Beers On My Mind.
After debating on posting some reviews of beers that I have drunk - I decided that I will try and post some short thoughts on Sundays about beers that I had during the week. It won’t be every beer - just ones that have been on my mind. Certain beers make you want to always go and grab another, and those certain beers are what these posts will be about. Cheers!
Julius - on tap - Tree House Brewing Co
This Friday I was able to make my second trip to Tree House since they opened back up for pours. With the two-pour limit - it is always a tough decision on what to get on draft. Tree House has a ton of options and the quantity poured depends on the beer. For example, 1 pour could consist of 10 oz. of Very Gggreennn or 18 oz. of Julius. The quantity likely varies based on availability and/or abv. Nevertheless, for my first pour, I decided to get the 18 oz. pour of Julius.
I decided to get the beer in their new house glass. The nice thing about the glass is it will keep a full beer and its head... and you get to bring it home. The decision on what to get was rather easy - it was a beautiful day in Charlton, MA - and what is more refreshing than a big glass of Julius?
It had been a while since I had regular Julius. I think this is due to the fact that you could only get Julius in cases and not four-packs for most of the pandemic. Trust me, I am not complaining that I have been drinking a lot of JJJ, KJ, and KJJJ. To the beer - it was phenomenal. Obviously, we all know that Julius is a fantastic beer - and the point of this post wasn’t to inform you that Julius is a good beer. This post was to remind you that the “basics” like Julius, Haze, and Green - are some of the most drinkable IPA’s one can buy. Beer culture is definitely always pushing for bigger and better, but sometimes smaller is better.
The beer was a perfect pour and as always at Tree House - served at the perfect temperature. I am a big believer that these IPA’s shouldn’t be ice cold.
Personally, I take them out cold, pour them, have a few sips, and see the beer develop as it warms.
Soft, orange, and beyond crushable. The 18 oz. pour went down fast. To me, especially in this culture - Julius is a single IPA, and I love it. Go grab some pours on tap and chat with the amazing staff at Tree House. Since I left - this beer has been on my mind.
Socratic Questioning 20 - Fidens Brewing
I know, I post a lot of Fidens. It’s because their beer is fantastic and they’re even better people. Their Socratic Questioning series has always been a favorite of mine - it is sort of an experimental series. I think it is awesome when breweries try different things - beyond that, it’s cool to see breweries listen to their customers. Fidens has taken beers out of their Socratic Questioning series and given them real names. In this instance - they combined two Socratic Questioning beers (12 & 13) and created Socratic Questioning 20. 12 & 13 were fan favorites. Personally, I loved 13 and would love to see it on its own.
I cracked this one very fresh. To me, I loved how hop-forward it was. Bitter but smooth. Like any Fidens beer - the mouthfeel was as full as any beer I’ve ever had. The best way I can describe it - is thick. Not chunky or gross - just hoppy denseness. Absolutely one of my favorites from the SQ series and still on my mind. 