Thomas Creek Up the Creek Extreme IPA

Brewed by Thomas Creek Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Greenville, South Carolina USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Darker than typical 2XIPA and lighter aroma than expected. Malt is about even with the hops. Alcohol percentage is higher than expected. I would like to taste a version of this beer as an American Strong Ale.

From bottle. Mild fruity-floral hops with a bit of resin. Caramel and Twizzlers. Dark coppery amber clear with thin light amber head. Medium body with heavy carbonation and alcohol warming. Starts and stays sweet, more like a barley wine than an IIPA. Malty, rich, with nice bittering. Smooth bitter finish, rich and malty. Sweet lingering after.

Up the Creek is mashed at a low temperature to increase the amount of fermentable sugars while reducing residual sweetness. This creates a hoppy behemoth of a beer with its alcohol well hidden. UTC is designed to be dangerously drinkable, so use caution or you’ll find yourself Up the Creek!

Appearance: Deep mahogany and claret colors under a tight burned head as deeply rustic and the contents below. Brilliant garnet edges when held up to the light. Alluring and intriguing.
Nose: Boozed flambéed apples, pears, peaches. Cinnamon sugar flambéed apples on top. Biscuit and melba in the back. Rustic. Bananas foster. Fall leaves, cabins, pine trees and pine needles. Stewed plums and meaty prunes in the middle – mild so that it doesn’t detract from the unfettered rustic forest notes and boozed spiced fruits. Sweet alcohol.
Palate: Wow! Grabs tastebuds and tongue firmly in the middle and doesn’t let go. Plums and apples in the back. Imperial IPA, American Strong Ale, and American Style Barleywine join in an unexpected harmonious orgy of flavors. Pine and Christmas trees on top and in the back of each swallow with some tree bark and rustic log cabinetry. Caramelized, boozed, spiced apples, plums, and peaches. Fruitcake but in a good way. Warm spicy boozy bite in the back. More tree bark and Fall leaves underneath. Candied boozed apples and maraschinos. Candied pineapple.
Final Thoughts: Talk about a beer blurring style guidelines… Extreme IPA is right and I was extremely grateful to be able to quaff a couple glasses before it was gone. Thomas Creek Brewery is relatively new to Florida via distribution, and I hope to see more of them on draft at various craft beer establishments. Good stuff.
(An original written work by Beer Ambassador, LLC. Plagiarism is not tolerated.)

Too dark and malty for an extreme IPA in my opinion, but it was tasty and smooth for all of that alcohol. I'd have it again ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

This should be billed as an Abbey Quad Style / IPA hybrid. Before you actually taste, Abbey Quad is basically what this beer does. As it pours, sits in the tulip, laces, carbonates, and smells (at fridge temp) it’s Abbey all day. So much biscuit - also a ton of malt, maybe even a doppel bock sniff or two. Basically no signs yet of ’IPA’ OR hops. Once you let it warm to the right temp and take a sip... yea not so much IPA. I actually enjoy this, my second one (had the first 3 nights ago) and would still buy and enjoy under a more accurate heading - but can’t seem to find much of what you’d come to expect in strong IPA’s. Their non-traditional method for the beer explains the shift -

Bottle. The pour is a dark copper color with a nice steady head. The aroma is a nice nose full of hops. The taste has a lot of toffee throughout which pushes the hops to the back. A little bitter and boozy. Not as drinkable as they claim. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

One of my absolute favourites. I could drink this all day. To bad it’s so strong I’ll probably pass out after a couple.

Bottle:   Deep copper, large frothy off-white head, nice lacing.   Very dark for an IPA... interesting.   Strong biscuity yet hoppy nose.   Minor orange peel and pith.   Alcoholic caramel and pith on the tongue.   Oddly enough, a peanut butter and jelly sammich pairs well with this one.   One of those late night snacks when you have nothing left in the house.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.   If this is 12.5%, I am really surprised as its well hidden.   Not a bruiser, not real dainty either.   Feels like a strong hoppy/pithy imperial Amber Ale.   Malt background is pretty hefty, which works well to carry this beer.   Towards the end of this bottle it gets a little cloying.   Certainly not a bright floral type of Imperial IPA.   Big malty and pithy example.   Almost moreso of an American Strong versus an Imperial IPA.   It really hides its ABV well.   Thanks Jason for the bottle!

12 oz bottle - pours dark brown-crimson with large, creamy tan head, excellent lacing and retention. Get some oaky orange notes with resiny hops and grassy aromas. Big, full bodied "IPA" with long finish. Taste is darker shade, with decent malt bill, lots of cool smooth candied fruit and piney resin hop notes. Like a small cousin to DFH 120. Great balance. Really good.