Hopback Summer Lightning - Hop Back Brewery plc

hwwty4

Missouri

2.95/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Interesting find at my local. I can honestly say the only reason I picked it up was for the bottle cap. Nice picture of a guy and a hop. Interesting bottle cap but this isnt a review for the aesthetics of bottle caps.

Poured a capped 500ml bottle into my New Belgium globe. This beer pours a highly fizzy, hazy straw with a MASSIVE 5 inch cap (or should I say the whole glass) of creamy white head. Splotchy, soapy lacing was left down the sides of the glass. The nose is rather generic. A bit of biscuit, some caramel and a nice yeasty twang. The flavor is simple, straightforward and much the same as the aroma. A bit of biscuit, a bit of caramel, tart yeast and just a little grassy hops. This is where my biggest issue with this beer is. Its way to carbonated. The carbonation level almost makes it astringent. Its like soaking your tongue in Sprite. Overall, this beer falls flat into the average range. Not the best bitter I've had but definitely not the worst.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 22:31:56 | More by hwwty4

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +10.5%

05-16-2013 21:52:44 | More by Slatetank

steveh

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%

02-04-2013 19:57:47 | More by steveh

matjack85

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

01-31-2013 22:04:49 | More by matjack85

mizx

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

01-26-2013 18:07:28 | More by mizx

Jetulio

Spain

3.9/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle poured into a Pint glass
Appearance,... light yellow a little bit hazy, big head colour white very persistent
Aroma. ... malty smell, wet grass too
Taste.... little touch of citrus with a dry middle bitter end
Mouthfeel... medium body with medium carbonation (a little high for an standard English ale in my opinion)
Overall... very refreshing, easy to drink but not so hoppy as you expect for an English bitter ale

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 15:10:20 | More by Jetulio

GreggBarton

4.75/5  rDev +31.2%

12-29-2012 13:10:24 | More by GreggBarton

thierrynantes

France

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer bottle (50 cl.) purchased from Cave'Ale, and tasted in 2012.

Appearance : golden color, with white foamy head (not persistent).
Smell : grassy and hoppy aromas.
Taste & mouthfeel : malty and hoppy flavors with bitter finish.
Drinkability : an average beer in the style English bitter.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 17:38:26 | More by thierrynantes

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.48/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Summer's almost over, so I thought I should drink this before it goes entirely.

A 500ml bottle with a BB of May 2013. Picked up a little while back from Booths. Features an image of Dionysus on the label (the brewery's logo) - I previously thought it was a green man. Bottle conditioned.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear pale-gold hue with good carbonation and slight sediment (most of the yeast sticks resolutely to the bottom of the bottle). Yields a huge head of frothy white foam with good retention; this slowly subsides to a surface layer, leaving nice lacing as it goes. Looks great. The aroma, however, is not nearly so pleasant. A distinct note of harsh stewed leaves, faint solvent and sulphur. Virtually nothing else is discernible. Another reviewer mentioned that they thought the aroma was butyric acid, so perhaps that's what this is - at any rate it is vile and seriously detracts from the beer.

Tastes of light malt with a dry, mildly bitter finish. Notes of stewed leaves, sulphur, earthy yeast and a whisper of citrus aroma. A restrained, dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and full-bodied, with a dry character. Pretty astringent, with an aftertaste of harsh stewed leaves and a sulphurous note.

Disappointing - I had expectations of this being a pleasant pale ale with a hoppy character. Not so. I looks nice and has decent body, but the aroma is horrid and the flavour also leaves much to desire. Not sure what's wrong with the smell but it is dominated completely by a harsh, sulphur-like quality. This carries through into the flavour, masking this ale's subtle malt and hop characteristics. All said, not a good drinking experience. It's a pity because I've had this before (ages ago) and liked it, so I don't know what the issue is here. Perhaps I should seek it out on cask. At any rate, I'd have to recommend avoiding this in bottles if you like beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 22:30:56 | More by jazzyjeff13

MEP

4.75/5  rDev +31.2%

08-27-2012 17:33:25 | More by MEP

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Mini-keg served at a recent birthday party; poured into a pint glass tumbler.

A: very pale/blonde/straw-coloured--exceptionally light in colour for a bitter ale. Leaves a nice off-white/eggshell foamy head.

S: a mild sweetness with some powdery in the nose.

T: tangy and fruity (orange/citrus) upfront with a chalky bitterness on the finish. A relatively complex but well-balanced and unique take on the English bitter.

M: mellow, light on the tongue, moderately refreshing, and slightly dry-ish.

O: nice for a change. Would definitely try this again, particularly from a different serving format, just to see what differences there might be.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2012 01:00:31 | More by fullsweep

fizzyted

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.5%

12-16-2011 23:04:15 | More by fizzyted

nmann08

Maryland

4/5  rDev +10.5%

12-14-2011 16:47:06 | More by nmann08

weaselchew

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +38.1%

11-30-2011 02:19:21 | More by weaselchew

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +38.1%

11-26-2011 23:56:15 | More by Rochefort10nh

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at the General Sutter. I originally saw this beer in one of Michael Jackson's books, so I am excited to finally try it.

A: The bitter is a pale straw color (seemingly par for the course here), fizzy and clear. The fizziness leads to wispy lace.

S: The bitter brings light bitterness and ample pale malts. The hops are vegetal at times but generally mild and earthy. The pale malts are light and bready.

T: Light and refreshing, a perfect way to start the day. Balance is key, at least initially. Upfront, light malts are biscuity and the hops earthy - very mild. That changes as each sip progresses. The hoppiness builds quickly, a bitterness that, by the end, is surprisingly strong and dry. The lightness of the ale is nice, plenty of flavor in such a small package.

M: While the ale is light, it doesn't skimp on flavor. The rising bitterness is a reminder that the Brits know their way around hops too.

Serving type: cask

11-06-2011 20:22:48 | More by akorsak

Koufax21

New Mexico

2.93/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on cask a Bull's Head Cask Festival in Letitz, PA.

A - poured a faint yellow straw color with a hint of fizzy white head that disappeared after a few moments.

S - this one smells pretty good. A bit more of a hop aroma than I would typically expect from British beer.

T - mildly bitter with a dry finish. I keep hearing from people how good this one is. To each their own, I guess.

M - dry and no carbonation. Light bodied.

O - nope. A very average beer in my opinion. I tried on a recommendation. While I'm glad I got to try this highly touted ale, it just didn't blow me away.

Serving type: cask

11-05-2011 17:06:06 | More by Koufax21

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500ml bottle served in a Pint glass.Enjoyed on may´11.
Pale straw color.Slightly foggy.White lasting froth.Small bubble close & dense thick layer crown. Rocky lacing collars.Bread crust & yeast aromas. Subtle bitterness on palate.Subtle malty flavor.Medium body, high carbonation.Quite bland overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 10:40:11 | More by GONZALOYANNA

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.9/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After giving this a crap review in its bottled form I'm now evening up the balance with this cask review.

Hand pulled into a pint UK sleeve in one of my local pubs on 2 Sep 2011.

Good deep golden body with a thin white head that tried to stay around awhile.

The smell was of floral hops and hints of some citrus interest.

The taste was a well balanced blend of semi-sweet biscuity malts and mildly bitter hops. The hops becoming more dominant as the beer warmed and the mouth dried.

A whole lot better than the bottled version, are they the same beer?

Serving type: cask

10-08-2011 09:44:26 | More by BlackHaddock

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

1.8/5  rDev -50.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Long time since I last had this old favourite. Many tasty memories of it as one of the first great bottled conditioned English beers of the early 90s.

But today there is a terrible old dusty fusty nose to start that just wouldn't blow off. Looks fairly good though, yellow and sort of like a pilsner with some beading and head,which though not overly thick, goes the distance. There is a dryness and a graininess in the body but the odour and 'taste' just consumes everything.

Didn't see that coming.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 19:52:13 | More by Zimbo

hophopandaway

United Kingdom (England)

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer comes around at my local less regularly than I would like but i is one of my favourites. The beer is nicely hopped so that there is an element of bitterness but it is not super-dominant. The head is creamy, fine and lasts right to the last sip. The lacing is as good as it comes.
When drinking the mouthfeel is unsurpassed, it's floral on the nose but with a gentle hint of soft summer fruits. The taste is of a mild bitterness that is perfectly balanced with the light earthy and herby flavours that make this a very well balanced beer perfect for an afternoon in the beer garden of your favourite pub.
This is no longer the best beer in it's class but it is a beer that was almost revolutionary in its early years. This is the kind of beer that converts the lager heathens in to real ale fanatics. 5 pints of this on a friday after a tough week is a super way to start the weekend.

Serving type: cask

02-21-2011 07:22:36 | More by hophopandaway

gskitt

New York

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this beer. It pours a pale yellow, straw color with a shiny white head with some stick and lacing.
The smell was non distinct, nothing really stood out, maybe some notes of hay, herbs.
Taste was more hoppier than I would have expected. Soft herbal and floral notes, wheat. Tasted like a summer day on the fields of England. Enjoyable mouthfeel and at 5% its quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 17:52:10 | More by gskitt

IllNate

British Columbia (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A pale yellow, with a good amount of white foamy head. Head disappears to lacing within a few minutes. Found a couple chunky bits in mine.

S - 'baby vomit', which is indicative of butyric acid, produced from a contaminated mash. I was going to suspect a poorly treated sample, but it's a fairly distinct smell and is produced in the mash. I even got a new glass and re-poured the rest of the beer. It's hard to look past this off smell, but otherwise it smells like pale malt. Nothing in the way of hops, which is surprising.

T - The butyric acid is not present enough to affect the taste. Tastes of pale malts and a light bitterness.

M - good, nice and smooth.

D - Would be better without the smell.

Conclusion. Shelf life isn't great on this beer and it's best to get this beer on tap and/or fresh. I went easy on this beer because my sample obviously wasn't as good as it's meant to be. I specifically chose this beer for my visiting brother to bring back because it's supposed to be excellent, but alas, i'll have to have it another time.

bottle date coded: BB 16 09 II

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 05:52:41 | More by IllNate

boss302

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hopback ale, summer ale. I had this beer in London.

A It was gold and had the typical cask fine bubble head. Nice looking beer. 4

S For the London area, this is a very hoppy smelling beer. There is a trend to move away from hoppy beers in London. This one was much closer to a hoppy beer. 4

T Lots of malt, and a nice hoppy flavor. 4

M Medium mouthfeel, carbonation was low but appropriate for a cask ale. 3.5 

D Yes, one I could drink more of. 4 

Serving type: cask

10-25-2010 00:49:21 | More by boss302

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

BB 23/4/10. Ah well, the joys of the MLCC and their stock.

A somewhat schizophrenic beer here. Pours a crisp clear pale yellow with a decent white head that laced nicely. Some floating sediment was evident even though I didn't pour hard, nor poured the whole bottle. The aroma was some sweetness with a bit of malt, though dominated by vegetal aromas. Upon further consideration though those aromas could be earthiness... The body tasted nothing of the vegetal though with low bitterness, which played well against the light malt body. Average mouthfeel, but a quite drinkable brewski for a summer day.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 00:03:16 | More by kjyost