notable aspect of dank.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose: a combination of fruity flavors. There is just enough malt backbone to provide a sense of balance. It has a rounded bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a soft texture. This beers approaches the quality of “creamy” but not quite there. A dry finish.

Overall:

I think this beer is very good! I really enjoyed drinking this beer and I must confess I was a bit surprised on how quickly I consumed this beer. As the Magic 8-ball would say: “All signs say Yes!!”


Jack Horzempa is a longtime friend of the store and an extremely knowledgeable home brewer, brewing some of the best beer I have ever tasted. Jack's palate is well seasoned and he has been a valuable source of beer expertise to the store. He has graciously allowed us to re-post his review/posts from Beer Advocate where he has achieved Poo-bah status. Since joining Beer Advocate 12 yrs ago, Jack has posted more than 20,000 times and earned over 25,000 likes.