The Objective: Tree House Brewery
Email to Rippers
The forecast for Saturday is "Sunny skies. High 81F" so I'm planning a long ride out to Tree House Brewing Company, then back carrying 3-6 pints in my Viscacha seat bag.Leaving Sbux at 6am. Company is welcome!
Even if you don't want to ride 160 miles, maybe you'll join me for the ride to Stowe and then head home for 45 miles.
The Crew
We started with a full complement of Rippers, but Jim G, Michelle C, and David S split off after I unwittingly led them through a stretch of dirt trail in the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge; they headed up to Harvard and finished with the usual route home for 65 miles.
Update from Jim: "We actually split off not because of the dirt, but because I didn't want to ride on busy Hudson Rd and you were veering south to your destination" while Jim and company wanted to head north to Harvard.
Update from Phillip: We were on Hudson Rd for 0.3 miles before turning onto quiet back roads again, but I wouldn't pass near Harvard until mile 137, so Jim made the right choice.
Update from Jim: "We actually split off not because of the dirt, but because I didn't want to ride on busy Hudson Rd and you were veering south to your destination" while Jim and company wanted to head north to Harvard.
Update from Phillip: We were on Hudson Rd for 0.3 miles before turning onto quiet back roads again, but I wouldn't pass near Harvard until mile 137, so Jim made the right choice.
Fred M and Peter H had things to do, so they powered off somewhere between Southborough and Westborough and headed home through Northborough and Marlborough for 83 miles of boroughs.
Darren G stuck with me until just before Grafton, then branched off to circumnavigate Wachusett Reservoir before heading home for 95 miles.
Fred had 2 flats on the road caused by hitting a rock with his skinny 23c tires and then rushing the tube change. No flats on the bumpy dirt trail section, but then Peter had a flat on the way home and Fred had his 3rd flat of the day. Fred says he threw away those 23c tires and replaced them with Continental Grand Prix 4000s II tires, size 28c. That's what works for me. My only flat since switching was when I crashed into a curb and destroyed my wheel. In fact, I just ordered another set for next season from Precision Bicycles Online Store, just $75 including shipping.
Closed
I planned to stop at the Grafton Country Store at mile 43, but it was closed. No second breakfast for this hobbit.
Closed! First the store, then the road.
Of course, I continued past the "road closed" sign. I soon discovered that even with the drought, the road was closed because the marsh had flooded the road.
Of course, I just rode through it. Nothing was going to stop me from reaching Tree House.
Brimfield Flea Market
Brimfield is the site of the largest outdoor antiques show in New England. It takes place three times each year, for six days in May, July, and September. (source)I had the misfortune of riding through Brimfield on the penultimate day of America's Oldest Outdoor Antiques Flea Market. The traffic on Route 20 was terrible. The two lanes heading from Sturbridge to Brimfield were clogged with cars. I rode the sidewalk, the shoulder, the grass, even in between the two rows of stopped cars for almost 10 miles. By the time I got to the Flea Market and figured out what the deal was, I was in no mood to enjoy the crowds of shoppers buying "antiques".
Mission Accomplished!
The first time I visited Tree House (during my Central Mass Brew Tour last fall) there was a 3 can limit. The second time (on the way to watch my nephew Eric play in the state basketball championships last winter), they were out of cans (even though we checked the website for availability before we left). Instead of cans, we bought two flip top bombers and filled them from the tap.
Not wanting to risk riding all morning to come home empty handed, I carried one of my Tree House 750ml bottles with me in case they were sold out of cans when I got there.
Not wanting to risk riding all morning to come home empty handed, I carried one of my Tree House 750ml bottles with me in case they were sold out of cans when I got there.
Lucky day! They had lots of cans of Julius, my favorite. And there was no line for cans. So I bought the limit of six 16oz cans and stuffed them in my Viscacha seat bag.
As long as I had to carry back the bottle, I decided I might as well fill it up with another beer, Sap or Haze were the draft offerings. I started to fill out my Order Card, then learned that they were about to run out of beer (after being open less than an hour) and the only thing left on tap was Julius. I decided not to wait and rode off with 6 cans and an empty bottle. Now, I'm kicking myself for not getting in line for an extra 25oz of Julius. What was I thinking?
Climbing with 6 pounds of beer really slowed me down on the hills. Don't know how I managed in the spring when I weighed 20 pounds more than I do now.
Every time I hit a bump in the road, I could hear the cans clanking together. When I got home and unpacked my Viscacha, I imagined I could smell the distinctive citrus and tropical fruit aroma of Julius. Turns out it wasn't my imagination. One of the cans was much lighter than the others and everything in my bag was soaked in Julius. The can didn't have an obvious puncture, so I popped it open and poured the remaining 4oz into a glass. Delicious!
160 miles for a six pack of Julius--so worth it!
BeerAdvocate rates Julius world class.
Tree House and Trillium account for all 12 of the top 12 Mass beers, with Julius in the #2 spot.
Tree House and Trillium account for all 12 of the top 12 Mass beers, with Julius in the #2 spot.
Sights along the way
Flags ready for 9/11, the day after my ride
Sweet Autumn Clematis climbing the fence. Wisteria climbing the porch.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield was surrounded by old bicycles.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield was surrounded by old bicycles.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield was surrounded by old bicycles.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield was surrounded by old bicycles.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield was surrounded by old bicycles.
Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield
Reactions
- Jacob: Holy moly! Words I actually said out loud.
- Trish: Phil you are insane and I admire you greatly for it! Wowsers!!
- Andrew: I would have given you the beer for free.
- Pat: Had dinner with a couple Sat night. They had spent the day in Brimfield at the antique show. They saw a guy in full Ripper kit go by them while stuck in the Brimfield traffic. Told them the legend of Phil Stern. They were incredulous. Wow.
Tree House - new location in 2017
After visiting Tree House in Monson, I stopped for lunch at nearby Westview Farms Creamery. A local told me that Tree House was building a new brewery in Charlmont. The project is already about 4 months behind schedule, but I can't wait for their beer to be "more readily available" so I won't be limited to 3 or 6 cans per visit. Bonus: The new location will cut 31 miles off a beer run.
from http://www.telegram.com/news/20160912/tree-house-brewing-breaks-ground-at-new-site-in-charlton
Tree House, which launched in a barn in Brimfield in 2011, now has a modest brewing and retail facility in Monson. But its future now lies in Charlton, on a 68-acre parcel. The property at 129 Sturbridge Road (Route 20) will feature a winding 1,600-foot driveway that meanders up a hill. At the top of that hill will eventually rise a 51,200-square foot brewery and retail store. Customers will be able to sample beers, buy and fill growlers, and buy cans of Tree House beer.
from http://treehousebrew.com/blog/2016/2/28/a-reflection-and-plans-for-the-future
The intent of the new brewery is to make our beer better than ever, vastly expand our range of offerings, make our core offerings more readily available, and to create a central gathering place of kinship and camaraderie for beer enthusiasts. This project aims to break ground in the spring of 2016 and to be operational in the first half of 2017 (we hope).
The current plan for Tree House in Monson is to clear the space as a barrel hall and center for special projects. We will have almost 10,000 square feet to age, condition, blend, and refine both clean oak projects and mixed fermentation creations. The existing 30 BBL brewhouse will remain in place along with a number of 30 BBL tanks for wort creation. [The Monson brewery] will become a veritable nucleus of Tree House creative expression, experimentation, and exploration. Our existing Wild Goose canning line, a bottling line, and a dedicated bottle conditioning bottling line will be in place so we may extensively carry out projects we have been working on for years but given space limitations have been unable to flesh out. The grounds will be extensively manicured and maintained, and the facility will be continue to be used for retail with an option for special and private events, both by Tree House and by private parties.
from http://www.telegram.com/news/20160912/tree-house-brewing-breaks-ground-at-new-site-in-charlton
Tree House, which launched in a barn in Brimfield in 2011, now has a modest brewing and retail facility in Monson. But its future now lies in Charlton, on a 68-acre parcel. The property at 129 Sturbridge Road (Route 20) will feature a winding 1,600-foot driveway that meanders up a hill. At the top of that hill will eventually rise a 51,200-square foot brewery and retail store. Customers will be able to sample beers, buy and fill growlers, and buy cans of Tree House beer.
from http://treehousebrew.com/blog/2016/2/28/a-reflection-and-plans-for-the-future
The intent of the new brewery is to make our beer better than ever, vastly expand our range of offerings, make our core offerings more readily available, and to create a central gathering place of kinship and camaraderie for beer enthusiasts. This project aims to break ground in the spring of 2016 and to be operational in the first half of 2017 (we hope).
The current plan for Tree House in Monson is to clear the space as a barrel hall and center for special projects. We will have almost 10,000 square feet to age, condition, blend, and refine both clean oak projects and mixed fermentation creations. The existing 30 BBL brewhouse will remain in place along with a number of 30 BBL tanks for wort creation. [The Monson brewery] will become a veritable nucleus of Tree House creative expression, experimentation, and exploration. Our existing Wild Goose canning line, a bottling line, and a dedicated bottle conditioning bottling line will be in place so we may extensively carry out projects we have been working on for years but given space limitations have been unable to flesh out. The grounds will be extensively manicured and maintained, and the facility will be continue to be used for retail with an option for special and private events, both by Tree House and by private parties.
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