Downtown by Beer Tree, Binghamton NY

16 June 2023

This is Beer Tree’s third location, but in my opinion, not their best.

Two years ago, I think, I stopped at their Farm location and loved it. The menu was small (although I think they may have increased it by now) but the food was very tasty, and the beers were enjoyable.

On the tail end of that trip, I stopped at their Factory location and have been back there a couple of times since. It’s quite large as they’ve taken over what might have been an anchor store location at a small mall. The food is mostly wood-fired pizza, but it’s very good.

Now they’ve opened Downtown in Binghamton. Parking isn’t horrible, but it isn’t super convenient although there is a parking garage not far away. There’s what looks like a large rooftop deck although I couldn’t look at it because of rain. Inside was interesting but not as large as I’d expected.

The food menu is small but decent – and different from the other two locations – and the beer list is definitely smaller than the list at the Factory. Still, the beers were worth the visit and I started with a flight:

Tree Light (far left, 4.2% Cream Ale) – I really liked this one (and took a crowler of it to enjoy during the evening). It’s light but with just enough Cascade hops flavor to make it interesting.

Any Day’s Haze (6.3% NEIPA) – Of the three NEIPAs in the flight, this was my favorite. They call it a “crushable every day beer” and I can’t find any fault with that statement.

ROYGBIV (6.8% NEIPA) – There are a lot of bright, tropical fruit flavors in this one and it has a distinct pineapple finish. It’s really refreshing and was a very close second for me to the previous NEIPA.

Tangerine Sunrise (7.1% NEIPA) – And here’s where things got weird (for me). I loved the color; the taste, on the other hand, was way too heavy-handed with tangerine sweetness. I wanted to like it, and it was enjoyable, but I could never do a pint of it. Even finishing this size was harder than it should have been because it was so sweet.

After I finished eating, I opted for the 10 ounce pour of their Morning Timber – Blueberry (9% Coffee Stout) and it was … interesting. I did enjoy it and I’m glad I ordered it, but I’d have to be in the right frame of mind to do it again (not to say that I wouldn’t!). Rather than try to describe it, I’ll just copy what they say about it and let you imagine it for yourself: “Maple, freshly roasted coffee, and blueberry all unite to create Morning Timber Blueberry – the MOST robust, delicious Breakfast Stout.” It’s definitely a solid coffee stout with excellent mouthfeel, smooth as anything I’ve ever had.

I’m glad I checked out Beer Tree’s new Downtown spot, but on future trips through here, I’ll drop into either their Factory or Farm location and give this one a miss.