Drake’s Brewing is excited to announce the return of their beloved seasonal sipper, Tree Beer IPA, made with spruce tips and juniper berries at 5.5% ABV. This limited release will be available on draft and in 4-packs of 16oz. cans, Wednesday, November 25, at Drake’s Barrel House (San Leandro) and Drake’s Dealership (Oakland), and then arrives at Drake’s BARN (West Sacramento) on Friday, November 27. Limited quantities will also be shipped throughout Northern California while supplies last.
Tree Beer IPA was originally brewed in 2013, shortly after the Christmas season, when discarded trees were considered a great opportunity. Why let all that great pine flavor and aroma go to waste? That led to a fateful decision. A Christmas tree was cut into pieces and stuffed into the brew kettle. The beer was wildly popular, but the mess of boiled fir branches and sticky sap clumps almost ensured it would never be brewed again. Thankfully, the Drake’s Brewing team devised a cleaner plan in 2015, still using all natural ingredients.
Since then, the Tree Beer IPA recipe has been refined, and every year it’s slightly different, but remains an incredibly unique experience. The beer does incorporate a lot of spruce tips, but should still be considered an India Pale Ale at heart. According to brewmaster John Gillooly, “We wanted to keep the beer’s IPA roots front and center, and focus on the interplay between spruce notes and hop aromatics. The hops, which include Chinook and Idaho #7, play well with the spruce resins for an awesomely refreshing, balanced glass of pine forest.”
Tree Beer IPA can be enjoyed with a wide variety of holiday foods, as part of the main meal, or just dessert. Drake’s is also encouraging everyone to drink and decorate with Tree Beer IPA. Every time a can is emptied, simply hang it on the tree! There’s no shame in beer can ornaments. Hoppy Holidays!
For more information about Drake’s Brewing, visit: https://drinkdrakes.com/
Terry Bunch
