Trifecta IPA
Thomas Creek Brewery

fastpat from South Carolina

4.87/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I gave this a try at my wife's birthday diner at Limoncello in Greenville where it's brewed. Knocked me out with it's excellence. It may become my IPA of choice.

Mar 01, 2021

Karenward2 from Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Read the prior reviews. I generally prefer hopper and less malt as well. Getting spicy malt nose with a nice bitter after taste. Nice coppery color no head but glass had some lacing. Refreshing carbonation. Overall a nice surprise at the airport!

Oct 11, 2017

mothmanscott from Georgia

3.99/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy medium amber producing 2+ fingers of frothy, off-white/pale tan, somewhat lasting head that leaves wispy rings of lace. Aroma is floral dankness, citrus & resinous pine hoppiness balanced with caramel malt tones & a background hints of dog urine. Taste like the nose is floral, citrus & pine with a lively spiciness, backed by sweet caramel malts. The dog urine hints are present high on the palate. Starts hoppy & slightly sweet, balancing toward bitter hops/sweet malt in the middle, finishing with smooth caramel sweetness but rapidly gravitating slowly towards bitter again transitioning to a full bitter hop bite & slightly astringent aftertaste. Enough malt sweetness here to call this brew moderately balanced. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, spicy & a little slick with a moderate chalkiness in the aftertaste. A nice example of the style.

Aug 24, 2017

BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

4.16/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the bottle, it pours a hazy amber with a moderate head. Floral and citrus scents in the nose. Pleasantly hoppy in the mouth - well balanced! Yum!

Jun 10, 2016

SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.32/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Had this on draft at Copper River in Greenville, SC. Served in a frozen glass so there was a small iceberg on top. Too cold. Aroma was somewhat citrusy, mainly orange, but also pretty earthy. Overall, it reminded me of an old school English IPA. The malt was heavy with this one. Bitterness was perfectly balanced, but I like my IPA's skewed toward unbalanced and hoppy. Medium bodied and a pretty good beer overall. I think it misses the mark on an American IPA, hence the lower scores, but certainly not a bad beer.

Feb 02, 2016

charlzm from California

3.12/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Consumed on draft December 2nd, 2015 at Thomas Creek in the Greenville / Spartanburg airport.

Beer is a murky yellow-orange with a white filmy head a fraction of an inch thick. Nice sheeting.

Aroma from this shaker pint is precisely nothing.

Flavor is citrus (orange) with mild caramel malt base. Piney, citrus zest bitterness on finish is by far the most dominant flavor. Slightly watery as well. Lingering diacetyl comes out after several swallows.

Mouthfeel is slightly creamy with some carbonation prickle.

Overall, a modest effort with several flaws. Drinkable but not something to seek out.

Dec 02, 2015

ordybill from Georgia

4.42/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Tulip glass.
Aroma- Citrus, caramel and pine
Appearance- pours a dark golden color with a medium sized white head
Taste- A big hop flavor with malt and citrus backing it up.
Palate- A very smooth medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation
Overall- A really good solid offering from Thomas Creek.

Jul 29, 2015

barczar from Kentucky

3.71/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Aroma is thick with caramel malt sweetness and muted citrus, with a touch of pine. There's a hint of resin, but the sweetness dominates. More reminiscent of an old dipa.

Flavor reveals toasted, bready malt at the backbone, with modest caramel sweetness, and a lightly bitter, earthy, herbal finish. Citrus is again muted throughout, almost pithy.

Lacks big American flavoring hops, and the malt overwhelms, for the style. Bitterness becomes more pronounced, and overwhelms.

Apr 03, 2015

dijgf_hkkbgf1993 from South Carolina

4.97/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

By far my favorite beer and IPA. Brewed right here in my hometown of Greenville, SC. Pours a deep amber into a tulip. 1/3 finger of a white/yellowish head. Overwhelming aroma of pine and grapefruit. Perfect balance of citrus notes include mango, grapefruit, and pine needles. Then finishes with nice dry biscuity malt backbone. My go to beer for any place I stop to grab one. Can't get enough of it.

Feb 11, 2015

Mantooth from North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

On draft at Duckworth's, Cornelius North Cackalacky.

Looks great - dark amber with minimal head and generous lacing. The floral notes in the nose are nice and the taste follows suit, lots of citrus present. The mouthfeel is wonderful, rich and creamy. I brew and I've had difficulty achieving the thick texture of this brew. Good beer.

Jul 15, 2014

brentk56 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a two inch head that fades somewhat while leaving a strand or two behind

Smell: Bready, with a hint of caramel and a resinous tropical fruit and pith character

Taste: Bread and caramel, up front, with the resinous hop flavors adding a pith and tropical fruit (guava, papaya and tangerine) aspect through the middle; after the swallow, the bitterness builds but never overwhelms; quite fruity in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Quite enjoyable and my favorite from this brewery; Don Richardson has his hands behind the scenes in another winner

Jul 06, 2014

jshusc from South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Mostly reviewing this one because I can't quite get behind a flat 4.25 but I think it's better than a flat 4.

Served 12 oz bottle into Founders Tulip

A: Darker color than I expected for such a citrusy, floral beer. Almost a copper coloration. Nice thick 1/2 inch head.

S: Smells like a month old Heady actually. It is in that vein of IPA style, but not in the same class.

T: Surprisingly, very good flavor. More hoppy than balanced, moderate malt base to keep in stable, but very citrusy.

M: Moderate to heavy carbonation, which is how a prefer an IPA of this style.

O: Overall, I'd say this beer falls around a 4.10 or so. It's good and shows either a) that the community tap is a good influence on brewers or b) that Thomas Creek Brewery is capable of a higher end product. Solid offering here.

Jun 03, 2014

dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy medium to dark honey in color with moderate amounts of fine active carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and some copper highlights. The beer has a half finger tall sudsy foamy dark beige head that reduces to a large patch of medium thick film comprised of medium to large bubbles and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of citrus/grapefruit and pine/resin hops with light to moderate aromas of biscuit + caramel malts.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of slightly sweet biscuit + caramel malts. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of citrus/grapefruit, citrus/grapefruit pith, and lighter flavors of pine hops. Light to moderate amounts of bitterness which does not linger for long.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Hints of dryness are present in the finish.

O: Definitely my favorite beer from this brewery with a nice complexity of hop aromas and flavors. Easy to drink and fairly well balanced, not coming out too sweet or too bitter yet having malt and hops flavors and aromas present.

Apr 23, 2014

tastybeer from North Carolina

3.61/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Auburn, woody-gold colored with a large yellowish-cream head. Big sticky lace and nice cakey foam retention. Aroma up front is sweet, chewy caramel, buttered bread with a zesty pine, lemon, fleshy fruit topping. Peachy, sweet candy mango, some kind of citrus, a little earthy musk.... Smell is heavy and sugary with lemony tart notes seeping through at a casual pace. Flavor is caramel, buttery malty with a fruit candy glaze. Pulpy tropical hits the taste buds with spicy bitterness, coniferous vegetation, and rock candy. Sticky....mouth coating situation here.

This beer isn't bad. Quite the array of hops all over swimming in a sugary malt pool. This beer seems heavier to me than it should be and even more so if not in the DIPA category. And it's very candy-like...

Apr 22, 2014

wedge from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy deep amber color with a quality head of lumpy off-white foam above. Mild hoppy aroma at first, just some grapefruit and grass coming through. Increasing musky floral notes as it warms. Very citrusy flavor, especially grapefruit and lemon, all zesty and bright with a touch of caramel sugar coming through for support. Some piny earth and spice with a finishing dose of yeast. Medium bodied with some texture, fluffing up in the mouth as I swirl it around. Dry finish, helping the drinkability. This just arrived in the area, but I wouldn't describe it as super-fresh tasting or bursting with hoppy goodness. A solidly made hoppy beer that could perhaps use a bit less Munich/Caramel malt or a larger dose of finishing hops. I don't mind a balanced East-coast IPA at all, but something needs a slight adjustment here.

Apr 20, 2014

oberon from North Carolina

4.21/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours into a standard pint glass a deep copper color with a half finger off white head that leaves two broken rings of lace behind as it settles pretty quickly.A rush of citric and resiny hops jump out in the nose,alot of grapefruit and pine resin overtop of sweet biscuit and caramel,great stuff.Fresh citric flavors with grapefruit rind standing out most,the hops get a little bitter bite to them as well giving great hop complexity,again a sweet caramel-like malt base holds true to the finish holding up well to the hops.A great IPA here,Thomas Creek's best beer in my opinion.

Apr 09, 2014

EdWuncler3rd from South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler fill poured into a pint glass. This is the 3rd of 4th growler I have had and am finally getting around to reviewing the beer.

Appearance - Beer pours a nice carmel color with a solid inch of head with good retention and lacing. The beer has a slight haze and is appropriately carbonated appearing.

Smell - A bright citrus and floral aroma with bright hop aromas.

Taste - Very similar overall to the aromas with a good deal of citrus, and an appropriate amount of hops. Very good overall representation of an American IPA.

Mouthfeel - A nice light beer on the mouth, not overly carbonated, but not at all flat on the tongue.

Overall - A solid beer overall. A brilliant collaboration by the guys over at The Community Tap with the folks at Thomas Creek. This is a great representation of an American IPA and it is not at all hard to find yourself pouring a third or even fourth pint before it starts to catch up with you.

Jul 15, 2012

chinchill from South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pint from the tap st the Handlebar.

Pours a clear dark amber with a off-white head that has poor retention. Glass is nicely coated on the way down

The aroma is dominated by piney and herbal hops with citrus overtones. The taste is similar, with a powerful but not over the top hoppy flavor. The malt base is mainly evident by implication, as this beer is not too bitter and the flavor has a good depth and richness.

M: medium body; well chosen carbonation.

O: a fine but powerful IPA, with a level of hops nearly up to an imperial IPA.

Jun 17, 2012

beermjo from South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange amberish color with a very nice 1in head which sticks around for a bit with nice lacing.

Nose is full of citrus (orange, grapefruit & mango)

This citrus from the nose carries over very nicely to taste, with the grapefruit and mango shining through in what IMO is a beautiful dry hop. The malt bill balances out this medium bodied IPA in superb finishing fashion.

Overall a very good beer that I look forward to when on the TCT growler station or on tap at local Greenville establishments.


History About Trifecta: This is The Community Tap's house IPA that came about when Mike & Ed from (TCT) & Don Richardson (All Good Brands) sat down and put a recipe down on paper. The beer uses 4 hops (2 bittering/2 dry hop) and once Don fine tuned the recipe at home it was taken to local brewery Thomas Creek. Thomas Creek contract brews this beer for TCT. The name comes from the 3 parties involved in the process.

Apr 20, 2012

thagr81us from South Carolina

3.97/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this during my birthday dinner with a few friends. Served from tap into a nonic. Poured a slightly hazy red-orange with a minimal off-white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, pine, pine resin, and pine hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, citrus, fruit, pine, pine resin, and pine hop. It had a medium feel on the palate with with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. The hop profile on this one was very pine forward, which was almost abrasive to the palate to a point. This hurt the drinkability of it for me, but it didn't kill the beer overall. The citrus really helped to bring it all back together. Worth trying if you get the chance and are a fan of big in-your-face hops.

Jul 11, 2011

businesstime from South Carolina

4.44/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got it on tap at the Nose Dive.

A - golden, slightly copper with a nice creamy head.

S - lots of hop aroma on this bad boy. Some cattiness, some fruit mixed in there.

T - Tastes like it smells, some fruity and cattiness flavors, balanced by the malts, which are slightly on the darker/richer side. Not too malty, but a great balance.

M - creamy, not dry. Has a very full body for a 6.9% IPA.

O - great beer, an unexpected surprise from the fine folks at Thomas Creek. They've really reached out and embraced the hop heads on this one with a very drinkable IPA.

Jun 12, 2011

PDXHops from South Carolina

4.42/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler poured into a Duvel tulip. This is batch # 2. I never had batch # 1, but I understand that the recipe got tweaked this time around. The Trifecta in question is Thomas Creek, All Good Brands and my excellent neighborhood bottle shop, The Community Tap.

Slightly hazy caramel amber with a nice thick cap of off-white head. Good retention and lacing. Citric and catty nose, exceedingly potent. It’s rather full-bodied for the style, but the matching full carbonation lends a certain fluffiness to the mouthfeel. Rather than swimming in caramel (my #1 pet peeve about east coast IPAs), it’s very bready with a dry, toasty, and sticky finish. I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised by the hop character of this beer; there’s a mean, almost angry bitter streak running through it and the hop flavor is an explosive combo of pungent, earthy and grapefruit goodness. The touch of heat is a minor complaint (make that very minor; I killed the growler with alarming ease). A great choice for local hop junkies.

Overall impression: Trifecta joins Sweetwater as the second representative in my top tier of east-coast IPAs. Well done, guys.

May 04, 2011