Creation
Rapscallion

CreationCreation
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From:
Rapscallion
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 13.1%
Reviews:
106
Ratings:
108
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 11, 2013
Added:
Nov 03, 2002
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Rated: 4 by phishfoolme from Massachusetts

Dec 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 19, 2012
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.17/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
A 12 oz. bottle, sent months ago by awesome BA Alan/BanditBrewingCo. Poured to a snifter, respecting its age and 'retired'-ness.

Label crudely resembles Michelangelo's 'Creation' depicted on the Sistine Chapel's ceiling (the hand of God extended toward Adam's), only in this case God's hand fills Adam's goblet. Sacrilegiously clever, I suppose. 'Brewtrak' box shows a purplish smear, no discernible 'best by/brewed on' date.

A: Garnet-ruby glows through this one, a clear pour capped with a 1/2 finger of fizzy tan. Within a minute or so, that billowing cola-like fizz is gone, winnowing away to a clingy ring and revealing a surprising clarity. Lace is non-existant.

S: Lovely wafting aroma of over-ripened cherries, sugary raisins, dates and whatever other plump/sweet fruit one can name. Toffee, hints of leather, a drizzle of bourbon.

T: So much fruit, it's kinda ridiculous. Not just raisins, sweet cherries and dates, there's a chewy carob/cocoa even a hint of sweet melon. More roasted malt in the finish, a touch more chocolate-y bitterness (but still with a fruity backing).

M: A hit of carbonation upfront, surprising in that the appearance looks so settled. Has a lively, cutting feel with a medium body. Booziness isn't very apparent.

D: A pleasant drinker, sip-worthy. Has quite a bit of latent carbonation, not sure if the intent was to make me so gassy. No worries, it's a fine ale and age hasn't affected it in the least (in a negative way). Enjoyable and one I'd certainly have again.
Oct 07, 2009
Photo of yossarian14
Reviewed by yossarian14 from Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A - Pours a clean, clear mahogany red when backlit, but standing there in the shadows where its spending most its time, Creation is black as night. There is an impressive light tan head that audibly fizzled during the pour but it has since disappeared, leaving a thin film of foam with almost no lacing to speak of.

S - I smell dark ripe fruit, rasins, grapes, fruity yeast, caramel. All these aromas are cloaked in a mildly tart backdrop. Not being a huge fan of anything beyond the mildest of sour flavors in my beer, I'm fearing my first sip.

TM - The first feeling is a tart prickly carbonation up front. As the flavor spreads I get more of the dark fruit and caramel. I detect a slight woodiness in the finish. The tart flavors are a little much for me.

D - The aftertaste is short and dry. I have no problem drinking this slowly, as it is a sipper, but the 9.5% is well hidden. While I am enjoying this beer, its not one I'll likely seek out again...oh its been retired, then I have nothing to worry about.
Mar 13, 2009
Photo of mmmbeer
Reviewed by mmmbeer from Massachusetts

3.42/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
First off, this is one of the best beer labels out there, hands down. Brewed with Czech hops to 18 IBUs with an original gravity of 1.085; 15% of the batch is aged in oak barrels and blended back in. It is a clear, deep maroon, with lively carbonation and a noisy inch of tan head that quickly recedes to almost nothing and leaves no lacing. There is a vinous grape character to the nose, along with a touch of oak. It tastes musty and aged, with dark fruits (grape, plum, raisin), nectarine, fruity yeast, just a hint of spicy hops, and a light, but slowly increasing oak presence. The body is medium and dry, with ample carbonation and a malty/vinous finish. A tasty, very malty beer that definitely shows some age, but would probably be better if fresher or if properly (not store shelf) aged.
Feb 25, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle shared courtesy of weeare138 (thanks!).

Poured a dark brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas and tastes of caramel, dark fruits, and caramel. I got a very slight woodiness to this as well. Alcohol content well hidden.

Notes from: 9/10/05
Feb 03, 2009
Photo of beachbum1975
Reviewed by beachbum1975 from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A shout out goes to BanditBrewingCo for this retired extra! I acquired this one in a trade with him in October and it's been sitting in the cellar since.

Here in Cincinnati, we are in the middle of an ice and snow "crisis", so I thought it's time to have a nice beer.

Beautiful label on this one with Michelangelo-style God pouring Adam the divine nectar. There's a BREWTRAK spot on the right side of the label, but I can't tell what the stamp says (smeared). No idea on the age of this beer.

The beer gave a little puff as I pried the top off, so the seal appeared intact. Pours an attractive dark maple syrup color with no head. (After reading some reviews on this beer, I was surprised there was none... It might have to do with its' age)

Smells of sweet, syrupy malts and light vanilla... Not a whole lot on the nose.

Surprisingly, there was medium carbonation on the mouth remaining though it was hidden from the eye (none after the pour). Medium bodied and medium to full flavored mix of sweet malts, light vanilla, much like the nose and even much more like an American barleywine! I get a Belgian twang, like from candied sugars, as well. Mouthfeel was wet and finished with slight sourness on the finish.

Thanks again, Alan!
Jan 27, 2009
Photo of Lothar666
Reviewed by Lothar666 from Rhode Island

4.06/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Poured into a Rapscallion Snifter- brew poured out a deep, beautiful dark oak color with a white, single finger head that disappeared quickly but left a white, frothy and sticky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Faint odor reminiscent of wood chips is present, with a sweetness in the nose that is difficult to describe- perhaps sour apples, pears or something similar.

T- Taste is very sweet and somewhat fruity with a refreshing tartness in the finish. The apples or pears mentioned in the smell notes above are definitely present in the taste as well.

M- This beer drinks almost like a barleywine, a bit syrupy but very dry and crisp for its style. This is a beer that you can hold in your mouth and savor.

D- Its complexity is best enjoyed as a sipper, but it must be stated that this is also a beer one could chug if he happened to forget himself- the beer is incredibly smooth and easy to drink for its 9.5% ABV, although the tartness mentioned in the finish might put some people off.
Dec 18, 2007
Photo of NEhophead
Reviewed by NEhophead from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 fl oz brown bottle; served in a snifter.

Murky, deep amber/maple in color. Creamy, porous off-white head with sponge-like bubbles. Cascading lace with a landscape-like pattern.

Belgian yeast over sharply tart fruity-esters: pear, orange, and green apple. Mild tones of creamy caramel and toffee.

Underlying caramel and toffee swarmed by a musty yeast-tone. Sharply acidic fruity-esters: green apple, cranberry; however, they don't last long, and mellow to a dried toffee flavor. Notes of warming alcohol and pear linger in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied; smooth with a touch of slickness at the end of the sip. Thin in spots.

A pleasant, Belgian-tasting offering. Thin in spots; flavors that are rather pleasant, but too restricted.
Jul 10, 2007
Photo of reeder
Reviewed by reeder from California

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
a nice _deep_ amber color. I don't have a goblet unfortunately, so I poured this beer into my old standby pint glass. With a reasonable hard pour I received a thin head that was quite persistent.

an interesting grapey almost red wine smell.

with a couple deep swigs, I was greeted by a smooth sour apple taste up front. all kinds of fruity flavors were followed by a distinct tart finish that really hit me in the back of the throat. This is not a creamy dark beer.

This beer is a little too tart for my tastes, but definitely drinkable. I don't know about calling this an American Strong Ale. It is strong, and american; but nothing like the other beers I have had in this style. It kind of seems in the same vein as Newcastle to me. So, maybe more of a Strong British Dark Ale? Overall, i think this beer is better than average in all aspects but not spectacular.
Jul 08, 2007
Photo of adowney523
Reviewed by adowney523 from Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at the Brewery Exchange in Lowell, MA. Poured into a Rapscallion chalice from the tap. Appears very dark brown with ruby notes. Moderate carbonation and a thin white head.

Smells of dark fruit, brandy, and alcohol.

Tastes of plums, raisins. The oak barrel-aging flavors also come through. The malt is of dark bread. Alcohol in the finish.

Quite nice. I will try this again.
Apr 14, 2007
Photo of Nipitato
Reviewed by Nipitato from Massachusetts

4.02/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up a four pack of this beer from Marty's in Allston, MA.

A: Looks brown but when held to light is dark amber. Thin ring of off white head. Visibly effervescent. Moderate clarity.

S: Neutral malty sweet aroma complimented by fruity esters that exhibit dark fruit cherry/plum characteristics. Vinous and yeasty aromas as well. Indistinct hop aroma. Slight alcohol notes.

T: Strong malt taste. Malt is rich and sweet with chocolate and caramel flavors. Hoppy bitterness towards end that lingers. Fruity esters and alcohol flavor add subtle highlights on top. Alcohol adds port wine like flavor. Yeasty and oaky. Top all of this off with some puckering tannins. Quite complex.

MF: Well carbonated. Smooth medium mouthfeel. Surprisingly no alcohol warming.

D: Smooth high alcohol brew that is complex and enjoyable. Now all they need to do is figuring out a better packaging concept. The current four pack set up is a broken beer bottle waiting to happen.
Apr 07, 2007
Photo of Kudashov
Reviewed by Kudashov from Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
While listening to KEXP on the Hi-Fi and the watching the Boston Bruins just winning in a shootout against the Washington Capitals it was topped of with a bottle of this tasty brew from Concord Brewery . Poured into my Rapscallion glass with came with a four-pack of their wonderful " Blessing " . With aggressive pour there is very little head . Smells of grapes , chocolate , cherry and oak . When looking at this , there was some apprehension . I did not think I was going to like this and on top of it I bought a four-pack of these . On tasting this , it was splendid . So good . Wonderful mouthfeel and it is not watery . For 9 ABV it is well hidden and no burn on the finish . While it warmed it took on a sweet flavor that I did not feel on first taste . Well the four-pack will not last tonights fight with " Irish " John Duddy on the tele . More will be bought for Saturdays' beer fest down the V.F.W . , where I try ( in vain ) to get my friends to at least try "good beer " .

This brew makes looking for good beer worth the trip .
Mar 16, 2007
Photo of sethmeister
Reviewed by sethmeister from New Hampshire

4.14/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
12oz poured at room temperature into the large snifter that came with the 4 pack.

An admittedly cautious pour yields almost no head whatsoever. Very dark brown ruby highlit body.

Heavy rum scent. Green apples and molasses.

Despite the scent the alcohol taste is well hidden. Tart green apple taste. Some grapes. Something sweet on the back end - brown sugar or molasses I think. Then turns to... pecorino romano cheese?! What the hell?! This fabulous odd cheese flavor combines with nuts and lingers, becoming almost chewy. There's a dry red wine taste that comes and goes. There's so much going on here its as though the various flavors are jostling each other for position.

Mouthfeel is thin and becomes slightly tannic at the finish.

Surprisingly drinkable considering both the ABV and the overly dramatic flavors.

Don't know if I would think of this as an American Strong Ale. In fact I don't know just what I would consider this. But I like it quite a bit and would gladly have another.
Mar 01, 2007
Photo of Doomcifer
Reviewed by Doomcifer from Rhode Island

1.82/5  rDev -54.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Poured a hazy ruby/dark brown...3/4 inch of frothy head that retains decently for a short couple of minutes and reduces to nothing, leaving almost no lacing.

Smells a lot like black currants. Other sweet fruits are all over the aroma, including some phenolic smells. Not bad.

Taste is EXTREMELY tart & sour - also ends very dry and...smoky. Tastes of moldy wood and moss with extremely tart green apples. Medicinal flavors. This is really too much and am struggling on how I am going to be able to drink this. I really do not like this.

Mouthfeel is very lightly carbonated and milky.

There is no way on gods green earth that this is even remotely drinkable, for me anyway.

I am not a fan.
Nov 05, 2006
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.17/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Dull crimson with multiple streams of angry carbonation creating an expansive crown of pale caramel beige. The foam is stiff and airy rather than creamy or sticky and is a pretty lousy lacer as a result. The beer itself looks good enough, but the transient cap certainly isn't what I would expect for an American strong ale. Besides, there's way too much carbonation for the style.

The nose is different as well, but is more to my liking than the appearance. It's primarly sweet and sour fruity with notes of berries, cherries, grapes and plums. Despite the 'Dark Reserve Beer' on the label, it doesn't smell all that dark. I don't pick up any dark fruits (such as raisins), for instance.

Rapscallion Creation is definitely an interesting creation, but it isn't an especially good one. Either Concord Brewery has a vastly different idea of what constitutes a strong ale than I do or something went horribly wrong in the execution of this beer. For starters, the mouthfeel would be more at home on a pale ale. An undermalted pale ale.

This is a pathetically thin ASA that has no hope of providing any of the various malt-related flavors that most beer of this style is known for... because there's so little malt on hand. Creation tastes like tart fruit (now cherries and lemons) with a little watery caramel drizzled over top. A faint oakiness doesn't help the cause either. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's all washed away almost as soon as contact is made with the taste buds.

Hard to believe the ABV. I detect very little evidence of alcohol on the palate and I can't say that I'm feeling much of it either, even though I'm well into the bottle. American weak ale is more like it. Given the yawning gap between what the Brits and the Yanks consider a 'strong' ale to be, I might be able to go along with English strong ale. Might.

As noted, the body/mouthfeel is a disgrace. It may be picking up a modicum of viscosity as it warms... nah, not really. Interesting that the wild initial carbonation is now incredibly tame and that the beer feels almost flat. Something in the middle of those two extremes would have been nice.

I love the label on Rapscallion Creation, a beer-related play on Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It's too damn bad that the beer isn't anywhere near that inspired though. Perhaps a more fitting name would be Rapscallion Destruction after what it has done to my expectations.
Oct 21, 2006
Photo of snilsen13
Reviewed by snilsen13 from Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
A - very dark red, not cloudy, very thin head

S - yeasty, hints of raspberry

T - mild overall, slightly sweet and tart. gentle sting of carbonation and minimla aftertaste. could be a thirst quencher. flavor of alcohol is conspicuously missing. consider the ABV, this is very peculiar.

M - very slightly syrupy, otherwise very watery.

D - fair. easily drank, but not with much payoff.
Aug 14, 2006
Photo of ghostwalker
Reviewed by ghostwalker from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle serving. A generous extra in a beer trade with waughbrew.

Dark ruby-brown body with a light half-finger of head.

Nose is sugar and spice and everything nice. A hint of belgian style funk.

Flavor is rich and dark. Candi sugar, molasses, spices, dark fruit, malt.

Mouthfeel is medium to thin, moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty good, I enjoy savoring a brew like this, but rarely feel the need for a second one. This serving was well appreciated.
May 13, 2006
Photo of tboom29
Reviewed by tboom29 from Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
When I picked this up, I was actually expecting a Black Beer. This is more like a doppelbock, I thought. The color was a deep ruby, not much head or lacing. Fruity/spicy smell. Hints of oak come through also on the nose. As it was colder, the alcohol definitely came through. Quite fruity and spicy up front. Malty throughout. When it's colder, lacks much body, but gains more mouthfeel as it warms. It appeared to be highly carbonated upon pour, but did not turn out that way. I'll try this beer again, really should let this warm up prior to drinking.
May 01, 2006
Photo of hoppymeal
Reviewed by hoppymeal from Michigan

3.57/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer pours a muddy brownish red with dark orange. The initial aroma after pouring is appley sweet aromas mixed with a light perfuminess. After settling the sweet caramel malty aromas also come thru. The taste is at first sweet but finishes with a little tartness. The finish is a dry slightly bitter, peppery taste. The beer has a thinner, less viscous mouthfeel than I expected. Overall an enjoyable interesting beer.
Apr 10, 2006
Creation from Rapscallion
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 108 ratings