Last month when I was wine tasting in California, I paid for everything with my Chase Sapphire Reserve in hopes that all the money I spent at wineries would fall under Chase’s liberal restaurant category and earn 3x points. Sadly this wasn’t the case.
This past weekend I went to Tree House Brewing Company in Monson, Massachusetts. Craft beer enthusiasts may be familiar with the hours long lines at Tree House. And that’s just to buy the beer! Due to permitting laws, Tree House cannot actually serve any alcohol on the premises. That’s why I was so surprised to see that my purchases at Tree House this past weekend earned 3x points. I’ve seen bars and clubs code as restaurants before, but since Tree House makes, packages, and sells beer, it doesn’t really fall in this category.
My guess would be that Tree House falls under Chase’s restaurant category because they use Square for all transactions. Who knows how this stuff works but I’m not complaining!
For those interested in craft beer, I’ll go into a bit of detail about my experience at Tree House. I was dreading waiting in line, but I’ve heard rave reviews about Tree House so I knew I had to stop by since I was in the area. I got lucky and actually had no wait. If you want to get in and out quickly, go on a day when they aren’t releasing something new. It also helped that it was cold and rainy. However, I do think that seeing how busy it gets is part of the experience. While waiting might get frustrating, I’m not going to let a line stop me from visiting again!
I ended up buying 12 cans of Julius, a 2L growler of Julius, and 750 mL of Ma.
Julius is an American IPA described as:
Bursting with 1.6 oz per gallon of American hops, Julius is loaded with notes of passionfruit, mango, and citrus. At 6.5% alcohol, it is refreshing and freakishly drinkable.
Ma is an American Amber/Red Ale described as:
Bright notes of citrus, pine, and soft fruit boosted by a rich caramel base and a medium body. A wonderful beer to celebrate the New England transition to cooler weather.
If you ever make it out to Tree House, I recommend heading over to B.T.’s Smokehouse in Sturbridge for delicious barbecue and live music. They’re B.Y.O.B. so you can enjoy your fresh beer while chowing down on pounds of meat.
Have you ever been surprised by how Chase coded a purchase? Comment below!
