Tröegs Brewing Company- Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale: HopBack In The Saddle Again

Here is another brew that I picked up while in Ohio this past weekend.  When I went out to Ohio last year I remember my cousin Ian telling me about Troegs and how he really dug their stuff.  I really didn’t think twice about it last year because I really wasn’t full steam with the website yet and wasn’t seeking out Craft Beers that I couldn’t get here in Illinois.  So Friday when I was making my beer run, I stopped by one place that my friend Tara scouted out for me (BTW, she’s a full blown 10 and loves craft beer!!).  So while at stop number one I asked one of the staff there if they knew of any places that had a different selection than theirs and would have a good variety.  She told me that she had heard that Giant Eagle Marketplace in Upper Arlington, OH was rumored to have a great selection and that it would be worth my time to swing by, and she was more than right.  Not only did I find me some Troegs but couple of other brews that you are soon to hear about.  HopBack Amber Ale is poured and ready.

 Tröegs Brewing Company classifies this brew as an Amber Ale and their website describes HopBack Amber Ale as, “Tröegs Brewery’s Flagship beer, HopBack Amber Ale derives its name from a vessel in the brewhouse called a hopback. As the ‘wort’ is being transferred from the brewhouse to fermentation it passes through the hopback vessel. Packed full of fresh whole flower hops, the wort slowly circulates through this vessel extracting the essence of the aromatic hops. This vessel adds more time and more hop character that creates a fresh, spicy taste and rich caramel note that defines this signature ale.”

Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale pours a beautiful crystal clear copper color with a ¾” khaki head.  The aroma is pleasantly hoppy with some malty sweetness in the background.

I love hoppy reds.  Green Flash’s Hop Head Red and Lagunitas’ Lucky 13 are two really great examples of hoppy red/amber ales.  This is where Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale stands out, whereas the HHR and L13 have a very resinous west coast style/ipa-ish qualities, Tröegs has a cleaner more floral hop flavor to it.  It starts hoppy and finishes with a really nice caramel malt sweetness with some bready malt parallels.  What I find interesting is that Troegs has a higher IBU than HHR, for some reason I remember Hop Head Red being hoppier but oh well.  All in all, Troegs HopBack Amber Ale is a good, hoppy amber/red ale.  This is definitely worth keeping in the rotation for a daily drinker, plus it will give you a little extra street cred with your craft brew friends who favor the reds.  I’m diggin’ Troegs Brewing Company, lucky for me I have a Mad Elf and a Java Head still waiting to be reviewed.  Too bad they don’t distribute further west than Ohio.

ABV: 6.0%

Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack