Tree HouseBeersMilford Sound
Milford Sound, dually known as Piopiotahi, is a respite at the edge of endless tides. These calm waters are encompassed by sheer cliffs acting as a barrier between the tumultuous jungle, where life proliferates and blooms before being taken back into the folds of its verdant keeper.
Leads with oak and vinous; also hops.
On the Classic wheel, from Tree House’s own descriptions of this beer.
Our friends @garstonhops reside just sixty miles as the crow flies from Milford Sound. Forming a connection to the regions from which we source our hops means so much to us and we work to carry that energy through to our beer. So, there wasn’t a chance we’d be in Garston and not take the short ride to see this iconic fiord. Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s most majestic attractions and has been described as the 8th wonder of the World. It resides within the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. Carved by glaciers over millennia, sheer cliffs rise vertically from the dark waters, cloaked in lush rainforests that seem to defy gravity. As the sound narrows, the sense of isolation intensifies, creating a profound feeling of being transported to a world untouched by time. With rainbows at every turn and more waterfalls than you can count, visiting carries an almost mythical grandeur, leaving the Tree House team feeling like we had entered a momentary simulation. The memory of our visit to the Milford Sound will always reside in the Tree House beer that carries its namesake. We feel fortunate to have spent time in this space and thank our friends from Garston for encouraging the ambitious visit. It was the perfect conclusion to our first chapter in New Zealand for the essential journey to hop selection.
Milford Sound is our newest foray into wine barrel-aged lagers, accentuating the cross-section between oak, grape, and hops. Ruby Bay takes a secondary conditioning period in Sauvignon Blanc barrels where it achieves stunning clarity and mellow tannic notes from its wooden vessel. Peacharine, Riwaka, and Nelson intermingle with the bright stone fruit of Sauvignon Blanc, creating a liquid akin in its dryness to that of a mixed fermentation. Milford Sound is a labor of love that is at once approachable and endlessly complex. It is a beautiful beer.
