Beer Review: Tröegs Hopback

Tröegs Hopback (Sung to the tune of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” – Yeah, really... I know, just trust me.)

I’m drinking Tröegs Hopback (yeah)
The other beers just cannot touch that (yeah)
You better watch or it might kick your ass (yeah)
I am not kidding and that is a fact (yeah)

Take it to the bar

Yummy Ale (Uh-huh)
It’s so dang bad
It should be in jail (Uh-huh)
I drink too much and I may misbehave (Uh-huh)
But it’s the beer that makes me say hoo-ray! (Uh-huh)

OK, enough of that… Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. So I’ve been tasting the heck out of Stone and Bell’s brews lately and I needed to taste something different, if for no other reason for the sake of the blog (right). This time around I dove into a couple of Tröegs brews and I have to admit, I’m really glad I did.

I tried Tröegenator Double Bock and Hopback Amber Ale. This review will focus on the later. If I focus on the Tröegenator I will have to do so later, after I’ve had it again. You see, I ran into a bit of a problem. I tasted the Hopback and I really liked it. In fact I liked it a little too much. So much so that, while I know that I tried the Tröegenator, I can’t tell you what it tasted like. You see, things got a bit blurred when I stopped counting the number of Hopbacks I had had. I do, however, have taste notes for the Hopback, so here goes!

APPEARANCE: A nice, deep, bright amber color, almost bordering orange/amber, with a small white head that’s quick to disappear.

AROMA: The first thing right of the bat that I notice is the hops. It’s a noticeably hoppy, citrusy smell, with a touch of malty sweetness.

FLAVOR: This beer to me is all about the hops! A noticeable hop character with a subtle malty sweet finish that is just slightly dry. A perfect balance to keep the sweet subdued but still enough there to keep the dryness in line. The best part, in my opinion, is how the taste lingers on the palate even after you’ve swallowed.

MOUTH FEEL: A light-bodied beer, maybe leaning ever so slightly toward medium-bodied, but extremely well balanced. It’s got a great mouth feel that is almost, dare I say, creamy.

NOTES: I had this 6% ABV on tap in a pint glass, I could really see hanging out for a while taking a few of these bad boys down, and I did. It was perfect by itself, but I could see the flavor standing up to something hearty like a FireHouse Burger, or a FireHouse Chipotle Bacon Burger. All in all a great beer that I can’t wait to have again. So, what’s next on the Tröegs list? Nugget Nectar!