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?



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