Did you know
Greenville, South Carolina has a microbrewery? They do. It’s called Thomas
Creek, and according to the company’s webpage, they named it in a rather
strange way. The founder was named Thomas, to begin with. But his last name
is not Creek, and the brewery doesn’t sit beside one, either. They just had
one on the labels, and decided to name the beer Thomas Creek. Really. You
need to believe this. You don’t want to be a doubting Thomas, do you?
The brewery puts forth beers in a variety of styles, including a winter bock
and a vanilla cream. Tonight, though, I’m sipping a bottle of their Multi
Grain Ale-and I’m liking it.
Really, any beer with barley and another grain could be called a
multi-grain. Wheat beers, for example. Or rye beers. Because these beers
will contain barley, too, as a fermentable and to add body. But there’s
magic in the mixing, and the proportions used can make a big difference in
the finished product.
That’s the case with Thomas Creek’s Multi Grain Ale. It’s brewed with
multiple varieties of barley malt (2 row pale malt, Carapils, black patent,
caramel 10) and some wheat, just to make it officially a multigrain brew.
And the result is pretty tasty, indeed.
Thomas Creek Multi Grain Ale pours to a bright orange color with a
thick, very creamy head formation of tightly packed bubbles. The nose is
somewhat spicy and reminds me of a slice of fresh-baked dark grainy bread.
In the palate, there’s a good bit of chewy caramel flavors at first (from
the caramel 10).
But there’s more here, too, although if you drink the beer too cold you
won’t pick it up. A little dark, chocolate, nutty flavor from the Black
Patent. Some toasty notes. Tartness from the wheat. And an almost rye like
spiciness, though there’s supposedly none of that here.
There’s also a subtle touch of fruit to be found if you pay attention, and
in the finish, there’s a nice grassy hop bitterness that lingers on the
tongue after sipping. Multi Grain Ale has a sort of half-breed hop bill,
too: Half German, Half English. It’s hopped with Hallertaus and Tettnangers,
Fuggles and Kent Goldings.
All in all, I like this one. It has nice balance to it, with a lot of
different flavors going on from yeast, hop, and malt. It’s eminently
drinkable but has enough flavor to be paired with a wide array of dishes.
Maybe even a big hunk of multigrain bread. Hey, why not?
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft