Favorite Amber Ale?

I just picked some up tonight, I like this breweries stuff so far. The Hop Ottin is great.

 

Flossmoor Station Panama Red is great. Also while technically not an amber/red (it's classified as an Irish Red), I would definitely recommend some 3Floyds Brian Boru.

 

Nugget Nectar is NOT an Amber Ale...you kidding? IPA.

 

Exactly...second this!

 

I'll second (or third) Troegs Hopback.

 

As far as I'm concerned, two less letters, that's all.

Good Reds/Ambers: Green Flash Hop Head Red
Bear Republic Red Rocket

 

While it sounds like a minuscule difference, Red ales have more of a red hue then Ambers. This doesn't only affect the look of the beer though. Only some specialty grains impart a red hue (roasted barleys), so Red ales usually have distinct flavor profiles (some may refer to it as bready); while Amber ales can have a much broader range of flavor.

 

I haven't had an amber ale any better than Troeg's Hopback. Great balance of candy apple flavored sweet malt and nice hop flavor and bitterness - I think it tastes like a candied hop cone and is so easy to drink.

Also - Celebration when the season comes.

 

I can't agree more and I usually kick myself for not having it more often as I normally opt for their IPA. That said my favorite amber is North Coast Brewing Co's Red Seal. In cask conditioned form it's easily my favorite domestic beer.

 

Definitely Nugget Nectar first and foremost followed by Troegs Hopback and Highland Gaelic.

 

Idon't know about this one, Drakes IPA is topped only by their seasonal IPA Aroma Coma. I wasn't too high on Expedition though I suspect my sixer might have been a bit old.

 

Dark horse

 

bear republic red rocket is such a good one, along with both the troegs

 

Stone levitation is awesome

 

I would definately agree with what many have said with Highland Gaelic, Lagunitas Imperial Red, Troegs Hopback, and for my local favorite NoDa Brewing Ramble on Red

 

Possibly a slight bit of homerism here, but Troegs Hopback Amber is my favorite true (non-imperial/double) amber.

 

Not a huge fan of reds/ambers, but I picked up a few bottles of Squatters Radio From Hell. It blew me away. It was within a fraction of the nugget nectar realm.

 

Before I digress, my votes are for Hopback and Bells Amber

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This confusion (NN = Hopback) can easily be solved by trying both beers in the same sitting. I tend to agree with kbuzz that NN drinks more like an IPA, though it does have the color and maltiness of an amber (even though the malts are not as prevalent).

They might both be labeled as ambers, but they are def not the same. I prefer Hopback, and don't really care for NN, because hopback has great aromas and the bitterness is subtle to allow the malt profile to shine through. I mostly get bittering hops with a slight aroma from NN, with more aromas the fresher the beer is. Also, Hopback actually ages well. I recently drank a 15 month old Hopback that was fantastic.

The difference is likely in the processing. Troegs is one of the few breweries that makes production beers that are actually claimed to be hopbacked and they do a great job at it, as exhibited in Hopback. NN appears to be an amber that is extremely hopped in the boil where the bittering hops outshine the hops in the dry hop.

 

This^, and a few comparables:

Lost Coast Alleycat
Ruhstaller 1881
Caldera Ashland Amber

 

It's "loosely" an amber ale, so I'm going with Ska ESB.