Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | December 11, 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Webster • Dudley • Oxford • Auburn • Worcester • Shrewsbury ANNOUNCING THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR BUSINESS BANKING TEAM. MEET CHRIS WATSON, SVP, SENIOR LENDING OFFICER. WebFive for Business is expanding to help you build your business with greater ease and assurance. We're delighted to welcome Chris Watson to our leadership team as Russ Dye prepares for retirement in March 2018. As a commercial lender with over 30 years of experience in the Worcester area, few people have demonstrated more dedication to our local business community than Chris. He has spent his entire career here, building lasting relationships, and helping his business clients succeed. We can't think of a better person to lead our growing business team and to help you achieve your own growth and success. Learn more about Chris at web5.com/chris. NMLS #523049 KHJ24010_WEB-424 Chris Watson Intro Ad_MECH.indd 1 11/20/17 6:49 PM F O O D & D R I N K F O C U S er this month, those who braved the long lines left with huge hauls of the coveted beer. Nearly everyone had at least one case of the beer – 24 cans – but the crowd included patrons with huge coolers or industrial-strength carts buying well into triple figures. Expensive hauls, too, considering 24 beers costs about $90 at Tree House. "It's like gold," said Connecticut resi- dent John Muirhead, of the fruity New England IPAs that family members in other parts of the country drool over when he pulls out the decorative cans at the dinner table. Muirhead drives from his Connecticut home at least once per month, spending an hour-and-a-half in the car and then waiting in a line at the brewery often 100 people deep. Despite the extra effort, Muirhead said the beer is worth it. "No doubt about it," he said. The cult following business model The brewery's straightforward, no- distribution business model has made Tree House beer among the most sought after beers on beer-trading web- sites like beeradvocate.com and other platforms, including a thread on Reddit with almost 20,000 subscribers. Per the Reddit search engine, Tree House is mentioned in the thread 500 times. According to the brewery's Twitter account, their beer has graced places most humans will never see, including the Antarctic Peninsula. Fans have taken pictures of themselves with Tree House beer in Ireland, Iceland, Jamaica and even on the Spanish Steps in Rome. Katie Stinchon, executive director for the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, said the line at Tree House is similar to when baseball fans camp overnight to buy opening day Red Sox tickets. "There is a real passion and following for Tree House," she said. Rohan insists the cult following the brand has drawn wasn't intentional, but Stinchon said the fact the beer is "diffi- cult to get your hands on only adds to their secret sauce." "They've built an incredible brand and experience for their customers, and they live up to the hype," she said. Tree House wouldn't disclose its sales or production figures, but when it moved from Monson to the Charlton location in July, its brewing capacity increased from 30 barrels to 60 barrels. On its opening day in July, more than 2,000 visited the new facility, which was a fairly typical daily number, said Kimberly Golinski, the brewery's office manager. Becoming a destination Most people, even diehard Tree House fans, would probably agree the exclusivi- ty of Tree House beer adds to the hype of the already delicious beverages being poured in Charlton, said Rob Vandenabeele, who runs local beer blog massbrewbros.com. "People are fans of not just the beers, but the experience and surroundings," he said. "Beer is now a thing to do – a destination now for many serious beer drinkers." Massachusetts has north of 120 craft breweries, many of which distribute, which makes the fact Tree House fans wait in long lines for a taste even more incredible, Vandenabeele said. "It's amazing, in this day and age with the number of high caliber craft brewer- ies in New England and Massachusetts, so many people are still willing to wait in line for beer," he said. When out-of-staters or people from a different country visit, Rohan said he makes an effort to meet them and give them a tour of the brewery. To keep the beer fresh and control the product, the brewery has no current plants to distribute, Rohan said. He insists the company has remained humble since its beginnings in 2011. "We're just a couple guys that got together to make beer, have fun and play guitar," he said. P H O T O / Z A C H A R Y C O M E A U What beers Tree House will make available on any given day is something of a mystery, as the beers sold depend on what is made and what has sold out. W

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