Hop Head IPA – Tree Brewing Co.

I know we’ve talked about this before, but it’s just a fact:  There are a lot of awesome IPAs from the west coast.  Now I’ll add the usual caveat: I consider anything west of Regina “West Coast”, which makes calling a beer from Tree Brewing out of Kelowna BC, “West Coast”.  I have done this ever since a BC-born friend of mine referred to me, with no joking in his voice, as an “East Coaster”.  I found this interesting, as there is about 1000km between where I live and where the ocean is. According to Google I can actually be in salt water quicker by heading north (if I’m flying, and seriously, who wold drive?) and going to James Bay, which is only about 800km away.  So, mini-geography lesson aside, Tree brewing is in Kelowna, which is the west coast, if you ask me.  And the west coast is known for hella hoppy IPAs.  As you can see from the picture below, I can assure you before I do this review, that Tree’s Hop Head IPA fits into this stereotype perfectly.  The quick-witted among you might question, “well say now, Chris, that sounds great.  But where did you get this beer?  Surely not from Kelowna?”  Nay, fellow-beer-enthusiasts.  The good folks at the LCBO decided to bring this one in, and it’s available a lot of LCBO locations.  Check for #256586 or look here to see if it’s near you. Enough talk, let’s taste this beer (again).  A word of warning, the review gets a little weird.  Apparently I’m in a funny mood.  Hope you enjoy, I did….

Hop Head IPA - Tree Brewing Co.

Hop Head IPA - Tree Brewing Co.

From a cool bottle with only a neck label and a raised-embossed company logo on the bottle, the beer pours a red amber hinting towards brown at the centre with a nice frothy head that drops to a film and leaves decent lacing on the glass.  The aroma is heavily pine and astringent.  Hints of citrus peel dance a little with caramelly sweet malts, almost dark rye bread.  Nice balance on the nose, more towards the hops, but with a depth that makes me want to stop typing and start drinking. Taste is just classically west coast, dry piney hops, a little biting on your cheeks, with a mellow sweet malt back-bone purring underneath the complexity, with it’s own interesting character.  It shines though a little towards the mid palate.  If the malt and hops were part of a famous band, they would be Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel of The Band.  The hops jangle and shine like Garth tearing it up on his Hammond B3, giving you chills and maybe even leaving a tear in your eye.  The malts are Manuel’s light-fingered caress on the keyboard, a little quirky and fun, but holding everything together musically as Garth launches into the stratosphere.  I was going to try to figure out who were Levon, Robbie and Rick, but that would be silly.  Okay, who cares: On the palate the beer is sharply dry, but with a creamy soft feel, like Roberton’s lyrics being sung by Helm’s voice; clever yet concise, with an authority from perceived age and experience.  I guess Danko would have to be the glass.  Which has nothing to do with the beer (though it is a lovely little stein from Session 99 beer fest this past summer).  It has a nice weight and feel, but let’s you see and feel everything about the beer.  And you know if it wasn’t there, it would just be a dripping wet mess.  Bob Dylan doesn’t figure into this silly analogy.  All in all, a wonderful beer, and one that I will continue to drink a lot of, as long as I can lay my hands on it.

Cheers Tree Brewing!

The Band - Richard, Garth, Levon, Robbie and Rick

I think they would have liked Hop Head

About The Brewery

Tree Brewing LogoOur Brewing philosophy is simple, to brew memorable and flavourful beers regardless of the style…from our session beers to our Brewmaster’s Reserve series. Our award winning beers are brewed by German trained Stefan Buhl and his team of passionate brewers. Using 100% Malted Barley, the Finest Hops, Yeast and Water, sure to satisfy the most discriminating tastes.

As a locally owned and operated Brewery, we believe in giving back to the communities that we work, live and play. From partnerships with the BC Fire ReLeaf Fund, Cops For Kids, Ski To Sea and the many charitable donations made throughout the year.

http://www.TreeBeer.com/

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