Thomas Creek Up The Creek - Thomas Creek Brewery

haddon

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +4%
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

JasonTaverner

Virginia

4.56/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wonderful brew. Rate the beer on how good it is, not on what style is writen on the bottle.
YES, this is is a barleywine and not a double or imperial IPA. We all know that . A hell of alot better that the ubiquitous Big Foot or Monster Ale. So smooth at 12.5%. The alcohol is extremely well masked. If labeled a barelywine or strong ale it's overall score would be In the mid 90's. A great beer to sip while reading a Philip K. Dick novel.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 02:01:19 | More by JasonTaverner

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.46/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A-Pours a dark ruby/brown color. Body is slightly hazy. Great head. Decent size and great retention. Strong lacing consistency.

S-Rich, deep candied citrus hops. Resinous oily hoppiness. Loads of sweet caramel. Booze is surprisingly not too evident here. The nose has strength but its a bit too subdued for a beer of its epic gravity.

T-Supremely sweet. Hops are sweet and candied in flavor. Loads of caramel. Doesn't taste like a DIPA to me. Sweeter than anything else. Reminds me of a Double Crooked Tree with a less pronounced hoppiness.

M-Full, full, full. Chewy and resiny. Softer carbonation. A real sipper.

O/D-As expected, the girth of this beer makes it a slow-sipping Barleywine or Strong Ale in my opinion. Its worth a try but I am incredibly thankful that most DIPAs don't taste like this.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 23:40:00 | More by VelvetExtract

Arithmeticus

Maryland

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
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

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%
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

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +14.9%
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 -0.5%
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

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev +1.1%
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

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
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

csparace

Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -5.1%
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

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.81/5  rDev +1.6%
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

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up in Jersey City recently, along with the Class Five IPA. While that beer was weaker than I anticipated, this turned out to be the other way around. Not only in the alcohol department, but in the sweetness. Like so many others have alluded to, this felt like a Barleywine from start to finish. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy this but this felt like it was categorized wrong and not hoppy enough to be a true Double/Imperial IPA.

The pour to this was a fairly deep brown with a mild tan head, and hardly any lacing to be seen. Not a lot of carbonation to be seen here and the aroma was a bit weak as well. Lots of Barleywine sweetness and caramel in the nose to balance out a strong and somewhat balanced mouthfeel. there was a hint of citrus and earthy hops underneath the booze but this felt quite strong from the first sip and the warming aspect of the booze never let up. There was just a hint of papaya in the back to help ease the molasses and alcohol that dominate the taste of this beer.

Yes, this was strong but it never detracted from how I felt about this beer or the mouthfeel of it. Hopheads will be disappointed at this since there wasn't any strong bitterness or dry-hopped notes to this but on its own, this was fine. If this was re-categorized as a Barleywine, I'd edit my ratings and moved it up a notch, since I certainly wouldn't mind having this again!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 08:33:17 | More by JerzDevl2000

zuperman

4.66/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

For a beer that is 12.5% this beer is great and not overbearing. The sweetness is not your typical alcohol cover up but rather a nice honey note that compliments the hops nicely

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 16:13:55 | More by zuperman

buschbeer

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle
Served in a tulip glass

A - It is mahogany in color with bronze highlights. Two inches of mocha colored froth capped it.

S - I get lots of sweet, caramel malt and alcohol. No hops to speak of.

T - There's a battle going on in my mouth between caramel malt, alcohol, and bitter pine hops. It starts out sweet and finishes bitter from the hops. I get a growing warming sensation from the alcohol.

M - It has a pretty full mouthfeel.

O - It has a lot of sweetness for an IPA. If it didn't say "India Pale Ale" on the bottle I would have thought I was drinking a barleywine. If I were rating this as a barleywine I would say it's pretty good. As a DIPA, not as good.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 20:39:12 | More by buschbeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thomas Creek
Up the Creek

LOOK: Pours a clear amber with ruby hints.

SMELL: Fruity ale yeast, some citrus from the hops. Strong alcoholic aroma which was not unexpected, given the abv.

TASTE: Sugary sweet caramelized malts, with just s bit of grapefruit, pine and drying bitterness. Not much like an IpA, this is essentially a barleywine with just a bit more hops than the norm. The alcohol is noticeable but is felt more than tasted.

FEEL: Full bodied, well carbonated, smooth feel, a bit syrupy and weighing on the palate.

OVERALL: A ho-hum middle of the road triple ipa/barleywine that boasts of its hops that are quite subdued. This was ok and as others have stated it will get you drunk.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 19:22:32 | More by Stinkypuss

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.3/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a clean deep amber in color with a tan head. In the aroma, a small pine hop, and a huge presence of hairspray like alcohol. In the taste, dry alcohol, caramel like notes, and mellow hops in the end. Oh, did I mention the hairspray like dryness of alcohol all the way through. A small hop bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry small alcohol and note of hop in the aftertaste. Just a note of hops, boozy and unbalanced.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 17:15:40 | More by OWSLEY069

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Looks super dark for the style. Caramel brown in color. Not much head. Looks okay. 3.5

I smell roasted malts and earthy hops without much vigor. Caramel, grapefruit, and pine. 3.5

Total candy DIPA with rich toffee malts and notes of fig and orange and grapefruit. Sweet and very malty, like a barleywine. Not particularly hoppy. Light chocolate note. Heaps of alcohol. 3.5

Sticky with sweetness. Light-to-moderate carbonation. Pretty boozy. 3.0

Okay DIPA. Enjoying the strength more than the flavor, at this point. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2012 13:11:04 | More by thecheapies

nUgZ

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
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

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle given to me by a friend. Bottle kept in fridge. Poured into a tulip.

A- Pours a very deep, deep, amber color. With 2 fingers of tan colored head that lingers for a while, and leaves some sticking lacing on the glass.

S- Seems kind of off style. Smells rich with lots of sweet caramel. Very thick resinous pine aroma underneath all of that sweet caramel. Smells good.

T- Very sweet malt bomb with a huge amount of hoppy kick. Again, seems a tad off style but good nonetheless. Is that a light roasted coffee after taste? Or maybe rich dark caramel / toffee? Very interesting. There is a huge resinous, bitter, piney kick, followed quickly by more rich sweetness and that interesting aftertaste. Well done.

M- HUGE! This beer coats the mouth with a stickiness that seems unparalleled. This one brings a new definition to a full bodied beer. The 12.5% ABV is really unnoticeable and well hidden. Moderately low amount of carbonation.

O- A great beer! Just seems a tad off style. Who are we to judge what the Brewer calls his beer? This is one intense in-your-face beer. Not for the faint of heart. A huge, full bodied, malt explosion, hop BOMB. A beer that tests the limits of brewing and takes the art of brewing to the next level.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 00:57:03 | More by rfbenavi80

CHADMC3

Connecticut

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark copper body with reddish hues beneath the dense tan head that has some serious staying power and leaves quite a sticky lacing behind.

Big sweet malt aromas lead the way with generous resiny pine and earthy hops.

Similar to the aroma the flavor offers abundant sweet toffee and caramel malt and earthy hops. A touch of candy sugar and dark fruits are present as well.

Medium carbonation with a thick, chewy body and a palate coating finish that sticks around for a while.

The focus is clearly on the malts as this brew lacks the generous hop profiles typical of the style but it is still quite tasty.if such a thing as an imperial bock existed this may be it.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 01:00:05 | More by CHADMC3

scvance

South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep clear amber color with a thin, quickly disappearing head. Aroma is caramel, sweet, alcohol, and slight citrus. Taste is very intense right up front. Taste follows the aroma, high alcohol flavor, and a lingering caramel sweetness, as well as a nice long lasting bite of hop bitterness. In my opinion, it's good, it's interesting, but it's just not for me. The alcohol is too pronounced, and there isn't the definitive hop aroma I was expecting. I'm glad I tried it, but I can't say I'll be having it again soon. Worth a taste if it's available to you, but obviously this one is not for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:01:05 | More by scvance

Jambarino

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A:Pours a deep dark amber,very little head retention and almost no lacing.Very little carbonation.

S:Caramel,faint citrus hops,faint apple juice.

T:All malt up front,faint hop kick at the end with a lingering bitterness.Alcohol is hidden pretty well.

M:Medium mouth feel with some carbonation.Sticky at the end with a slight alcohol burn.

O:I don't understand the negative reviews,I guess because its not quite what the label says,however it is a great beer regardless.If you take yourself too seriously,or if you are expecting a hop bomb look elsewhere because this is not it.However if you want a good barleywine/ipa style beer then this is it.I would compare this to Dogfish Head Squall,maybe just slightly sweeter and not as hoppy.A top 20 beer for me.I'm really enjoying this.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 02:55:13 | More by Jambarino

macrosmatic

Florida

2.6/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into pint glass.

A: Clear, very dark amber with a one and a half finger tan head that fades pretty quickly without much lacing. Only a bit of visisble carbonation.

S: Sweet caramel, boozy, with a bit of pine hops.

T: Caramel, booze, bitter from hops. I don't get a whole lot of other hop presence.

M: Sticky sweet mouthfeel. Decent carbonation sensation. Alcohol is very noticeable - this is pretty hot.

O: I'm torn as to how to review this. As a DIPA, this is a complete fail. It was decent for a barleywine, not great though. Low hop presence and over-malted which results in a very cloying sweet overall impression. If this was listed as a American Barleywine, I think it would be in the 3.5-3.75 range for me overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 23:56:53 | More by macrosmatic

barleywinefiend

Washington

2/5  rDev -46.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A: Poured a slow, sluggish, deep darkish, murky orange color with a small white cap which quickly resedes leaving very minimal dirty white bubbles

S: Big caramel and breadiness with a hidden pine and citrus element

T: Immediate malt bomb; caramel and bread dominate start to finish. There is a inital orange peel and pine resin which try to break free. No dice. The beer is heavy, sticky, a bit buttery as well, a messy concoction I would not even know how or what to call it besides a Strong Ale but not a IIPA

M: Big body, heavy on palate, bittering boozey mouthfeel, sticky and off

O: This beer needs to go back to the drawing board.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 11:59:48 | More by barleywinefiend

thegooddoctor_b

1.63/5  rDev -56.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

A - Light colored pour with a white, airy head. Didn't like the color much - golden but with an off tint.

S - Bitter, bitter, bitter. Not appealing to me.

T - A ton more bitter. IPA to the extreme. Couldn't discern any more flavors. The aftertaste was not skunk or rotten, but was not pleasant, and took several sips of water and swishes to get it out.

M - Coated my mouth in a film which intensified the aftertaste.

O - It's not just a clever name! The hops in this are intense. It's only for IPA lovers.

IPAs have never been for me at all. I wanted to try this because of three points: I rarely buy them, I assumed from the name this would be very hoppy, and the high ABV. Gave it a shot, glad I did, reaffirmed my view of my tastes. I see what the brewer is shooting for and I'm sure will please the hopheads.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 02:39:31 | More by thegooddoctor_b