Thomas Creek Up The Creek - Thomas Creek Brewery

theboozecruise

Louisiana

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter, it's a very deep red color with a small tan head. The retention on the head is great, though, and very nice pooling and lacing.

The nose is very alcoholic and warm, with hints of toffee and then bold hop flavors. This is almost a barleywine to the nose, but that's a good thing. It's fantastic.

The taste is also very barleywine-esque in nature with a little more hops but still a warm alcohol kick and definite toffee notes. I really like it, but this isn't quite spot on for the style.

Delicious, just a little misleading to me.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 03:52:46 | More by theboozecruise

BeerBeatnik

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into pint glass from a bottle. A deep brown red body with a medium khaki colored head. The nose has lots of caramel and some pine. There is also grapefruit. It smells good. The taste is malty and piney. As I drank more I got the grapefruit. The finish is strongly citrus. There are also tobacco hints. Pretty well done with a big ABV

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 20:16:48 | More by BeerBeatnik

jbhuxley

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours unexpectidly dark brown in color, similar to cola. Holding it to light exposes deep ruby tones. Pour yeilds over 2" of dark reddish-tan head, with decent retention.

Smell is very malty, with a strong dose of molasses and a hint of chocolate. Nice presence of sweet fruit, mostly plum. Light floral hop smell, with a moderate presence of alcohol.

If I had not seen the bottle, I would never call this a DIPA. It definitely resembles a barleywine. It has a very complex maltiness, mostly cocoa and some wood, with a hint of pine hops. It finishes sweet and very smooth with little bitterness. Hop presence becomes more noticeable as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel is quite thick, with very little carbonation, yet it is not sticky or chewy. The 12% abv remains well hidden, but definitely impacts the drinkibility.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 23:41:03 | More by jbhuxley

FreshHawk

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark amber color, very dark for the style. About an average sized, foamy, slightly sticky, toasted marshmallow color head. Settles pretty fast leaving a thin, foamy lace.

S - Smells much more like a Barleywine or an American Strong Ale than a DIPA. Strong caramel malt mixes with a grapefruit and citrus hop aroma. Pretty sweet aroma. Alcohol is not really showing up for a 12.5% beer.

T - Similar to the nose, definitely taste like a strong ale. Sweet caramel and toffee malt along with grapefruit and other citrus hops. Big sweet and bitter flavors. Alcohol is present, but just with a slight warming on the finish. Sweetness lingers after the sip.

M - Full body with a bit above average carbonation. Pretty full feeling with a creamy and smooth feel.

D - Gets a little too sweet and cloying to be all that drinkable. Alcohol is pretty well hidden with only a little warming aftertaste. Plenty of sweetness and bitterness, but it just seems a little too much. Probably wouldn't drink more than one.

Notes: Definitely didn't taste like a DIPA, more like a strong ale or maybe a barleywine. Strong flavors with big bitter and sweet flavors coming out. Nice big, thick body is good though. Pretty good beer, but it is definitely a sipper and would just get every now and then if the price was right.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 23:35:40 | More by FreshHawk

Docer

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz. extra in a trade from PDXDhops who really outdid himself w/ the fantastic extras...

- Pours a very dark brown, copper, rather clear brew.... big light mocha head... down to lacing all over and light scattered foam...

- Molasses.. huge caramel malt... bitter pine and earthy hops.... brown sugar.... really a malt forward brew...

- Wow.. candy sweet malts, molasses, fig, candy... toffee notes... thick caramel.... bitter pine, herbal, grassy hops... but not really a big hop bomb by any means.

- Syrupy sweet sticky... medium bodied... slightly chewy and drying...

- Overall it is a treat... a sweet barleywine of a treat.... smooth, and actually does a rather good job of masking its strength....

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 02:29:13 | More by Docer

cvm4

Mississippi

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours the color of a rootbeer. Very dark brown but you can still see light penetrate through it. Has a nice off white/cream almost tan one finger head.

S - I smell a lot of sweetness (raisins or stoned fruit) mixed with malt. There's just a glimmer of hops. The abv is not well hidden so far.

T - Very malty, sweet, and raisins/honey abound. A little bitterness at the end with the alcohol pronounced.

M - Heavy bodied, good carbonation. It just coats your mouth.

O - I'm torn by this beer. I love it, but at the same time there's no way it's a double or even an imperial IPA. It's more barely wine. BUT, it is very good to me because I don't mind when an Extreme IPA pushes the limits. DFH does it all the time and blurs the beer categories.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 02:51:00 | More by cvm4

bobbyc881

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Liberty Taproom in Greenville. Deep red, very clear, thin tan head. Moderate carbonation. Smell was sweet & hoppy, slightly alcoholic.

Full bodied beer. Thick malty backbone with a hefty hop bitterness. Not a hop-assault like many of the west-coast DIPAs. This one shows a bit of Southern charm: well-balanced throughout. A bit of lingering bitterness in the end, as the thicker mouthfeel coats the tongue.

I had the first batch of this, which was certainly in the 12.5% neighborhood. I think the following batches aren't quite as strong. I had 2 pints during a reasonsably sized dinner, and walked off just fine. Two pints of 12.5% beer would have kicked me a bit harder. Either way, it was incredibly smooth and drinkable for such a strong ale. Bravo! I think this is a great taste of what we have to look forward to from South Carolina brewers - newly freed from the restraints of 6%.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2007 02:55:23 | More by bobbyc881

atsprings

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a DFH snifter pours a crisp dark brown with a decent tan head that diminishes to a ring and leaves slight lacing on the glass. Aroma is burnt caramel malts in front of citrus and pine hops. The taste is a decent amount of caramel and brown malts balanced nicely with pine hops. The beer somewhat heavy, but a bitter dryness and decent carbonation smooth things out nicely. As I said when I reviewed it on-tap a few weeks ago, this one is borderline DIPA/Barleywine, but this one is closer to DIPA than the draft version.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2009 09:37:29 | More by atsprings

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma is fairly hoppy with firm tones of grapefruit and, interestingly enough, yeast and honey sweetness. It pours a dark, slightly hazy mahogany with an average light tan head, not what I expect in an IPA. Flavor is - WOO! It hits the tongue like an 18-wheeler on a patch of black ice with a strong hoppy and woody overtone, as well as good hop bitterness and undertone of honey with a bit of molasses mixed in. Texture is quite tingly and leaves a woody, slightly sweet finish with a good fizz.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 02:06:03 | More by Cyberkedi

gford217

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle.

Pours deep, clear copper with a big, thick beige head that shows excellent retention and sits as a small cap throughout with some solid lacing. Looks like a barleywine.

Aroma is packed with resinous floral hope, tons of pine with some pithy grapefruit as well. Lots of caramel malts and bread as well. Smells like a hopped-to-hell barleywine...I like it.

The taste is a more complex version of the nose. It certainly starts out with the same biting, abrasive pine hops with a more pronounced sweet caramel malt and toffee backbone. Bitter, crazy hoppy finish.

The mouthfeel is sticky with hops and astringent as hell. Not in a bad way.

I haven't had many Thomas Creek brews but this is a great DIPA which certainly strays into hoppy barleywine territory. Whatever you call it, it's tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 04:45:15 | More by gford217

haddon

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a cloudy copper color with nice off-white head. lacing hangs around the glass all the way down.

Aromas of pine, resin hops teetering with toasted malts, molasses and fruits.

taste is heavy on the malts: caramel, molasses & toffee... with a twinge of hoppy fruitiness. finishes with alcohol notes on the end which is expected at 12.5% abv

medium to full body with average amount of carbonation

this beer doesn't seem like a DIPA to me. more along the lines of a strong ale or barleywine. good beer but found myself ready to move on to something else by the time I hit the end of the pint.

Serving type: growler

06-02-2010 01:00:28 | More by haddon

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I got this brew from kirkpjr. Thanks John!

12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.

L - clear mahogony color with a creamy beige head that left some lacing.
S - quite a bit of citrus and floral hops with a malty backbone.
T - taste of hops sort of blast their way through, which is not so bad, the malts are there but subtley so.
F - full bodied, creamy smooth.
D - at 12.5% one is good.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 00:33:01 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a deep red garnet with a Lucious two fingers of khaki tan head. Very good retention. Pale ale?!?! Not exactly.

S- very malty aromas of toffee and burnt caramel. Slight oily nut aroma which reminds me of walnuts. Spicy phenonlic alchohol with a very rum like quality and a hint of sugar cane gives the nose a good kick. Aged dry pine aroma on the finish. The aroma is more akin to a high ABV barleywine then a IPA.

T- rich malt flavors of toffee and burnt caramel hit the palate at first. There is a definate alchohol presence yet it doesn't overpower the other flavors. It gives a great warming hint of rum. The finish is turbinado sugar and oily walnut with a doughy bready quality that flushes out in the aftertaste. A smidge of dry pine is barely percieved on the finish as well.

MF- syrupy chewy mouthfeel with a heavy body and soft carbonation.

D- one 12 oz and you are good. A really nice sipper that goes down at the appropriate rate!

Overall I would not place this in the realm of IPA. Barleywine seems to fit much better. Nice complexity with a good structure. Very good beer!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 04:29:56 | More by Viciousknishs

nUgZ

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a dark amber color with 1 finger head and nice lacing.

S: Very sweet smelling beer. Malts are present as well as piney hops and some alcohol.

T: Just like the smell, the taste is very sweet malts followed by a good bit of hops. There's no way you would know this is 12.5% ABV.

M: Full bodied with fairly low carbonation. Coats your whole mouth and leaves a wonderful aftertaste. Too easy to drink!

O: Not as hop heavy as some IPA's, but still a great beer. If there was a category for Triple IPA's this would be it. It's just like the label says...Extreme!

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 22:10:44 | More by nUgZ

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a regular pint glass.

A: A dark brown with a hint of reddish tint. Nice half finger tight head that leaves full glass lacing.

S: Huh? Wow. Smells of sweet dark fruit with caramel and a hint of hops.

T: Again, heavy malt flavors at first with flavors of dark ripe fruits, raisin, some wood, pine, some chocolate flavor and a hefty dose of sweet caramel and toffee malts. Very sweet and heavy flavors going on here. A nice earthy piney hops bitterness comes in near the end but gets a beat down from the malt. Finish leaves a sweet smooth coating with some residual hop bite.

M: Full, coating, bruising, prickly but sweet. Alcohol is there, but not what I expected for the 12.5%.

D: Not great. Really after one I was pretty beat up and not sure I could have had another.

Overall I'll agree with everyone else's assessment. On a blind taste I would have all day long said it's squarely a barleywine, as I really think that's what it is. Still, it's a fairly complex beer that was enjoyable, but it does not fit into this style clearly. Glad I tried it though.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 14:19:14 | More by Kadonny

CampusCrew

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

We had a rare beer night and we all brought some stuff over I'll be reviewing on memory for this one as we had alot of smaples that night. Nearly 10 I beleive.
Poured really dark for an IPA categorized beer. Lots of sweetness, molasses, dark fruits. Lots of hops kick and oine aromas and falvors. Overal, a confusing beer, but since it was powerful and drinkable at the same time. I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 01:41:29 | More by CampusCrew

daledeee

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a very dark brown with a copious head. The lacing was good at first.

The nose changed significantly from the beginning. Hints of floral and hops with nutty malt.

Taste reminds me of a barleywine. Not really very hoppy. It is sweet and malty with a slightly astringent finish. It is very high alcohol and not overly "hot" tasting. An interesting beer but I would call it a barley wine.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 02:17:57 | More by daledeee

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes taken 1/13/10. Bottle I believe care of goryshkewych, thanks! No indication of freshness but with this high of an abv, it doesn't really matter. This is strong ale/barleywine territory.

Poured into a snifter, this brew appears a surprising ruby red color with quite a bit of clarity. A tan head appears atop the brew and fades hanging closely to the edges of the glassware. Holding this brew up to the light displays some orange hues and an overall burnt look to it for a DIPA.

The aroma of this brew is sweet and fruity with a bounty of caramelized sugars. Toasty malt fills the profile with a light alcohol indication that is significantly subdued. The finish is a bit herbal with a backend to the nose that regains the toasted quality of the malt and fruity sweetness. As it warms some more Fidel alcohol becomes evident along with a smell that just seems burnt.

The taste of this brew includes a vast amount of toasted caramel malt with evident alcohol and clingy, lasting herbal bitterness. The caramel malt fills most of the profile with a flavor that is toasty leaning towards burnt. Each of the flavors in this brew seem singular and identifiable without blending or meshing together that well. Each sip is either, sweet, burnt or bitter. The alcohol is hidden quite well.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a light amount of carbonation. It smells fruity like a finely aged barleywine, tastes excessively burnt and bitter, rindy and herbal like a strange contorting of a DIPA. The highlight is how well the alcohol is hidden. I shared this brew with a friend and I'm glad I did. It is an interesting interpretation and worth giving a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 15:13:57 | More by stakem

Gavage

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: pours a dark amber color with a big 3" head that creates a thick lacing on the glass during the session.

Smell: grapefruit, caramel sweetness, and a strong bitterness are up front. Some alcohol aroma is softer.

Taste: big caramel profile with golden apples, big grapefruit, some pine, and a strong biting bitterness. Alcohol is very noticable and quite warming.

Mouthfeel: heavy in body. Lightly crisp throughout with a dry finish. Very long aftertaste as the bitterness lingers on the tongue forever.

Drinkability: this beer was a bit extreme for the style and was quite a slow drinking beer. One glass was more than enough in a session.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 12:18:10 | More by Gavage

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

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

womencantsail

California

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An extra from Brandon. Thanks a bunch!

A: The pour is a dark, dark amber color with a finger's worth of khaki colored foam.

S: There are some slight pine hop notes to the nose along with a dominant toffee, caramel, and molasses malt base.

T: A slightly burnt sugar flavor along with lots of toffee, caramel, and brown sugar. The hop character is present here too and is somewhat bitter with a resinous pine flavor.

M: The body is on the full side with a lively and moderate level of carbonation.

D: More like a barleywine than anything, but pretty good. The alcohol was not really all that noticeable on the flavor or aroma, but this one could be a chore to drink too much of.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 21:28:58 | More by womencantsail

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

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this as an extra in a recent shipment from hopsleeroy. Thanks Lee!

Poured into an 8oz. snifter.

Appearance: Most definitely dark and syrupy-looking. A small, sticky, tan head immediately forms on top, and then decays to a creamy halo. Body is a dark cedar color that shows brilliant shades of crimson when held to light. Lots of web-like lacing.

Smell: Caramel, maple syrup, moist pine, sweet red berries, and candied orange. Lots of residual sugars in here. I can certainly pick out the hop presence, but this smells like the making of a malt bomb. Oh yeah, alcohol is completely masked.

Taste: Sweet wood and toasted malt start things off, caramel and piney hops follow. Finishes prickly, dry, and bitter; however none of those aspects are overly pronounced. Caramel throughout.

Mouthfeel: Syrupy, prickly, very lightly carbonated, and dry. Not too heavy though, and the alcohol is hidden well. For what it is (a 12.5% Imperial IPA), it's quite smooth.

Drinkability: I expected this one to be a very slow sipper. However, it was actually a pretty easy drink. Not that hot, not that dry, and not very bitter. While I would have preferred a citrusy hop-bomb, this definitely got the job done.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2009 00:43:37 | More by ThreeWiseMen

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Billed as an Extreme IPA, at 12.5% abv. I would agree. However because of how the beer tastes, I would group it in with the American Strong Ale catagory.

The beer starts out with a strong amber/copper hue with good clarity. A dense white head forms on the beer and slowly fades to a sheet across the beer, while lacing very well.

Aromas are strong with piney, resiny hops but are equalled by strong toasted malts, molassas, maple syrup and stone fruits.

Flavors of malts hit first and reluctantly allow the hops to rival them. The syrups, molassas, and nuttiness is woven into an estery mix of grapes, dates, figs, raisons, and grapes. Hop flavor of pine, grasses, and grapefruit has a strong impact in bitterness but lesser so in flavor. Alcohols give an ethynol flavor of paint thinner in the finish.

The alcohol warmth is evident, but the beer doesn't feel like a 12.5%-er, partly because of the heavy residual malt sweetness and weight that makes the beer seem more like an American Barleywine.

I want to make comparisons to Arrogant Bastard, only with less toast, more sweetness, more alcohol roughness, and more malt-focused. Thanks Ding, this was a wild ride!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 05:13:09 | More by BEERchitect