Trillium!

It seemed like just days after my wife returned from a girls' weekend with some college friends, they were already plotting another get-together. This time it would include our families. Fast forward a few months, I was appendix-less and used up all my vacation time. Did we still want to make the trip? It was going to be a whirlwind of a weekend. But hey, if everyone else was up for it we wouldn't be the ones to back out. And I can't lie, the fact that our friends just moved to within a mile of a little brewery called Trillium may have helped persuade us...

High Expectations

We had super high hopes for the beer, and at times it was met. At others, maybe it fell a bit short. If you see pictures of their beer online, you expect everything to be super bright and hazy. Descriptions of tropical and citrus juices abound. Perhaps expectations were too high? Perhaps there has been changes in quality? I'm not quite sure. (Larry Koestler makes the case for the latter here, while also highlighting some amazing beer from elsewhere: https://halcyondaybreak.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/my-favorite-beers-i-had-for-the-first-time-in-2018/) 

What I am sure of however, is they've got bigger issues that have come to light since our visit. More on that in a minute...

Congress Street IPA. Soft. A bit juicy. But not as much as others we tried.
And not as bright (either in flavor or in appearance) as I've seen described.

DDH Scaled. This had the lighter blonde appearance
& tasted of fresh squeezed juice. 

The Vibe

Part of my struggles with continuing to write is that I don't know my voice. And I don't know what lens I'm trying to look through when visiting breweries, tasting beer etc. However, I think I'm starting to hone in on that. Visiting breweries isn't usually just a solo adventure--it's most often a family adventure. And we're always trying to plot where is the right balance for us to visit--is it family friendly? Is it a place we'll enjoy and so will our little ones as we immerse in the community? 

We were worried a bit about stopping into Trillium Canton without knowing what to expect. Would it be too hectic? Jam-packed with juice wolves looking to feast? Perhaps it would be better if we just ran in for some cans on the way out of town. However, we perused the website and saw they billed themselves as kid friendly. Well, let's get the whole gang out there then.

What we experienced however, I'd call more or less "kid tolerant." While there was one small, kid-sized table in the brewery, I saw no other sign of being "friendly." For instance, our local brewery in downtown Ithaca features a kids nook with games/toys, arcade games and skeeball (fun for all ages!) and a collection of books and board games. This is kid friendly. Trillium? Kid tolerant.  And obviously they have to be tolerant at the very least. When we were there, nearly the entire space was filled with families. There were kids and babies everywhere--as you'd expect out in the suburbs of Boston. If they weren't at least tolerant, the place would have been near empty.

Now perhaps this is different in the summer. Take Ithaca Beer for example. It is a great place to grab a meal during the winter--but just hanging out with family? Not so much compared to the summer. In summer time, when the backyard is open, there is so much to do (kids are pretty skilled at cornhole at this point) and space to roam. The shuffle board is its saving grace if its a quiet day during the winter, but otherwise Ithaca Beer is mostly a restaurant during winter.*

Dealbreaker

Not too long after we visited, there was an eruption on the interwebs that started on a Beer Advocate post regarding Trillium's treatment of staff and a change in their pay structure. There would also be charges of impropriety in mixing liquor into beer and accusations that growlers were being filled with tank dregs. The comments/issues would be picked up by The Boston Globe, Good Beer Hunting, and VinePair among others.

It would take two responses from Trillium to get the storm to start quieting down, after the initial response left much to be desired and failed to address the allegations regarding the integrity of the product. Eventually, they'd reinstate wages to previous levels and challenge the qa/qc accusations.

For me, however, the damage is done. Sometimes in life it seems we are really limited by a lack of choices/options. In the craft beer world today, that's just not the case. With a booming industry, even in the slow-moving finger lakes, there is no reason to spend money on those businesses (seemingly) more interested in growth and profit over staff and customers.

In its place, go out and find yourself a local brewery that feels like home. I guarantee you the beer will be just as sweet.

*And this is all okay for Ithaca, by the way, considering it is a destination brewpub. The food is deserving attraction here. It just shifts from all-around brewery (completely kid friendly) + brewpub/restaurant to mostly just restaurant during the winter. Considering we don't eat out often, we're not drawn there often during winter.