Both Ma and Sap are about 7.5 percent, alcohol by volume. If you can't find these delicious beers on tap, you can go right to the source at the brewery.
This is one treehouse that's not for kids.
I speak of course of Tree House Brewing, right down the road in Brimfield. I recently had an opportunity to sample several of their beers, and man oh man, they were great.
The first brew I had by Tree House was simply called Ma. This is a traditional red ale, albeit one that has a higher alcohol content than most others. It pours a cloudy amber hue with a decent one-finger head. The aroma is somewhat in the citrus vein, although it's definitely not overpowering. There is a moderate smell of roasted grains in the nose as well.
The flavor starts off somewhat hoppy but is quickly balanced by the grain-like malts hinted at in the nose. The malt aspect fades quickly, though, and the hops reassert themselves. It finishes quite dry and somewhat bitter, although not in any way that would put off the hop haters in the crowd.
The body and mouthfeel were a tad thin in my view, but that is a small quibble compared to how tasty this beer is overall.
The second beer I tasted by tree house a few days later was Sap. This is a piney IPA that pours a cloudy, yellowish-orange hue with not much head but with enough stickiness that it leaves a decent lacing. The nose is all pine, spicy hops, and a little bit of citrus hints in the background.
The flavor starts out well-balanced with spicy/piney hop aspect battling with, but then dancing with, a semisweet malt partner. The pine notes then really march to the fore, supported by a little bit of juicy orange flavor. But really this IPA is all about the pine. The malt backbone lingers but the finish is very dry and resin-like. The mouth feel is smooth as satin and the medium body supports the whole enterprise very well.
I can't wait to compare Sap to Tree House's other, more West Coast type IPA, called Julius. I haven't had it yet, but Julius supposedly has more of a citrus flavor to it, and that's usually what I like when it comes IPAs.
Both Ma and Sap are about 7.5 percent, alcohol by volume. If you can't find these delicious beers on tap, (I sampled both at McLadden's in Northampton) you can go right to the source at the brewery. For instructions on how getting a growler there works, go here. There's a specific process you must go to get the beers there.
All in all, Tree House looks to be solid performer on the local beer stage. Cheers to them and here's hoping for more great beers down the line for many years.