The IPA's of March


Brewery and Country of Origin: Tree House Brewing Company of 160 East Hill Road, Monson, MA 01057, USA

Date Reviewed: 5-27-16

Whether this beer was named after the famous Roman Dictator or not, we felt it was worth mentioning Gaius (yes, that was his first name). By the time he had crossed the Rubicon with the famous phrase "alea iacta esto", Julius Caesar had conquered the Roman Senate, led the first invasion of Britain, and became the first Roman general to cross both the Rhine River and the English Channel. Through civil war, Caesar ultimately brought an end to the Roman Republic and in its place, formed the Roman Empire and with it, the position of "Dictator in Perpetuity" during the tail end of the Republic. Through his own military achievements, the Empire reached far beyond the borders of modern Italy. Caesar's military conquests included all of modern day France, and significant portions of what is now Portugal, Germany, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Syria, Cypress, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, and Israel. Caesar was able to make swift work of many of his advesaries through then unconventional military tactics that Many historians consider Julius Caesar to be one of the greatest military commanders of all time. He was a polarizing figure within the walls of Rome even before he became a prominent political influence, but eventually a Civil War, various bureaucratic reformations, social, engineering, and governmental revolutions, and even the adoption of the Julian Calendar all led to his public perception as an unrivaled world leader. He was especially popular among Rome's middle and lower classes known as the plebians. And of course, with the astronomical rise in power to one individual man, there was always going to be a force of rebellious dissidents, primarily aristocrats and other politicians in this case. Along with a growing fear that Caesar's unmatched power would put the republic in jeopardy, various political conflicts deteriorated relationships within the corridors of power in the Senate. On the Ides of March (March 15) 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by a group of Senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus, to whom Caesar famously uttered "Et tu, Brute?" signifying his last words to his friend at the moment of the senator's betrayal. Caesar's death enraged the Plebians who revolted sparking a civil war with the aristocrats and the military. During his rule, Caesar named his great nephew Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus) as his adopted heir and through a victory in the civil war, Octavius became the first Roman Emporer, as the Republic was never able to restore itself. This officially marked the beginning of the Roman Empire, the last piece of Julius Caesar's storied legacy. Caesar is one of history's most enduring figures and with the release of Julius IPA, Tree House had become one victory closer to becoming what many people consider to be the "Best Brewery" in the US. Several of their beers make up "Top Beers in the world" lists including the community rating generated list on Beer Advocate. Julius happens to rank 12th in the world on that list, with Tree House's King Julius in 6th and Good Morning Imperial Stout in first. Perhaps the beer world has it's own Triumvirate to deal with.
Date Sampled: 12-04-15 At: 7 Priscilla Road, Brighton, Boston, MA 02135, USA
Beer Style: American IPA
Alcohol by Volume: 6.80%
Serving Type: 16 oz Can, 23 oz Mug Glass
Rating: 4.02

Look

This IPA pours fairly choppy, producing a medium amount of carbonation action which generates a three quarters inch tall foam head with a mostly white color, a medium high density, a creamy texture, and a good retention rate. This is an unfiltered beer which includes a pretty heavy amount of extra fine sediment, giving this beer a cloudy, hazy apperance with a bright light brown glow in light with no shine. This beer shows off a very high amount of effervescent effect with no settling, and an above average amount of lacing on the glass.

Aroma

As this is a hoppy beverage, it's aroma is expectedly predictable. Very bitter from the get go with strong hop dominated pine and spicy notes linger with a good amount of strong citrus fruits and a subtle sweet pale malt secondary. There are no alcohol or metallic tinges present in the aroma. Overall, this beer has a medium high strength aroma which helps to enhance the orange citrus and hop flavors of the beer's profile.

Feel

This is a medium light bodied brew with a slightly below average weight, an average viscosity, and a pretty good amount of carbonation, making this a good casual all-season beer which is pretty easy to drink and good for most occasions. This beer is pretty crisp and offers a pretty good amount of refreshment, along with a somewhat dry finish and a barely noticable alcoholic bite towards the close. This beer is fairly smooth and does not contain any added texture from the sediment.

Taste

Indicated by the aroma, this beer is completely hop-oriented. As is the way with most of the beers that Tree House is known for, hop-heads can rejoice with yet another hoppy home run hitter in the lineup. Hop flavors come supplemented with a strong presence of orange and lemon citrus fruit flavors and a good amount of pine and spice secondaries. Sweeter fruit and pale malt notes set a undertone that defines a more mild aftertaste. Hints of coriander and banana fruit give this beer a yeast like character. This beer finishes dry with a somewhat sweet close with no alcohol taste. This beer has a complex and deep flavor profile that is well balanced among its array of fruit and hop flavors.

Our Take

Let's be real - this is an exceptional beer. Even if you're not terribly into IPAs, this beer delivers such a rich complex flavor profile that it should cater to just about anyone who appreciates a well balanced beverage. This beer features some strong characteristics which includes true hop flavors, authentic fruity citrus highlights, and a strong presence of pine and pale malt secondaries. This beer's northwestern like pine hops bring out a bold bitter and floral hoppp flavor without being overpowering or overshadowing of any other major flavors at play. This is a fairly light beer in terms of mouthfeel as well, and combined with a crisp, dry finish, and a lack of any real alcohol flavor or presence, this beer is great for all months of the year, especially the spring and summer. Now of course, if you aren't really into hoppy beers, you're probably not reading this anyway, but if you are lucky enough to come across the brewery in Monson and they have Julius available, definitely give it a whirl. You may be pleasantly surprised, which in itself, wouldn't be that surprising, because as we said earlier, this is the 12th highest rated beer as scored by the users on Beer Advocate. Of course, everyone does have their own tastes, and if yours aligns with this bitter ale's, you'd be best off pairing it with fruit salads, poultry, soft mellow cheese, or Short Bread Girl Scout Cookies.