Thomas Creek Up The Creek - Thomas Creek Brewery

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.81/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours as if raspberry syrup were added. Borderline dark ruby and brown. Little head. Leaves plenty of ring lace. In between rings is plenty of spots.

First thought on the smell is that this is a perfumed laden brew. Sweet and floral but without the hop notes I would expect.

Strong brandy-like presence. Sweet, syrupy and port flavored. Low bitterness--the finish is quite malty. The hop which shows up is only there as a counterbalance. If I were to guess the style blindly, I'd think Doppelbock or Barley Wine. Alcohol is is strong but not dominating. Thick body and lowly carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 18:06:27 | More by smcolw

Arithmeticus

Maryland

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured chilled in hotel glass in Greenville, SC

A: very dark; good thick head; great carbonation; good lacing
S: overwhelmingly like an imperial stout in its aroma; lingers nicely
T: has a strong imperial stout quality in its booziness and dark roast profile; but the stronger hop profile is unmistakable, with an emphasis on brighter, finishing hops; this might be considered too much an attempt at a cross-over, which isn't, imo, a great idea
M: smooth, viscuous

This is a good closing beer, mainly for the high gravity. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 04:29:05 | More by Arithmeticus

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-17-2013 15:50:39 | More by twenty5

JISurfer

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-16-2013 02:48:09 | More by JISurfer

Travcofarms

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.8%

05-11-2013 10:17:49 | More by Travcofarms

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-07-2013 23:24:01 | More by pcsnyder

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Served in a snifter.

Appearance: A pure transparent copper, lightly dark (if that makes sense). Head is off white, with an orange tint to it rising to maybe 1/2"

Smell: Heavy caramel and malts, your nostrils will love you.

Taste: Without a doubt this brew will satisfy most palates. An easy hoppiness with heavy caramel and sweet hops. Malts in full effect. ABV is a little overwhelming but no complaints it is just enough to offset it's bitterness.

Mouth: Easily the weakest property but it somewhat light carbonation shouldn't scare you, it's how sticky it is, is what you would fall in lust for.

Overall: Before even looking this beer up to do a review I already had a ballpark figure in my head of where the rating should be and am quite surprised is this "low". An incredible after dinner beer that definitely gave me a lot for a little. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 18:48:37 | More by BlurryVisi0n

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -33.2%

05-04-2013 00:54:26 | More by ejimhof

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I think that this was another of local, in-person trader, tone77's haul from a recent trip to North Carolina. If so, well done, my friend! I was astounded when I noticed its 12.5% ABV, but I am the man for the job.

From the bottle: "Sink the Status Quo."; "Extreme IPA".

This was stunning from the pour onwards. I was a little heavy handed at first and I got a cascading action that resulted in two fingers of dense, deep-tan head with excellent retention. The color was somewhere between ruby and mahogany with NE-quality clarity and I wish that I had an SRM chart as I have never seen a DIPA of this shade. Nose was bringing the heat and I felt some nose hairs spontaneously combust. Recovering (in the form of a body wracking sneeze or two), I got caramel and mint and now I was slavering like a dog. In the interim, the head began to fall and the sticky lacing was going to require a jackhammer to remove. A monkey appeared out of my past, jumped on my back and began chattering loudly. Mouthfeel was soft, but hot and I mean vapors wafting from my tongue hot. Phew! Once I got my bearings and could properly function again, I realized that it reminded me of an American Barleywine - very hoppy and very malty at the same time. I know that aging of IPAs is frowned upon, but I wonder what this might be like given some time to mellow the heat. Finish was dry, between the alcohol heat and the peppermint hops. Schnapps also came to mind. This is a no playing around beer and should be treated as such.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 23:45:40 | More by woodychandler

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

$3.25 single from Abe's.

Ruby colored body, good clarity when backlit. This is definitely more Imperial red/amber than IIPA. Two fingers of off white foam decays quickly but laces well.

Aroma is huge malty sweet, with some candy sugar, and very sweet cherry. A bit boozy.

Big sweet slathering malt incapacitates the tongue. Big hops manage to balance it by the swallow. Some warming alcohol.

Full mouthfeel.

It's a good beer. It's exactly like an IIPA except for the color, aroma, and taste. Call it a barleywine, or a strong ale, but it is not what is advertised.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 03:52:48 | More by RonfromJersey

gmcsierra91

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-26-2013 22:52:52 | More by gmcsierra91

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Very dark brown/red appearance. Short yellow head with beautiful lacing. Thick roasted malts and rebellious hop aroma with espresso, nuts and wood notes. Bitter/sour blast of roasted nuts, wet wood and rich hops on the first taste. Complex overall flavor with apple, bittersweet chocolate, craisins and coffee bean notes following the initial sip. For 12.5%, the alcohol seems rather well masked. Sour, nutty, bitter, complex mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 16:46:57 | More by YouSkeete

RyanAU

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7%

04-16-2013 23:19:45 | More by RyanAU

bigorange

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7%

04-15-2013 23:28:18 | More by bigorange

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-13-2013 21:51:55 | More by DaPan

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a much darker brew than I expected... This is a deep amber color, nearly black looking. There is a decent head on top with a moderate lacing. The smell of the beer is spicy, there is a decent hop aroma with lots of caramel malts on nose. The taste is very malty, it's also very hoppy too. In all honesty though it tastes like a barley wine. There is a slight herbal flavor in there as well. The mouthfeel is thick, good carbonation and oily. Overall not sure why they call this one an IPA. It's decent but not that great.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 00:06:03 | More by Knapp85

LouDogg114

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-03-2013 01:10:15 | More by LouDogg114

whatname

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-02-2013 00:18:18 | More by whatname

Hobo

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-01-2013 21:52:52 | More by Hobo

Rbrown542

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-25-2013 16:23:09 | More by Rbrown542

420drinker

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

03-22-2013 10:36:26 | More by 420drinker

csparace

Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

I am thoroughly confused by this beer. It does not match any expectation I had of an IPA.

Appearance (4.00) - 12oz bottle to a Matilda glass. This is the darkest IPA I've seen thus far. Dark red brown - like a cherry finish on maple. Pours with a half finger head that moves quick. Really a gorgeous color. It is not cloudy at all. Lacing is thin but nice and limited to where the head was. Wish I had a camera.

Smell (3.50) - Roasted hops on the front straight away. Woody. Chocolates also present. Also hints of orange.

Taste (3.75) - The most prevalent element is malt. Roasted malts with a pretty big alcohol bite. Not very complex. You have to look for the hops and it only really comes in at the end of the body. Aside from the bite, smooth. Hints of spice on the finish which lingers around with the bite.

Mouthfeel (3.25) - Theres a warming feel at the back of my throat, like I'm drinking a scotch. Its definitely on the thick side for an IPA. Lips are left very sticky. Not the thirst quenching crunch you'd expect in an IPA.

Overall (3.25) - This really reminds me of a good scotch ale to be honest. (a strong Robert the Bruce comes to mind) I don't know what to think because the bottle says "Sink the Status Quo" and well, they've done that - It's unlike any IPA I've ever had. If it was a scotch ale, I'd think it was pretty good, but I have absolutely no idea where this fits in on the IPA scale. Looking at their website, it doesn't really match the description to me - not hop heavy, not really what I think as drinkable, and the alcohol is not that well hidden.

Its really not a bad beer, just not what I think it should be if they're going to call it an extreme IPA. As other reviewers said, I would rank it higher if it were a different style.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 04:44:49 | More by csparace

grahamboudreaux

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +7%

03-19-2013 10:54:31 | More by grahamboudreaux

stouts4me

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-14-2013 17:38:20 | More by stouts4me

dvmin98

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7%

03-10-2013 03:34:44 | More by dvmin98