Field Trip: Treehouse Brewing Co. [Monson, Massachusetts]

Treehouse Brewing Co. is southern Massachusetts' worst-kept secret. Located in Monson, MA, this 30-barrel brewhouse is super popular and known across the US for its fine beers. Robbie Bessey, the boss behind Edison City Alehouse in South Tacoma, WA, clued us in to this place. Thanks, Robbie!

From both Treehouse's website and all reviews, it seems Treehouse beers are a rare commodity. They have very limited hours (only open three days per week), have limited selections, and according to their website, even may release beers "silently" to "create a manageable situation" for staff and neighbors. Sounds pretty hectic, right? Reviews of the beers suggest one should arrive several hours before opening to get first crack at their beers, and that some have been turned away from sale days due to a lack of beer at the brewery. In addition, overflow parking lots are available for beer-seekers at peak times. You'd think they are giving away gold bars, too, by the sound of it. The hype seems almost too exaggerated to be real.

Only one way to find out.

My brother Dan, my aunt Jayne, and I traveled up to the small, rural town of Monson (pronounced Mun-son) a few weeks back (where, I later find out, my paternal great-grandmother lived for a time) to seek out the brewery. So we drove up there on a Wednesday; their hours were 12 - 6. I read on their Twitter account that they were distributing two beers that day - with only 500 cases of each available. No problem, right?

The brewery is located on a farm lot, and looks rather agricultural. See all those cars parked? Yep, that's part of the crowd. We drove around the back, where the entrance was, and saw this:

There were about 125 people in line. How crazy! The parking attendant said that this wasn't even the worst he's seen - usually, he said, the line wraps around the building. Jeez.

But the line moved quickly enough, and eventually we made our way inside, where brewery employees were shouting out orders, deli-style. They don't have a taproom, just a sales area and the brewery itself. Look at those fermenters!

Looks like a big system. After a few more minutes, we got up to the counter area:

They had a limit to each beer one could buy. The limit was six pint cans, per variant, per person. So Dan, Jayne and I each got the max of each: 36 cans, total of roughly $6 each. We also got a few Treehouse glasses, including a nice tulip glass for future tastings in Glastonbury. We bought our beer and immediately were shuffled out of the store area so other customers could enter.

Nice haul! Since there's only two varieties, and we have quite a bit, why not dive in? Both are considered "New England IPAs", a term new to me. First up is the green can, conveniently called "Green." It's a 7.60% ABV India pale ale made with both American and Australian hops. Apparently it was named due to the color of the wort post-boil, caused by a massive amount of hops.

Pours swiftly into the glass, with some white foam that sticks to the glass. This is part of the tasting process - noticing what sticks to the glass. You may recall I mention this often. In beer, this is called "lacing". In wine, this can be called "legs".

Aroma-wise, there's a bit of a citrus note in there. It's tart and tangy, citrus heavy, with strong notes of pineapple. It even looks like pineapple juice in the glass. Compared to other fresh-hop IPAs, I find this to be the most citrus-y I think I have ever had. Nice and refreshing, a bit sugary, and tasty.

The other beer, the "Bright", is a 7.80% ABV double IPA made with one of my favorite hops - Mosaic. This one is a bit lighter (and, as luck would have it, brighter) than the "Green". It pours a light amber color, with lots of puffy foam in the glass, and has a cleaner, more traditional double IPA feel to it than the Green. There's more of a pine taste to it, especially on the aftertaste.

In the end, I'm pleased with Treehouse's offerings. It's a bit of a hike up there, and the cost per can is more than I'd usually pay, but it's fun to have fresh, local beer that's well-crafted. The beer does not blow me away, but it's good, and worth having for sure.

I'm sure in the future we'll be trying it again, especially since they'll likely have a different set of beer in cans next time we go and thus a different, unique experience. Going back to the brewery for a second - part of the appeal is location. It's in the middle of nowhere, so good fresh beer is in a new untapped market. I don't know what beers are available locally in Monson stores, but something like this isn't common. And for local folks who may just be looking for some really good beer, it's time worth spending in line.

Beer Flash: Berkshire Brewing Co.'s "Shabadoo" porter / ale

Just a quick Beer Flash here - I picked up this bomber of Berkshire Brewing Co.'s "Shabadoo", a 6.3% ABV black & tan. "Black & tan" is a name for a beer cocktail of dark beer and light beer; often it's made from porters / stouts and ales. Sometimes they come pre-mixed, and sometimes restaurants or bars will just combine two beers (like Guinness and Blue Moon, for example.)

Today's is a mix of 67% "Hoosac Tunnel" amber ale and 33% "Drayman's" porter, both from Berkshire of course. It's a root beer color in the glass, and throws little aroma. I liked the taste - it was softer and lighter than expected, with some tasty caramel and mocha flavors. I was expecting something heavier. Roasted malts dominate the aftertaste.

Even though it was hot out, this was still nice and refreshing. Also of note - Berkshire donates 10% of gross sales of this beer to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. So if you get a chance to try this solid, easy-drinking ale, do so! Plus, proceeds go to a good cause!

Kent Falls Brewing Co. - "Lade Øl" grisette

Hot temperatures require cool, refreshing beer. Today's beer is one such libation - it's a 4.00% ABV grisette from Kent Falls Brewing Co. out of Kent Falls, Connecticut. I saw this on the shelf at the Putnam Super Liquors in East Hartford, CT, and had to try it.

This beer is made from toasted hay, which I've never seen in a beer before. The idea for this came from Marcell Davidsen, executive chef at Connecticut restaurant Community Table. The name, "Lade Øl", is Danish for "barn beer." According to Phil Markowski, renowned beer author and master brewer for Connecticut-based Two Roads Brewing, a "grisette" is a type of ale all by itself. He says:

"As the landscape of Hainaut province began to shift from an agricultural to a coal and stone mining region in the late 1800's, local brewers began to market a beer to the growing population of miners. As saison was considered the drink of farm workers, grissette was the brew of the miners. The origins of the name are sketchy (gris means gray in French). Grissette is commonly said to refer to young women who worked in factories and wore a distinctive gray frock as a uniform. As one story goes, these young women, grisettes, would hold trays of ale to refresh the workers as the exited the mines."

The aroma is light, mostly of dry orange zest. It pours almost clear in the glass, and it generates a fuzzy white foam.

When candled, it's a pale, cloudy orange.

Tasty! The beer is soft, and light, slightly dry, with a fizzy texture and a slight hint of spice - possibly cinnamon. There's an unfiltered yeastiness in there, and has a wheaty aftertaste that's unobtrusive and pleasant.

Overall, it's refreshing and clean and light with a mild (yet enjoyable) flavor. There's not a lot to stand out about this grisette, besides it being light and enjoyable. This beer reminds me of a saison in a way, and rightly so. Back to Markowski:

"Oral accounts of those who remember the old grisettes say the were low alcohol, light bodied, saison like golden ales of no great distinction. Indeed the intention was to was to be dry and refreshing as is the case with saison. According to Leon Voisin, grisettes were relatively clean blond ales of 3 to 5% alcohol content that mimicked the refreshing character of saison (only hops were the source of "refreshing" character as opposed to lactic acid sourness of old saison)."

But overall it differs from a saison in "brightness" - that is, it's not as acid-forward. Think of flat mineral water (this grissette) versus some sparking San Pelligrino (a saison). I'd definitely choose this grissette over a hefeweizen or similar for a summer beer. My brother Dan calls it the "perfect breakfast beer" and I would tend to agree.

Cellar & Stove: Patient Cottat "Le Grand Caillou" sauvignon blanc + charcuterie

Charcuterie is the king of finger foods. Who wouldn't love a large spread of fancy meats and cheeses? Yesterday was the start of a week's vacation at the Connecticut shore, so naturally the only way to properly start vacation is a trayful of meats and some fine wine.

Charcuterie, for those not in the know, is a French word denoting a branch of cooking that deals with cured and prepared meat products. Many restaurants, especially those with a continental European flair, often have charcuterie as a dish or appetizer. This could constitute anything from a couple of meats on a slate board to a full spread of cured meats, bacon, pates, and cheeses. My favorite spot for charcuterie is Robert Wiedmaier's Brasserie Beck restaurant in the McPherson Square neighborhood of DC. They have a great charcuterie featuring pate, head cheese, salami, and one's own choice of three cheeses.

Tonight's charcuterie doesn't take place in a fancy restaurant, however, but is in fact chosen by me, my aunt Jayne, and my mother. Our spread includes several cheeses:

• Cypress Grove "Humboldt Fog" goat cheese (a personal favorite)
• Saint-Agur blue cheese
• Cave-aged Gouda cheese
• Triple-cream brie

And for meats....

• Prosciutto di Parma
• Crocodile paté
• Jamón serrano
• Salchicón
• Chorizo

The whole deal was served with crostini, mushrooms, red peppers, epi bread, roasted artichokes, and assorted olives.

Today's wine is an equally-anticipated selection. It's Domaine Patient Cottat's 2014 "Le Grand Caillou", a 12.00% ABV sauvignon blanc. Grown on a small estate in Sancerre in the Loire Valley, this wine is made by the famous Fournier family of vintners. Sancerre is an AOC, the region of which is classified as a "cool continental climate" region.

The wine was chilled for hours before opening, and I let it breathe for about 15 minutes. The aroma has major floral notes, which is really nice. It smells like a light perfume. It's a pale pale green in the glass, almost clear.

The wine was dry and buttery with some white grape flavors that gave it a bit of sweetness. There weren't any mineral notes. My brother Dan seemed to think it was like a non-oaked Chardonnay. I tasted a slightly-acidic finish, just a little bit of bitterness on the way out. But overall, a delicious wine, perfect for the beach. But...

...in terms of the pairing - here's where a bit of learning has taken place. I think the wine was a bit too sweet for the fatty and rich nature of the meat. The wine was delicious - no question - but the pairing was a bit off. I think the wine could have had a slight fruitiness to it instead of a butteriness which we think could have paired better. Still, the wine was tasty and so was the food, so I can't complain!

Obikwa Winery - 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon [South Africa]

Tonight's wine is the first South African wine to be featured on the blog. It's a 2014 cabernet sauvignon from Obikwa Winery based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape province, South Africa. Research shows that Obikwa releases a full line of budget reds and whites, available around the world. This particular bottle cost me $8.99. Also of note - apparently Obikwa has been bitten by the sustainability bug; the bottle itself is a lightweight "eco-friendly" bottle weighing 350 grams.

South Africa has long been a winemaking region. It has a variety of climates which are suitable for grape growing, and vineyards have been planted in South Africa for hundreds of years. Only in the last forty years or so has South African wine seen intense international recognition for their wines. Obikwa Winery itself was founded in 2002, mainly for an export market and they started selling wines both wholesale and retail in South Africa in 2009.

I chose this wine today for a few reasons - one, I'd never reviewed a South African wine before; two, we were serving homemade meatloaf that night and Cabernets are very likely to pair well with most meat dishes; and three, it was $8.99. One need not spend a fortune to get great wine, and this seemed like a good price point for a red to pair with a casual dinner.

The wine is a cranberry juice color in the glass and throws a dark, ripe fruit aroma. Not a lot of bricking at all in the meniscus. Likewise, it's not particularly aromatic - I've had some wines that you can smell from a few feet away - but still present. The flavor is rather tasty: it's light for a Cabernet, not at all aggressive, with some pronounced fruit skin notes and some flavors of earth / soil. It's got a soft finish, and a lingering (yet soft) aftertaste.

I was surprised at how soft this was - I was expecting something bold and brassy, or at least more tannic that what we got. The wine was flavorful, very drinkable, and pleasantly soft. We served this dinner with some homemade meatloaf (containing fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, oatmeal, and ground beef), fresh Connecticut corn on the cob from a farm stand, and some garlic mashed potatoes. It paired nicely - the meat wasn't spicy and the softness of the wine worked well with the garlic in the potatoes. In the end, a good table wine that one could bring to a dinner party and not be worried that it wouldn't pair with food.

Wine Flash: Chateau Laval "Costieres de Nimes" red blend [2012, France]

I'm back in Connecticut for a spot of vacation, so naturally it's time to enjoy good beer and wine! Here's a quick snapshot of what we had a few nights ago. It's a 2012-vintage Rhone-style red blend "Costieres de Nimes" by Chateau Laval out of France.

That night, Mom traveled to her native New Britain, CT, to pick up some fine smoked brats from Capitol Lunch - a local blue-collar food joint with the finest hot dogs in the state. We cooked them with sauerkraut, onions, and a basil / mozzarella salad. Served naturally with Capitol Lunch's special "Cappy" sauce - a secret blend of spices and seasonings (we detected brown sugar, cumin, and cayenne.)

The wine itself was very pleasant, but soft. There was some light red fruit flavors I could detect - reminded me of strawberries.The flavors blended well in the wine and formed a good "backdrop" so to speak to the food - the wine didn't overpower or interfere at all. I think the wine could have been a bit more flavorful; but better too soft than too strong, but overall a nice pairing (and an affordable one - I think this was something like $16.)