Review: Tree House Julius New England IPA

Tree House Julius New England IPA

Cost $15.30/four pack only available at Tree House’s three locations (Charlton, MA, Sandwich, MA and Deerfield, MA) and if you’re lucky, at New England Patriots games in Foxborough, MA.

In the future, when beer historians look back at around 2013/2014 and want to know where the New England IPA came from, they will look to Tree House and decide that’s where it was first brewed. Where it actually came from is a mystery as beer never seems to get its facts straight but it feels like Tree House was the first, or maybe beer is Darwinian and that Tree House gets this nod to history because they weren’t the first, but they sure were the best.

A Visit to Tree House

Have you ever been to Tree House? It’s like a theme park for a certain type of beer geek. The campus sprawls with hiking trails, state-of-the-art everything, thick wood benches, and more Adirondack chairs than a fancy resort. In autumn, it’s even more magical, especially if you come on an “off day” like a Monday. The leaves are starting to change and the vibe is busy but albeit chill with no lines and plenty of seating.

A good friend and I grabbed pints of Julius and settled on a pine table under an umbrella. It was a perfect day and Julius was looking juicy with its deep orange color, hazy thickness and persistent white head retention. There was a hint of scallion in the aroma, which is not my favorite attribute of American hop varieties but it was an underpinning and not well noticeable. The real big aroma was tangerine; what you would expect a New England IPA to smell like. It’s like an explosion in a citrus juice factory (in the best way possible).

Tasting Notes

The flavor of this beer is pure orange Starburst candy but with a lingering bitterness that allows the beer not to be too sweet. NEIPAs have a problem with being quite sweet and not allowing the hops to do their actual jobs aka lend bitterness, even at very low levels. This candy sweetness in Julius is balanced by this said bitterness, leading to a more enjoyable beer experience.

But it’s the mouthfeel - usually, with traditional American IPAs the mouthfeel sensation would be thin but there’s a palate fullness to a NEIPA like Julius, almost like eating a loaf of Italian bread. This comes from what I suspect to be the additions of wheat or oat or a combination of both. This fullness feels succinct and well-executed and not too much; Tree House beers just hit differently than other NEIPA breweries- it’s like watching a maestro or master at work.

The pint did not last long. Perhaps it’s my New England upbringing that makes me love New England IPAs; there’s a certain sense of pride and satisfaction that my people help lend something to the beer industry that is now a worldwide phenomenon. Tree House definitely is that “proto” brewery, the one that many people will look to for years to come with gratitude and thanks for their contribution to the industry as a whole.