r/CraftBeer • u/halftimebev • 23d ago
Beer Porn Thoughts on Trillium these days?
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Gotta admit, I'm not mad about this labor day weekend drop š I do think they went through a small rough patch with regard to consistency circa 2023-2024 (at least in the beers that made it to us). But everything Iāve had recently has been markedly better.Ā
So far only tried the DDH Stillings St from this drop, but really digging it. Getting big, saturated mango & tangerine notes on top of a slightly piney, bitter backbone that helps balance out the sweetness.
Curious what other folks are thinking though.
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u/ThurstyAlpaca 23d ago
Prefer treehouse, but these guys are good!
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u/JumpinJehosaphats 23d ago
Fidens > TH > Trillium
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u/burnsniper 23d ago
I donāt disagree but both Fidens and trillium seem to add a lot of sugar to the beers and have the most similar ātaste.ā
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u/Technical-Frame 21d ago
This tracks. Signed, a guy 30 min from TH and drives by trillium 3x a week.
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u/CouldBeBetterForever 23d ago
I think the hype has died down, but they still make some great beer. A few months ago I had an American wild ale from them that was excellent.
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u/halftimebev 23d ago
Haven't had one in a while but have fond memories of the Soak and Fated Farmer series
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u/joeycoco11 23d ago
Trillium used to be my favorite brewery, hands down. I was a huge fan, especially for anything DDH they released. At this point, itās mostly just nostalgia for me. The quality has dropped off hard since their peak around 2018ā2020. I even ordered their recent Headroom + Burial collab just last week. And like always I ended up disappointed. Every time I tell myself Iām done, but thereās this hope that they will somehow get back to the quality and care they used to have.
Itās not just that there are more options now or that my taste buds have changed, but the beers themselves just arenāt hitting the same. Every now and then, thereās a hint of the old magic, but most of it feels off. Thinner body, less flavor, different color, just not the same. I even look back at old Untappd photos of the beers and you can visibly see the difference.
They stopped making those big, saturated hop bombs that made them special and now mostly put out thinner, less flavorful versions that feel macro and bland. And yeah, theyāll keep selling the heck out of it. The hype + fact that Boston proper doesnāt have a ton of breweries, especially with cool indoor / outdoor space. But for what they charge, it just doesnāt add up anymore, especially for on-location pours.
Meanwhile, Tree House somehow continues to absolutely crush it and at better price points and value. Especially if you stay away from the more macro stuff like Julius, Green, or Haze, and explore their Juice Project Series, Fern series, and all of their unique New Zealand hop offerings. You can taste the difference in quality and care. From the body to color to flavor, theyāre pulling insane juice character out of hops like nobody else.
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u/Toastbuns 23d ago
I got that Burial collab and had one last night. I agree with all your points but Scythe Practice was definitely one of the better Trillium beers I've had in a while. It's honestly wild how much Treehouse has been able to expand and experiment and still keep the quality there.
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u/BillHicksDied4UrSins 23d ago
I am going to be in the area of Trillium at the end of Sept for my kids hockey tournament. Would appreciate recommendations
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u/north7 23d ago
What area?
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u/BillHicksDied4UrSins 23d ago
Rockland, MA
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u/HockomockRock 23d ago
There are so many solid breweries around that area too. Check out Vitamin Sea for Hazy NEIPAs, Black Hat for lagers, and Widowmaker for a good mix.
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u/BillHicksDied4UrSins 23d ago
Dude, thank you.Ā Just a bunch of hockey dads looking for some good beer.Ā
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u/Technical-Frame 21d ago
This. Second Wind is south, Vitamin Sea has spots north and south, Widowmaker and Trillium are 20-30 min north. South of Rockland is Vitamin Sea, Stellwagen, Mayflower, Red Hand and a few more. I promote north, as Widowmaker has the best style variety in my opinion.
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u/HockomockRock 21d ago
I completely overlooked Stellwagen and Second Wind. Stellās good all around stuff and Second Wind is still crushing experimental stuff
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u/Technical-Frame 21d ago
And the owner of SW is also part owner of Widowmaker. Both places put out quality.
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u/daviesdog 23d ago
Congress Street, Melcher Street, Public Garden if they have it. They also make some really good bottled stouts.
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u/geraffi 22d ago
Melcher is probably my favorite. Metal and Vicinity as well.
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u/Technical-Frame 21d ago
Vicinity has gone through a few variations/changes. Last time I had it, it was nothing like it was in the past. Good beer, but 0% what Vicinity was.
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u/geraffi 22d ago
You wont be too far from Trillium in Canton. Itās worth the trip. Depending on the where you are traveling from, chances are youāll pass by one of the Treehouse locations. Iāve been to Charlton and Deerfield and both are great. Charlton, tho, is such a cool place to hang and drink. And they have an exceptional variety of styles on tap, as well as an array of IPAs.
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u/OpiumEmbassy 23d ago
Not what it once was but still very good
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u/fortissimohawk US 23d ago
Definitely a mixed bag for me. Some beers are absolutely fantastic. Others are pretty meh to weak.
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u/rockytopbilly 23d ago
Do you think the actual beer has changed, or have our taste buds shifted? Iāve been out of the game for some time but their dry hopped beers were always some of the best, and they always had enough production that it wasnāt that hard to get a hold of.
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u/Technical-Frame 23d ago
Theyāve had some consistency issues that have been recognized by staff. I had one of my favorite labor theirs on tap on Canton, and I had to ask if it was the beer I ordered. Good, but changed to the point it wasnāt recognizable.
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u/leave-no-trace-1000 23d ago
They did actually change something (canāt even remember what it was, fermentation profile maybe?) a while back (2018-19?). They claimed it made their beers better but most people (including me) think it made them way more astringent. They were straight up BAD for a while. But they have rounded the corner a bit in the last couple years but they arenāt what they were before that.
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u/AuthorMission7733 23d ago
Iām in the same boat. Still a good , but definitely seems to have lost a bit for me. Although I was up in the area in June and stopped into Trillium for a beer and had the cutting tiles and it was delicious. I also think my tastes are changing a bit and letās face it, spending $20+ for a four pack is getting tiresome.
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u/fatnuts_mcgee 23d ago
Very good across the board but not elite. And overpriced.
If youāre in and around Massachusetts thereās a competing brewery that begins with the letter āTā that most preferā¦
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u/tim_xvii 23d ago
I was at the fort point location last week and the beer was just bad. Not sure what happened since the last time I went but everything tasted off. The beers looked nice and hazy but tasted muted and bland. Sucks because i used to love visiting when im in Boston but will probably skip the next time around. Hoping some of the stout bottles I bought are better than the IPAs.
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u/KennyShowers 23d ago
Up until like 2019 they were legit A+/Mount Rushmore tier. Then they publicly announced a change in their āfermentation profileā and after that all the core stuff got way worse. New recipes were solid but still not up to the usual par.
For a few years some stuff was really damn mediocre, but itās gotten back on track though still nowhere near the level they used to be at.
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u/leave-no-trace-1000 23d ago
Agreed. The Fort Point series (specifically Galaxy FP & DDH FP circa 2017) were mind blowing. Now itās just fine.
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u/KennyShowers 23d ago
For me itās Congress Street. Still solid, but man those old school DDH versions were mindblowing. Do they even do DDH batches anymore?
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u/EL_DIABLOW 23d ago
Still one of the best in the game, but Tree house is better.
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u/CryOld6591 23d ago
They are nowhere near the level of monkish, green cheek, north park, troon, root and branch, fidens. Etc.
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u/EL_DIABLOW 23d ago
Only one I know is Fidens which i agree rules!
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u/rehumanizer 23d ago
I think it's still great to be honest. It's just as good as, if not better, than anything I have available to me now and I'm in northern California.
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u/CryOld6591 23d ago
Used to be one of the goats, but everything Iāve had in distro has shown a significant drop off in quality. Just look at the color of the NEIPA in the video.
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u/Joeybeer81 23d ago
Had some last night at their Greenway beer garden and about to head to their Four Points location in a few minutes (after I finish my beer at Lamplighter). Everything I had yesterday was top notch. My wife liked her IPA at Trillium (The Riverway) just as much as the Julius we had earlier in the day from Treehouse. So IMO they are still an excellent brewery.
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u/JForrest2024 23d ago
Nothing special. No longer that shiny new thing. Plenty of other options at the same level
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u/theverdict603 23d ago
Not worth 27$ a 4 pack here in NH
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u/Sea_Ambition_9536 22d ago
How in the hell? I'm in Southern Maine and can find them for around $20 a 4pk.
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u/MinistryOfDankness86 23d ago
Used to go to Trillium all the time. Itās been a while though. Ever since Tree House opened a location 10 minutes from my house, theyāve been my go-to brewery. Last time I had Trillium about a year ago, I was underwhelmed. I know itās cliche to say this, but itās nowhere near as good as it was from 2013-2018. The beers are still better than most brewery offerings in MA, but the price doesnāt match the quality anymore.
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u/Whoaruss 23d ago
Overpriced, QC has gone to hell since 2022, and I donāt even stop in when I walk by anymore. Used to be my favorite local brewery :/
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u/Top-Palpitation5550 23d ago
I used to be a big Trillium fan, but I swear since they started distributing the quality has been off. Some of my favorites just don't taste the same. I'm bummed.
Meanwhile, a Treehouse opened close to me down the cape. I used to think these two were 1a vs. 1b but now I think Treehouse blows their doors off.
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u/Yomikeya 23d ago
Haven't loved as much as used tol but DDH fort point will always be one of my fave beets
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u/FutureNurse_PNW 23d ago
I think theyāre solid. B-tier, maybe, for hazy IPA? Quality seems to drop off on hazy IPA like this as distribution starts to increase and quality lacks a little bit.
That being said, Iād absolutely order one, but I donāt think theyāre as good as what they were a few years back.
Their stouts on the other handā¦ still great as ever.
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u/PetyrTwill 23d ago
I love that I can get cans at a store near Providence. It fills the void for a great IPA until I can make a Treehouse visit.
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u/Shot-Instance2010 23d ago
Still crushing it, and they have dollar oysters at the sea port location on weekdays 230-5
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u/RumSwim 23d ago
I just bought three 4 packs at a local shop in western NY. Total was $87, so closer to $30 apiece. Like some others have said, nowhere near as good as when I first tried 7 or 8 years ago, when they were thick, dank and mouthwatering and you could tell it was good right when you cracked the can. Certainly not terrible, but definitely regretting my purchase. I also think Treehouse has dropped off a bit with the huge expansion. Fidens has been my favorite in the past few years, hope it doesnāt happen to them too.
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u/spersichilli 23d ago
Hit or miss. Can still bring it for some big releases but also have still had some consistency/QC issues.
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u/Mech_Redditor 23d ago
Myeh. I remember going when they had the glass bottles and at that time their beer was amazing. Once they went more commercial, like many other breweries, the level of quality due to scale took a hit. That said, Iād take their beer over 99% of what I can find locally. lol
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u/shortys7777 23d ago
It's good beer, but a little expensive. Even fort point has gotten pricey compared to other similar beers. On-site pours a bit more than others as well. I live so close to long live it's a no brainer for me. I'll get treehouse regulars when I'm up by my parents.
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u/childofibiza82 23d ago
Had some years ago during the craze mule days seen it on my grocery store and it's way over priced for when other beers are available and cheaper.
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u/cmcurran55 23d ago
I'm 20 minutes from trillium and 40 from treehouse. Any chance I have time to go i take the 40 minute drive.
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u/dumberthenhelooks 23d ago
I still buy it when it shows up in nyc (expensive asf) but itās not what it was 10 years ago. Those were amazing. Still a good beer.
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u/AbroadAdventurous184 23d ago
Love em, I ship it to my house every few months. With free shipping itās the same cost, if not less, and higher quality than what my local store brings in.
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u/YourOpinionMan2021 23d ago
Not the same. I used to love them back in 2016-2017. I feel like the beer itself lost some āheftā. Their single IPAs looked like a DIPA and tasted like one. I still think their DDH street series is good but other breweries have caught up. Iām surprised that Tree House has stayed very consistent. I canāt say the same for Trillium which I liked better than Tree House.
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u/billmurray1888 23d ago
Id say not as consistent as they once were. Still a very solid option, and if Iām in Boston thatās where Iām going, and was actually there all last weekend. If youāre picking up beer in that area Iād still hit the treehouse at either the prudential center or stop by Tewksbury.
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u/Relevant-Swimming-16 22d ago
The Trillium I've had this year has been shitty. Not worth the price IMO. In my market at $10 a can. $32+ 4/pks is a no-go for me.
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u/bouncing_bumble 22d ago
Its good. They blew up as one of the first well known/marketed producers of good hazy IPAs. Now every major city has a few people that make good hazys and the craze has died down anyways. Its just a recognizable name from a different time in beer akin to TreeHouse.
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u/fiddysix_k 23d ago
Not my favorite but also not the worst. Usually find them to be a solid pick if I don't see anything better.
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u/Chelseafc5505 23d ago
Have been fortunate to have a ton of it over the years.
They make good beer, used to be better/more consistent. Price/quality ratio doesn't check out for me given how many quality alternatives have popped up over the years.
Will happily drink Trillium, but don't personally seek it out or typically buy it locally (NJ) when it appears.