Doubleganger

Tasting Notes

Doubleganger pours with the dense, pillowy character Tree House is known for, leading with a saturated aroma of ripe mango, tangerine, and fresh pineapple undercut by a faint doughy note from the heavy oat and wheat bill. On the palate, tropical fruit flavors dominate — papaya, peach, and citrus zest — with a lush, almost creamy body that softens what bitterness exists into a gentle, resinous hum. The finish lingers with stone fruit sweetness and just enough hop presence to remind you this is a double IPA pushing past 8%. Despite the elevated ABV, the beer drinks deceptively smooth, which is a genuine characteristic of the style at this level rather than a selling point.

About the Brewery

Tree House Brewing is based in Charlton, Massachusetts, and has operated since around 2011. They built their reputation on intensely fruity, heavily dry-hopped hazy IPAs and have become one of the most sought-after breweries on the East Coast, with long lines and strict can limits being a regular part of the experience. Their flagship beers like Julius helped establish the New England IPA as a serious style category nationwide.

Food Pairings

Thai green curry works well because the beer's tropical fruit notes mirror the dish's lemongrass and coconut while its soft bitterness cuts through the richness. Grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa echo the beer's own fruit-forward character without competing with it. A washed-rind or triple-cream cheese like Époisses contrasts nicely against the hop oils and provides a fatty counterweight to the carbonation. Spicy Nashville hot chicken finds relief in the beer's pillowy body, which tempers heat without amplifying it the way a drier beer might.

Style Guide

Hazy IPA — also called New England IPA or NEIPA — is defined by its intentionally unfiltered, opaque appearance and a flavor profile that leans heavily on tropical and stone fruit rather than the piney or aggressively bitter character of West Coast IPAs. The style emerged from Vermont and Massachusetts in the early 2010s, with breweries like The Alchemist and Tree House helping codify it, and it typically uses large additions of oats or wheat to build a soft, full body. What separates it from a standard American IPA is the deliberate haze, the use of late and dry-hop additions for aroma over bitterness, and a water chemistry profile that emphasizes chloride over sulfate.