I’m gonna come right out and say it, Hub City is one of my favorite new breweries. Though their mailing address is in Stanley, Hub City is named after the sobriquet of Oelwein, Iowa. The brewery was started last December by the Knoke family, who built a bottling line and tasting room and converted their barn to a brewhouse. The son Brad is the brewer, and Brian and Gloria own it and run the business side of things.
If you are in the neighborhood I would highly suggest stopping by, as they are mucho friendly, their facilities almost futuristic, and their beer certainly worth the stop. I have been very impressed with their dark beers, not so much with their lighter selections. That’s why I have been anxiously awaiting this amber since I first heard about it back at the Festival of Iowa Beers.
Amber ale may be one of the most diverse styles. Alcohol ranges from ordinary 4.5 to 5% beers up to a normal strong beer (over 6 percent abv). The color can be pretty much anything darker than pale and lighter than brown. Some have an assertive hop bitterness, others are balanced or even malty. So it’s hard to know what you’re getting into. Let’s dive in.
Hub City’s Amber pours an opalescent orange-red, almost scarlet. Clearly this bottle is not carbonated enough, as the head is not quite there. What I see lasts a while, though. The nose is relatively malty-sweet, with some biscuits and a little caramel. I can detect a bit of butter as well, indicative of diacetyl. The taste confirms a bit of diacetyl. Frequently this is considered an off-flavor, but it’s almost requisite in English ales so I will refrain from attacking it at the moment.
Otherwise the taste is relatively balanced. Some maltiness with a light caramel character and a delicate yeast fruitiness. I can tell there were some hops added, but I think it could use just a bit more bitterness. As it warms, the taste gets rounder and fuller. This beer would be really great if it were somewhat more carbonated.
Hub City Amber Ale
RateBeer: 3.2 (3-7-6-4-12)