Tröegs Hopback Amber Ale - Tröegs Brewing Company

CHickman

New York

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from 6/16/2012: pours a hazy copper reddish color with a 1 finger foamy tan head with tons of bubbles in it that faded slowly, leaving very good lacing and rings as it went down.

Smells of juicy hops up front, with sweet floral hops, piney hops, grapefruit, caramel, cracker, biscuit, citrus hops, herbs and some earthy notes; very nice balance, this is quite hoppy like a pale ale that wants to creep up to the IPA border. Not what I expected from an amber ale, but it is perfect for the name HopBack and I really thought it smelled wonderful.

Tastes like it smells with floral hops, piney hops, citrus hops, grapefruit, orange peel, cracker, biscuit, toffee, caramel, toasted grains, herbs, spices like pepper and coriander, grass, cardboard and some earthy notes and light spices at the end; tasted like dry hops were still floating in the brew, and the balance was excellent leading up to a slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel was slick and crisp at the same time, with average carbonation, a medium body and a nice bready grain treat before the hops paved the way for the slightly bitter finish that’s on the dry side.

Very high drinkability, this was complex, balanced and tasty, and for me could be a year round session beer. A definite recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 04:09:05 | More by CHickman

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

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

Picked up at the brewery several weeks ago. Pours a clear brownish amber with delightful; small bubbled carbonation streams, decent head and lacing.

Aroma of caramelized malts with a mild citrus undertone. Hops are more apparent in the bitterness of the finish, which transitions from sweetness to dryness abruptly but well. Less citrus than I'd personally choose, but enough going on to warrant the praise.

A beer (and a brewery) I'd recommend to any American Amber fans!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 17:11:49 | More by hopsolutely

hagbergl

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Was lucky enough to have this for the first time this evening–one of the only redeeming things about this evening, what with the Celtics coming apart in Game 7 of the Eastern Conf. Finals. Twelve ounce bottle into a snifter style glass my buddy bought over at TrueBeer.com (good place for inexpensive glassware). Review is from notes.

Appearance (4/5): Tröegs Hopback Amber Ale pours a dense, bubbly, two and a half finger, white head of foam, which sits atop a clear, deep amber body of beer. It looks a tad darker to my eye than most amber ales I've had. The beer looks great in the stemmed snifter.

Smell (4.5/5): One of the best aspects of this beer, hands down. First whiff lets you know what you're in for: strong hop aroma that lend a beautifully piney and fruity quality to the overall smell, which is rounded out by a light caramel sweetness. I always know a beer has a special nose on it when it makes me want to share it with others–I immediately tell my buddy, "you've GOT to smell this," and I don't care how geeky that is. Whatever.

Taste (4.5/5): Sharp, piney hops hit first and give way to a slightly resinous, bitter, fruity flavor that calls to mind apricot. Caramel flavors from the malt flex as well and lend a sweetness to balance against the bitterness, but the malt is clearly meant to play a VERY subordinate role to the hops. And no complaints here; the beer tastes just as good as it smells. Finishes dry. I really am enjoying it, and liking how it warms. Room temperature Hopback is just too good. No alcohol flavor to be noticed, except a little warming in the (late) finish.

Mouthfeel (4/5): The mouthfeel is medium, due mainly to its slightly resinous quality. This doesn't put a damper on its drinkability, and the tongue/tastebuds don't get tired of being coated with this somewhat sticky, hoppy elixir. Good carbonation–right where it should be–and a nice creamy feel on each sip. Good stuff, and quite nice for the style.

Overall (4.5/5): Hopback really was a very pleasant surprise–I wasn't really expecting such great hop flavor from an amber ale, but boy, does Hopback bring it. Tröegs did a great job with this refreshing take on an amber ale. Now that I've tried it, I'll have to seek it out. Yes, most people are drinking wheat beers, saisons, and IPAs during the warmer months, but I honestly think Tröegs Hopback should get consideration, despite its being an amber since it's nice and light and features a refreshingly juicy hop bite. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 05:26:33 | More by hagbergl

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

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

Poured on cask and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is a vibrant, crystal clear, ruby copper coloring with a thin, filmy, off-white head. Aromas of rich caramel malt and a subtle, wet hops to balance. Flavors are resiny hops and dark, sweet, roasted caramel on the forward tongue blended masterfully together. Roasty and smooth throughout. Bitter and slick aftertaste, with a roasty and resiny feel. Great lacing along the glass as you drink. The smooth, rich body leaves a resiny, slightly bitter finish. Solid beer.

Serving type: cask

06-06-2012 22:41:34 | More by GarthDanielson

jtingue

New York

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

Appearance. Perfectly clear amber in color, as you would expect. Pours with 2 fingers of stiff head, which hangs over the top of the tulip glass but never overflows. Sheets of lace stick to the side of the glass.

Smell. A surprising amount of biscuity malt comes first. Some herbal and citric hop aroma. Very balanced.

Taste. Starts with a mix of grassy hops and sweet, biscuity malt. Some restrained bitterness cuts through these flavors leading into slightly metallic, medicinal, bitter and dry white grape flavor. It continues to dry out, bringing out a lot of strong, slightly resinous hop flavors, again grassy and medicinal. A relatively clean yeast, comes out at times to give a bready essence. The finish is dry and contains a lingering resinous bitterness.

Mouthfeel. Thin to moderate body. Quite low carbonation. For me the weak link in this beer.

Overall this one is very balanced, and hugely complex in the flavor department. Some of the hop flavor and aroma is hard to nail down for me. It verges on citrus and some of the more west coast hop flavors, but is definitely defined more by the herbal/grassy component. Very drinkable and very complex... not bad.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 23:15:51 | More by jtingue

Blueribbon666

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes;
Pours a very nice copper color into pint glass with a quarter inch worth of head that reduces quickly to a white lace around the glass.
Smells of fresh piney hops and a bit of sweet malt in the mix as well.
Mouthfeel/Taste, Wow with a name like Hopback I was expecting a punch in the mouth but not so, in fact their Pale Ale is more so than this which is a well balanced blend of crisp hops mellowed by a good blend of sweet malt.
Overall, very well balanced and would be great with a meal and throughout the evening afterward. Very solid balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 12:31:31 | More by Blueribbon666

BellsFan

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep amber into a pilsner glass (yes I know it's the wrong type of glass but that is all that's available at my friends house). Minimal off white foam, less than one finger. Considerable laseing on the glass.

Not so aromatic especially for a hop back beer. Perhaps my sample is old. There is no bottling date.

Tasting notes: Carmel, toasty, molasses.

Full body complents the molasses, somewhat tart

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 22:22:17 | More by BellsFan

cyclonece09

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a copper amber color with a very small head that dissipates quickly, but leaves lacing on the glass. Smells more of floral hops than grain, but definitely a darker roasted grain present. Tastes of dark roasted grain and definite hop bite, sweet earthy hops, similar to some IPAs. Goes down smooth, good light-medium body, however, a tad overcarbonated. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 02:22:12 | More by cyclonece09

eriktoyra

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark amber colored and slightly hazed liquid into the glass. A small grey colored head quickly dissolves leaving very little lacings.

S: Smells oranges, red grapefruit, asparagus, hints of alcohol and wheat and honey cookies.

T: Tastes oranges, lots of honey, American hops and pale ale malts. The aftertaste is mild grapefruit.

M: Medium carbonation. Very high drinkability. Feels smooth and well balanced. The alcohol is present, but only slightly.

O: A nice IPA which I would buy again if the opportunity comes.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 01:51:25 | More by eriktoyra

KDawg

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from bottle into a pint glass. Pours a copper/amber color with a small head.

Very good and complex aromas of citrus, hops, cinnamon, and malts. Excellent depth with real balance on the aromas as well.

Medium bodied with a very nice feel, but lacking a slight bit on the mid. Balanced with flavors of hops, cinnamon and citrus

this was from a late december bottling. This held up very well and was very enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 17:28:23 | More by KDawg

ThePortlander

New York

4.18/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Grabbed this at the store, poured into my DFH snifter.

It's a fetching copper color, with a decent head. Nothing to balk at, but nothing crazy either. The nose felt a little week, especially compared to flavor, though the nose opened up a little as it got warmer. Consider the toasty quality of the malt and refreshingly floral nature of the taste, I'm surprised the nose isn't better. I eally like the mouthfeel on this one, the overall impression I got from it is a little bit less enthusiastic. That said, this is my second beer from Tröegs, and I'm still impressed. I would definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 02:32:40 | More by ThePortlander

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on cask in a pint glass

Appearance – Served a medium golden-orange color with a large white head. The head faded moderately fast giving way to a light amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is of some caramel and more citrus hop in nature. Mixed with the heavier aromas there are lighter biscuit and piney hop aromas as well.

Taste – The breadiness is the first to meet the tongue. There is a lighter caramel sweetness at first, that intensifies to the middle of the taste. When the caramel really comes into play nice citrus hop flavors meet the tongue. These soon take over the taste and mix with some good pine hop. At the very end there is still a very light caramel sweetness in the bready backbone, but the hops dominate the stage and leave a crisp bitterness on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Being on cask the carbonation was a bit on the lower side. This gave a very creamy body feeling on the tongue and really allowed, at first the sweet flavors to really be experienced, but later allowed for the smoother hop flavors to sit on the tongue and linger. It was very satisfying.

Overall – This is a very nice cask beer. The mouthfeel from the cask pour really accentuated some of the nice taste qualities of the beer. It was delicious.

Serving type: cask

04-20-2012 00:11:18 | More by Darkmagus82

CowsCanBark

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into Samuel Adams pint glass.

Appearance: Pours an extremely murky orange with a small half-finger light brown head that quickly dissipates. Decent retention on the glass.

Smell: Mild hops and mainly malts.

Taste: Much more malty than hoppy; the malts are pronounced and the hops are more in the background, but there is still a distinguishable hop bitterness throughout.

Mouthfeel: A great mouthfeel, perfect for the flavor profile. Mildly creamy with a moderate body and light carbonation.

Overall: An extremely pleasing ale that is certainly session-drinking worthy.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 19:53:02 | More by CowsCanBark

oline73

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish amber with a finger of off white head that sticks around for a while.

Smell: Citrus peel hops dominate the smell. I am getting some sweet malt, but it is overpowered.

Taste: Malt up front, but it's hardly sweet at all. I am getting a bready note from the grain. The finish is extremely bitter from the hops and reminds me of citrus peel.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thin body with lots of tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Not a bad beer at all, but doesn't quite work for me. I would have liked the body to be a bit thicker and more malt in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 00:54:11 | More by oline73

Dools9

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Tumbler. Bottled 2/8/12.

A: Slighlty Hazy, light copper amber color. Poured with a finger of of head, moderate lacing and good retention.

S: Sweet caramel malts, piney and slightly citrusy.

T: Citrusy and pine resin dominate, not overly bitter though. Nice sweet caramel malt to balance things out.

M: Smooth and slick mouth, light to medium bodied, very drinkable.

O: Another nice hoppy amber from Troegs, I like to think of it as Nugget Nectar-light. Goes down with ease. Reccommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 17:31:46 | More by Dools9

TheSarge

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this brew into a standard pint glass, and it makes an okay half finger thick foam cranium, with a mildly hazy dark copper colored body.

The aroma is of fig, grapefruit, metallic hops, and sweet caramel.

The taste pretty muck shares the traits of the aroma, except it adds an oak vanilla flavor to it as well.

Feels full in body, lightly carbonated, a little oily slick, and slightly warm in the end.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 16:58:03 | More by TheSarge

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, bottled 2/17/12.

Poured into a tulip, and this is a good looking beer. Two fingers tan-cream head which lingers for a good while, and a deep copper body with dark amber edges in the light. Pretty good notched lacing.

Delicious resiny, citrus hops on the nose. A hint of confectionery sweetness over a bit of bready malt.

Easygoing sweet citrus and a strong bready backbone right off the bat. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, and compliments the malt profile well. The bittering effect of the hops comes only at the finish, really, and even then it's very under control. Well balanced, refreshing, and neither dry nor cloying.

Definitely a great go-to offering from Troegs. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 22:11:12 | More by troysoy2

microbrewlover

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew pours a deep copper color with about 1 finger of head and lacing which stays on the glass throughout.

The smell is of strong floral hops, pine resin, carmel and possibly apples.

The mouthfeel is creamy and slightly chewy.

When drinking, first the malt hits; then the taste of citrus, pine, carmel then the hop oil hits the tongue; a very well balanced taste.

Overall the beer is very well balanced with malt, citrus, carmel and hops. It is also aptly named, "hopback" since the hop do appear on the back end and linger on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 03:34:19 | More by microbrewlover

keithmurray

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance - copper color with fluffy tan head

smell - this is pretty good, citrus aroma, caramel

taste - caramel, hops, hint of cherry

mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, good balance to this

overall - smooth,easy drinking beer, I would revisit this

price point - $4.99/6pack

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 01:28:53 | More by keithmurray

JednoPivoProsim

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 fl. oz. bottle into a highball glass (I'm out of clean glassware). BOTTLED 012612 17:15 BATCH # 120109.

I bought this after reading that this is more or less the base beer for Troegs Nugget Nectar, possibly my all-time favorite and the beer I think I'd choose if stranded on a desert island.

Appearance: Pours a copper/amber body with a thiiiick off-white toffee-colored head.

Smell: This is where it's at! It definitely has the NN sweet-malty-balanced-by-the-hop-aroma thing going on. I love it.

Taste: The taste is definitely not as balanced as NN. I taste a lot more of the caramel malt and less of the citrusy hops. All in all, a nice flavored beer. I think I described NN as being candy for adults and the HopBack certainly follows suit.

Mouthfeel: Not too heavy, not too thin. Nice. Not very carbonated either.

Overall: A good, but not great, beer. I was looking for a junior NN that I could enjoy year-round and I'm not sure if this fits the bill. I guess nothing beats the original.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 01:16:40 | More by JednoPivoProsim

jegross2

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -30%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewing the Hop Back Amber Ale from Tröegs Brewing Company.
Score: 73

I got this bottle as part of n00b BIF. Bottled 11/26/11, batch #111102. Served in a Half Acre tulip and enjoyed on 03/03/12.

Appearance: Pours a dark, translucent amber color with two fingers of frothy cream colored head that settles into a super thin layer atop the glass. Yellow-orange highlights atop the glass. Above average lacing, excellent retention. 4/5

Smell: Caramel malt, sweet barley grain and spice. Light notes of citrus. Not much else. 3/5

Taste: Huge notes of super malty caramel. Barley grain. Tastes like a "light" barleywine. A little stainless steel sweetness. Virtually devoid of hops. A little bitter. Stale caramel malt finish/linger. 2.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium-minus carbonation. Oily mouthfeel. Malty finish, slightly bitter. 3/5

Overall: Probably past its prime. Not impressed in the least with this beer. Hopefully Nugget Nectar tastes a thousand times better.

Recommendation: Skip this brew unless you love super malty/grainy beers like the Central Waters Kosmyk Charlie Y2K Catastrophe Ale.

Pairings: Tacos.

Cost: $8.99 for a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 06:35:31 | More by jegross2

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours a hazy, golden caramel hue with about a finger of effervescent head that's just a shade darker than white.

S: Smells lightly sweet with caramel malt and carries bright citrus notes across the nose as well, not common for an amber. There's also something reminiscent of cotton candy, quite exciting.

T/M: Medium to high carbonation tingle the tongue and give way to pine and earthy hoppiness with a touch of that citrus as well. It doesn't taste nearly as sweet as it smells and is more like an IPA than an amber. More hop bitterness carries through the end but leaves just a little room for some malty sweetness and finishes with a floral outro.

For an amber, this is really off, although for a beer, this is incredible.

TheBeerAlmanac.com

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 01:24:34 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Looneybiz

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Overall very tasty hop ale that is a lot smoother than the name would suggest.

Amber with 1 finger head and moderate lacing.

Floral hops smell.

When I seen it called hopback I was thinking oh no, this is gonna be extemely bitter but it wasn't at all. In fact it was just about right as far as bitterness goes and has a sweeter finish.

Recommended drinking.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 05:01:23 | More by Looneybiz

ohcomeonthatsfunny

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An OK beer, not their best... not their worst. Typically pick this up in their mix pack case but wanted to give it a try on tap to determine if there was any real different in taste & mouthfeel.

Decent amount of Hops but overall I was underwhelmed both in bottle & tap form.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 15:42:31 | More by ohcomeonthatsfunny

andersony17

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from the Anthology Sampler Case

A - Cool bottle and cap, amber color with small amount of lacing with a moderate lasting foam head

S - Pine tree smell.

T - Nice natural feel with low carbonation, good flavor, not over hoppy.

M - A somewhat thick feel, with small amount of tangy bitterness

O - Worth a try, not exactly my style but good quality and wouldn't turn down.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 05:23:52 | More by andersony17