Thomas Creek Pump House Porter - Thomas Creek Brewery

semihobo

Michigan

2.63/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz with no date, a present from a friend on his way back from Greenville.

Looks great! Mocha head fills the pint glass. Head is initially large bubbles which shrink to a near mist. Good staying power and great lacing. Uniform very dark brown, almost black body.

Smells of dark chocolate, mint, heather. Very herbal and slightly musty. Citrusy?

Taste is pretty sour, malts are chalky. Yes, definitely citrus, maybe it is the sour funk and hops combining on the finish. There is some pale malt taste along with some tobacco, a little woodsy and smoky. The sour funk is all over the place.

Mouthfeel is fizzy like seltzer water. Medium-light bodied. Intensely dry finish.

Discombobulated as a whole but has a few nice features. A little sour for my liking, definitely lowers the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2009 02:20:37 | More by semihobo

AgentMunky

Alabama

2.78/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a nonic pint glass. Reviewed December 2010.

A: While pouring, it's blood-red; in the glass, it's dark as night except around the edges. Light tan head fades into tiny bubbles.

S: Roasted chocolate malt. Not much else.

T: Sour, thin roasted malt. Light carbonation. A sourish bitterness dominates. The aftertaste unpleasant and rough. Overall, not too good.

M: Thin and meh-ish. Some carbonation to lighten things up.

D: It's not a bad beer, but it's without any discernible merit. Not much fun to drink. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 21:24:44 | More by AgentMunky

pwoods

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz. brown bottle poured into an imperial pint. Notes.

A: Pours deep brown. Short head with little retention and no lacing.

S: Lots of light bitter chocolate. A bit of coffee aroma. Very subtle.

T/M: A bitterness from the coffee grounds and bitter chocolate. Lightly milky. Pretty dry for some reason. some metallic notes. Medium full body with crappy carbonation.

D: Just not a good beer so I really don't want to drink it.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2009 23:53:12 | More by pwoods

Likeburning

Tennessee

2.9/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A medium tan head sat atop my recently poured beer, but as I looked left 30 seconds later, it was gone. For shame. Held up to my desk lamp the what at first seemed to be deep brown turned out to be a dark crimson red. Ya know how Mel Torme is called the velvet fog? If he were also a color, it would be this.
The aroma is malty, slightly creamy, sweet, and dare I say it, a bit metallic. Taste though is where it really counts, and I hate to say it, but I smelled a lot more than I tasted. Coffee, smoke, and other good porter flavors, but nothing that stands out too much. Mouthfeel is surprisingly light which ups the drinkability drastically. I guess Mel Torme was never quite as popular as Tony Bennett after all.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2008 00:32:51 | More by Likeburning

beer2day

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours black with some deep inky red hues. 2-finger head. Laces well and good retention.

Mild chocolate covered cherries greet the nose. Cocoa and caramel lay under the dominant scent.

Too bad the nose doesn't come through in the flavor. More bland than anything else. Very weak hit on the tongue, followed by bittersweet chocolate in the finish. Needs more in the front and the finish just isn't strong enough.

Feel is very weak for the style. I know some porters are thin. If that's what they were shooting for, then they hit the mark ... but missed mine.

Not a bad warm weather porter. For Greenville SC, that's probably not a bad thing.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2009 02:54:30 | More by beer2day

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a black body with a thin, beige head.

Smell: Roasty, slightly burnt malt nose with notes of dark chocolate syrup and licorice powder.

Taste: Dark maltiness with some black malt well into the mix. Twinges of chocolate enter followed by a lasting licorice flavor. That black patent in there really starts to flirt with being astringent at times. Spicy, roasty bitterness. Finishes with a lingering taste of roast and licorice.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Ease up on the black patent malt and you just may have something, Thomas Creek.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 14:00:41 | More by ChainGangGuy

feelmefoam

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice dark brown with ruby highlights. Very opaque color, only shows a small amount of light around the edges when held up to the light. Put up over a finger of tan head that quickly left, but plastered the side with a decent amount of lacing.

Smells of sweet and roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruits.

The flavor is just ok. It starts out pretty nice, with a nice dark malt mixed with some chocolate flavors, but then is overpowered by some pretty big sweetness. The sweetness is fruity in nature, maybe prunes; but also has a heavy malt character.

Medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation, pretty typical of a good porter.

Overall, this is a good beer, could be a lot better if they cut back on a little bit of the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 05:45:04 | More by feelmefoam

farrago

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The brown colored head is on the light side, thins out quickly and the lacing slides down the glass back into the sea. Pitch black color throughout, only vaguest hint of yellow or orange at the rims. Rich, chocolaty nose, creamy texture inside the nostrils, supplementary notes of caramel and coffee ice cream, very little "roast" to it, mild black cherry and blackberry fruit, not getting many hoppy notes but there is a mineral water, iron fleck component. Light to medium-bodied, the high level of carbonation increases mouth presence and creates an impression of more weight. However, it too emphasizes the mineral, stream water aspect which then dilutes the chocolate, coffee, toffee flavors, the latter here do have a toastier feel. Minimal fruit flavors, the hops come through clearer here and create some bitterness through the finish. Drinks smooth enough, if you decide to keep drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 00:15:35 | More by farrago

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a deep amber to black in color with a tan head. In the aroma, a light chocolaty roast, yet somewhat faint. In the taste, an abrasive hop to a mellow chocolate maltiness, a bit thin though. A hop bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry pine and small chocolate notes in the aftertaste. A faint nose and a bit thin, but decent nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 17:05:37 | More by OWSLEY069

ImusBeer

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought a few Thomas Creek beers from the Total Wine in Alpharetta

Poured in a pint glass, black with a tan head about a finger in width.

Smelled of molasses and dates, tasted smokey with a slight bitterness on the back end.

It has a rich silky mouthfeel, feeling warm at first and then thinner at finish. It's good, not too harsh but smooth. I could drink this often enough.

This brewery is only about 2 hours up the highway from me, just accross the border into Greenville, South Carolina.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 18:55:21 | More by ImusBeer

beertunes

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a solid black, not the translucent black I expect, with an inch of dark beige head that had moderate retention and no lacing.

The aroma was mostly a pleasant roast scent, with some underlying graininess and malt. The flavors were fairly typical for the style, some nice malt sweetness, a bit of grain and a nice, smooth roast that lingered on the finish.

The body was typically full and smooth, but also featured a lot of bubbly effervescence on the tongue. Drinkability was about average for the style, if you want a Porter, you'd be happy with a couple of these. Overall, a nice solid beer. Worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 20:41:32 | More by beertunes

projectflam86

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a deep brown color with a generous amount of foam. Nice lacing.

S- Deep roasted malt aroma with some smoke and chocolate coming through nicely.

T- Bitter dark chocolate with a very iron/metallic finish. Alot going on hop-wise that seems slightly misplaced in a low ABV porter.

M- Medium light bodied with fizzy carbonation. A touch thin.

O- Overall a decent brew but probably not one I would search out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 20:44:17 | More by projectflam86

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

"The best activities for your health are pumping and humping."

--Arnold Schwarzenegger

Pumpernickel brown with orange and bronze highlights. A good looking lid of golden khaki colored foam was created on the pour, hangs around for a spell, and does a fine job laying down lace... although very little sticks in the end.

The aroma is helped by a well-chosen hop bill that includes Cascade, Centennial, East Kent Goldings and Magnum. The first two, especially, give the dark malts a citrus zest vibe that is nice. Overall power is significantly lacking, however.

What was a (slight) positive in the nose is a (slight) negative on the taste buds. There's too much grapfruit peel for the amount of caramel, chocolate and black patent malt. This is an American porter, after all, not a black IPA. The amount of malt seems skimpy as well.

The flavor profile has pretty much been described in the paragraph above. The passage of time and warming make things bolder, but not deeper or more complex. Rather than being sweet-bitter balanced, PHP is tart-bitter balanced, with sweet trailing far behind.

The mouthfeel is the weak link. It's a little thin, fades too quickly on the finish, and the carbonation is borderline finely fizzy. Not a recipe for success.

Other than the outstanding Up The Creek DIPA, no Thomas Creek beer has floated my boat... or kayak... or canoe... or whatever. Bottom line: Pump House Porter pays too much attention to its hops and not enough attention to its malts.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 13:25:01 | More by BuckeyeNation

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Aroma is not too strong but smoky with an undertone of molasses and a bit of hops and fruit. It pours a dark, nearly opaque chocolate brown with a decent light tan head. Flavor is mainly of mocha, average quality coffee and slightly sweet chocolate, with fruity and hoppy hints. Texture is edgy and fizzy, leaving a smoky and slightly sweet finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 02:26:56 | More by Cyberkedi

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had at the source! Served from tap into a sampler shaker. Poured a dark brown with a one finger khaki colored head that subsided to half a finger slwoly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, milk chocolate, and subtle dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark chocolate, roasted malt, earth, and subtle cream. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. Nothing on this one really stood out as being amazing except the appearance if I'm honest. While there was a lot going on in the flavor and aroma, it was just too random and not really uniformed to work in unison. Still not bad, but not the best porter I've had. Worth trying if you get the chance however.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 12:41:49 | More by thagr81us

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours very dark brown. Light tan head that lingers pretty well.

Smell is toasted malt and chocolate. Very subtle hint of molasses.

Taste is sweet malt and chocolate. Mild bitterness. Not that much going on for me.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation.

Overall this was good. Worth trying, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 23:24:06 | More by TrappistJohnMD

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Grabbed this one at the store last time I went through as it was the new offering from TC along with the Class Five. I grabbed this straight out of the fridge and poured it into my Pint glass. Nice and most opaque dark brown liquid was then presented in front of me. Some light peeking through on the sides only showed hints of light tan. A nice two finger head of off white foam then rose up and had some nice staying power before settling down and leaving some good side glass webbing. Quite a nice looking porter.

The aroma was decently rich, with lots of smoky hints to it. Caramel and coffee swirling around along with loads of roasted malts and a touch of hops. The flavor was more of the same, though admittedly lighter overall. Started out with a nice rush of caramel and roasted malt, almost peat like with a subtle smokiness to it. Light vanilla hint that quickly turned bitter towards the end and left you with a long drawn out finish that had a decent little bit of pine like flare to it. The feel was a bit thin for me, not the watery problem I thought it would have, but still needed to be thickened up a good deal. Great session porter though as the profile was light enough to really be enjoyed quite easily.

Overall not a bad effort. Not the best I have ever had, but certainly decent. They are making changes for the better here and I was pleased with this one. Will definitely try it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2008 10:18:16 | More by mikesgroove

AgentZero

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not sure what year t his bottle was, said Thomas Creek Porter on the front.

A - Opaque, dark brown to black with some red on the edges. Not a whole lot of head on it but did leave a little lace.

S - Says porter on the bottle but smells more like a stout. Mild fruits and roasty chocolate come through on the nose, very little of the woody smell I usually associate with porters in this.

T - I like this, roasted coffee, toffee, and chocolate tones in a mildy sweet brew.

M - Not as heavy as it looks, low carbonation.

D - Pretty drinkable for a porter, although it's much more like a mild stout than anything else. Low alcohol and lack of overbearing taste makes it easy to get down.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 20:15:04 | More by AgentZero

AmericanGothic

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Sam Adams pint.

A: Pours a dark copper color with two fingers of tan head. Strong retention and lace.

S: Sweet milk chocolate, nice but a bit timid.

T: Leads with licorice and roasted malts, a light malt sweetness, and faint coffee on the finish. A little too mellow overall. There are also some light floral flavors.

M: Nice, not too heavy, ample creaminess.

O: A pleasant brew, but I wish it would assert itself a bit more. Still, nothing bad or objectionable, certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 02:54:20 | More by AmericanGothic

Duff27

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a big two inch medium mocha colored head on a dark brown body. Head is fluffy and sticks around awhile. leaves good lacing, looks delicious.

S- Chocolate notes with whiffs of cola. Some roastiness.

T- Chocolate licorice. Some earthy hop presence...above average for a porter and kinda of steals this beers identity, leaving it showing itself differently after each sip.

M- A touch over-carbonated for a porter. Medium to medium-thin mouthfeel makes like an easy one to get through.

D/O- An ridiculously easy porter to drink, it's drinkability coupled with a wonder appearance would make this an excellent draft choice at a local bar.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 00:42:02 | More by Duff27

kylehayworth

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Nice and black with subtle reddish/burgandy hues. The head forms quickly and the tannish head stays a little while.

S: Roasted coffee and chocolate in the nose. Also, some caramel, vanilla, woody dark fruits.

T: Has a good mixture of the coffee, caramel, vanilla, and dark fruits. It has a semi-sweet after taste.

M/D: It's almost like a mild stout. Which in turn makes it a good porter. Overall, a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 12:46:26 | More by kylehayworth

avalon07

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick texture. There was an inch of tan-colored, foamy head that didn't last particularly long. Very good lacing.

S: A subdued aroma of malt, coffee, chocolate, and a woody quality.

T: Tasted of malt, a touch of hops, dark chocolate, coffee, a slightly medicinal quality, and a sugary element. A decent, but not always compelling flavor.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

D: In spite of some flaws this remains a drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 11:33:11 | More by avalon07

oldhippie247

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown and is opaque except when held up to a bright light. Light tan head dissipates quickly, leaving little to no lacing.

Aromas feature milk chocolate with a slight hint of bittersweet chocolate and thoroughly roasted malts. Sweet overall.

Nice medium-full mouthfeel with sweet maltiness, chocolate, and just a little coffee-like bitterness. Initial and mid-palate are sweet, with a medium length dry finish.

Overall I was very pleasantly surprised. I was disappointed with some Thomas Creek brews about a year ago, but I think they may have won me back--especially this style and their overall pricepoint. Definitely worth trying and going back for.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 02:58:42 | More by oldhippie247

MSchae1017

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was tasted in a pint glass from the 12 oz bottle

The beer pours a deep brown-black with a frothy tan head that holds and laces well. The aroma is full of chocolately & roasty malts and citrusy hops. The taste is again chocolate, and roast malts along with probably cascade hops. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodies with a good amount of carbonation. Overall, a good Porter, but a bit much on the hops in the taste for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2008 02:59:45 | More by MSchae1017

rundocrun

Iowa

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12-oz bottle into snifter glass.

A - Pours deep brownish-black with only the very slightest hint of dark amber peeking through the edges of the glass. Has a full two fingers of coarse mocha head that fades reasonably slowly. Great lacing on the glass.

S - Aromas of milk chocolate, mild caramel and dark fruits (evident they used some caramel malt here). Also hints of acidic light-roast coffee.

T - Again, sweet milk chocolate up front quickly accompanied by a coffee bitterness that defies the much more mild aroma. Creamy caramel and dark sticky plums. Mild alcoholic character through the middle and the finish. Finishes with a last kick of bittering hops and a borderline-cloying sweetness. Leaves the mouth feeling utterly coated in sweet, roasty malt flavor.

M - Medium body with a very mild boozy warmth. Extremely syrupy toward the finish and leaves my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. Carbonation is just right. This would be a good winter beer, but not so much for late August.

Overall - A good representative of the style despite the slight imbalance of sweetness compared to roasted grains and hops. I almost want to say this is a hybrid between a porter and a sweet stout. I would drink this again, but in colder climates for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 02:55:50 | More by rundocrun