They waited under the sweltering sun. They waited in the brutal cold. They braved a blizzard, trekked miles, stood hours in lines that snaked about parking lots in Monson and Charlton. They heard rumors about the fabulous Tree House Brewing Co. and its wonderous Julius, but they did all this for beer they’d never tasted. And for nearly everyone’s first visit, the brewery exceeded expectations and created fans who have stuck with it for years.

In thinking on a way to recognize Tree House’s 10th anniversary this month, I realized you cannot write about its incredible ascension in American craft beer without hearing from the longtime fans who have supported the brewery for all or most of its 10 years in business. Because without their fervency — that passion strong enough to fight back the rational voice asking why wait over an hour for beer and move mountains on a whim in a busy schedule to do so — Tree House as a brewery concept would not have worked so well.

I connected with the private Facebook group Tree House Fan Club, whose over 2,700 members include a mix of people who discovered the brewery early in its life in Brimfield and Monson and later in Charlton and beyond. I sent a three-question form asking about their first trip to the brewery, how their experience has changed over the years and the three Tree House beers they would choose to drink for the rest of their life. Taken together, the nearly 40 responses make it clear Tree House became such an influential and singular force in the brewing world not by just adding more and more customers, but by building a community that grew gradually around it, following it from a tiny barn by a tree house in Brimfield to now a veritable beer theme park with attractions across the state.

They had been told to expect prodigious lines, and still many people recall of their first trip to Tree House being struck by how long they had to wait for such a small amount of beer. For most of the people who sent responses, their introduction came on East Hill Road in Monson, which served as the brewery and retail store from 2015 to 2017. 

In the summer of 2015, John, of Hudson, remembers waiting 30 minutes to buy a dozen cans of beer that cost “more than I ever thought I’d pay.” “Then I drank my first Tree House IPA and I was hooked,” he wrote.

Wil, of Newington, Conn., made his inaugural visit to the Monson brewery during one of Tree House’s new can releases, making for an even larger crowd than normal. “I was the last one in the door before close. Took over two hours to get my 3 growlers, but the Dead were on the radio, and all was right with the world,” he wrote. He’ll never forget one of Tree House’s founders, Dean Rohan, waiting for him at the register. “Dean rang me out, rang the bell, handed me a bunch of stickers and said it was the latest they’d ever stayed open.”

Dave Dunnell, of Hudson, felt cold and anxious upon his arrival to Monson in the winter of 2017. Dunnell wrote that while waiting in line in frigid conditions for 45 minutes, he kept worrying “that A) they will run out of beer cans and B) I’m not going to know how to order my beer cans when I get to the front of the line (kind of like Seinfeld when he orders from the ‘Soup Nazi’).”

I loved reading the stories from the people whose first visits came in 2012, the year Tree House opened at co-founder Damien Goudreau rustic homestead on St. Clair Road in Brimfield, with the barn-turned-brewhouse and tree house that still stand today. They felt as though they were pulling into a stranger’s house, not a brewery, who welcomed them and put their minds at ease by serving beer along with chips and homemade salsa.

Patrick Harrington made the trek from Manchester, Conn., in the fall of 2012 after hearing “through the grapevine that this small home brewery in Mass was on par or better than what was going on in Vermont.”

“We had planned the trip up because Julius was on tap and it was a big deal,” Harrington wrote. “It was the weirdest thing pulling into someone’s driveway, parking on tree roots and waiting outside a man-shed for beer and chips and salsa.”

The procedure for buying Tree House beers has evolved over the last 10 years, becoming more efficient. Back then, you put your name down and settled in for the wait for growlers. “But it was a special thing — you felt like you were in a secret club,” wrote Dave, of Sturbridge. “I was so excited to share this beer with my family.”

Rob Piech’s answer to how his experience with Tree House changed over the last decade summed up most people’s thoughts. “Tree House is kind of like Disney World for adults now. I love it,” Piech, of Naugatuck, Conn., wrote. "I don’t miss waiting in crazy lines.”

The brewery that started in a kitchen, then moved to an 864-square-foot barn now owns more than 352 acres of real estate across two states plus a beachfront property on the Cape. But the physical expansion of Tree House hasn’t been the only impressive thing about its evolution. People also pointed to how both the quality and quantity of beer have increased and the way the brewery has constantly improved operations to minimize the lines and manage the throngs.

The Tree House of today looks like a well-oiled machine compared to the one Tim Sheehan, of Westminster, first visited eight years ago. “Lines are shorter and selection is outstanding. I remember thinking 12 cans was quite the score, (and) now you can walk out with 12 cases (after you remortgage the house),” Sheehan said. “The continuous experimentation showcases a lot of flavor profiles, keeping it fresh and delicious.”

Matt Bell, of Vernon, Conn., described his pilgrimages to Tree House now as more casual: “But I still spend the same amount of time there, this time socializing instead of waiting in line!” 

“It has become a destination not just a long drive to pick up,” noted Christy, of Northborough.

Dave, of Sturbridge, who first visited back in the Brimfield days, feels more comfortable bringing his friends who don’t share his same obsession for fresh beer. “It turned into a place you could take people you knew who weren't insane beer nuts willing to wait 5 hours for a chance at a rare beer,” he said.

“They've figured out how to meet the demand, still make it feel special, but also be the place you can just drop by on a weeknight without having to schedule a couple hours for it,” he continued. “I love the new Tree House experience, but I'm so thrilled I can reach back in my memories and know I was part of the ‘secret club’ phase in Brimfield, too.”

Take a look at a Word Cloud of fans’ responses to the three Tree House beers they would drink for the rest of their days: https://infogram.com/tree-house-word-cloud-1hxr4zxwple1o6y?live.