Soleil Sour IPA
Hudson Valley Brewery

 

 

 

 

Good sour ipa overall. Lactose takes sour into the gums. Otherwise there were some tasty adjunct ingredients in this one to be interesting. On Tap @bacchus.

 

16 oz can split with a friend, poured into a wine glass. Appearance is similar to carbonated pineapple juice - bright hazy golden yellow with a moderate head. Minimal retention and lacing. Aroma and flavor feature sweet juicy pineapple and light floral notes. Not super complex, but the pineapple flavor is amazing. Mouthfeel is smooth with fairly low carbonation. Overall it's a super tasty beer if you're a pineapple fan.

 

 

Drank from a 16 fl. oz. can purchased at Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA
Served in a tulip

The beer poured a moderately hazy, bright saffron hue. A fluffy, finger-tall, off-white crown topped the body and dropped to a large dollop of froth. Some streaky, spotty lacing stuck along the sides of the glass.

The aroma was really interesting. Bright tropical fruit notes dominated. Passionfruit was most apparent. Lots of mango and pineapple too. Crisp and tart with a big cracked wheat presence. Herbal tea-like notes were detectable as well. There was definitely a floral quality to this beer, but I would not pick out the rose or the marigold specifically without prior knowledge of the beer’s ingredients.

The flavor profile was also impressive though more tart and simplistic than the nose. Tropical fruits again came through strong. Loads of passionfruit. Mango was also apparent. Lots of cracked wheat and lemony tartness in the center. Some herbal tea-like notes appeared on the back end. The beer finished with more lingering tartness and acidity.

Nice fluffy, medium bodied mouthfeel. Soft and smooth on the palate. The liquid contained a finely beaded, moderate effervescence that was appropriate for the style.

Hudson Valley’s sour IPAs are always impressive, but this beer fell a bit short compared to many of their other beers. While the nose was really interesting and complex, the flavor profile was quite tart and lacked some nuance.

Sweet and floral hoppy, and hint of pineapple juicy tart nose on this one! Taste follows with a mildly hoppy, pineapple fruity tart, and slightly briny finish. This is well executed, but it is just not my jam. Rating this to style I would say that they went for what they were looking for.

 

 

Far too many weird ingredients.
The first sour ipa I could taste hops in.

Pours a clear dark yellow color coming out of the can. Looks slightly cloudy in the glass with visible carbonation. A finger nail length frothy head retains well.

Tropical fruit aromas evoke notes of pineapple, mango, papaya and passion fruit. Citrusy touches of orange and lime, peach, lightly peppery spices, grass, blend with the sweet aroma emanating from the lactose.

Opens with a lactose sweetness that pairs well with the tart fruit flavors. A bready malt backbone supports fruity flavors of pineapple, mango, passion fruit, peach, lime and candied orange. Not particularly herbal, instead, there is a light peppery spice. There is little to no perceptible bitterness. The finish is lightly tart, semi dry and with a touch of earthy hops flavors.

Medium bodied with a somewhat doughy and chewy malt feel. Mostly smooth with a moderate carbonation.

I’m not a big fan of lactose in IPAs, however, it works with the tart flavors. I like what Hudson Valley Brewery does with sour IPAs.

 

Hudson Valley Brewery "Soleil"
16 fl. oz. can. Freshness dating is illegible.

Notes via stream of consciousness: Uh-Oh, here we have another lactose beer. I can't always taste it, we'll see, but I'm certainly not fond of it. It's poured a cloudy golden body beneath a finger's width of white foam. The head is holding well which is great for a sour beer. The aroma is mainly floral, gently sweetish, and a bit mineralish or chalky. There's a bit of citrus to it as well but I can't really pick out any specific fruit. If pressed I guess I'd say orange, but there's more going on as well. It's not a bold aroma but it's pleasant, and the floral character is a refreshing change. I don't think I've had a beer with such a floral note since something from the Plan Bee Farm Brewery which happens to be, if I'm not mistaken, not really that far from the Hudson Valley Brewery. On to the flavor, it's surprisingly sweet. I don't find it that tart at all, although there clearly is some acidity to it, and it comes across like a Sweet Tart candy. It has that kind of nondescript fruitiness that a lot of candies do as well. Again, if pressed I might say apple, pear, orange, lemon, pineapple, guava, and mango. I like it! It's a really refreshing, juicy beer. What's the strength on this? 6%! Geez, I wasn't expecting that. I thought it was going to be lower, like 4.8%. So let's finish up. Number one, the lactose isn't bothering me at all. I'm not finding it. The floral and fruity character is really nice, and soft and smooth and charming. Along with the balance of sweet and tart it really works. It's medium-light in body, and gently crisp. I get some mouthfeel from extra proteins, and I think I'm tasting oats and wheat but it's sometimes hard to tell. Wait, let me scroll down and see if there's a description right in front of me - damn! there certainly is (I missed that on the last beer I reviewed from them). Raw wheat and malted oats, that's a little bit backwards from the usual isn't it? What else is in there? Rose petals and marigolds; I would have never guessed that, I didn't even know marigolds had an aroma. So, overall I think this is a really unique, refreshing, and well rounded beer that's well worth trying.
Review #7,160

Can from the brewery in Beacon, NY. Pours a hazy orange with two fingers of fluffy white head, decent lacing, smell is sweet and sour with floral honey, pineapple, rose petal, white wine must, hints of cotton candy, papaya, guava, passionfruit, and orange juice concentrate, taste is pineapple juice, floral honey, rose hips, tart orange sorbet, hints of marshmallow and guava, mildly bitter sourness remains on the palate, feel is medium to full bodied, smooth carbonation. A vegetal sour pineapple slushee.