Say No More
Hudson Valley Brewery

 

 

16 oz can

almost black in color, with ruby colored highlights in the corner of the glass. tan colored head. aroma of dark chocolate. taste is similar, actually more roasty than the smell. balanced finish, and medium bodied.

 

Look: It pours very dark brown with a tan head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has coffee aromas with some chocolate elements and roast. The combination of malts really produce quite a senstation for the smell.

Taste: It has roasted flavors with coffee and choclate. The flavors are quite robust. There are very low spicy elements. There are floral touches in the background.

Feel: It has a medium body with a medium bitterness in the finish. There is a bit of a sharp spicy finish.

Overall: The aroma and flavors are bold and robust. The finish takes away a little bit from the other elements being a bit sharp.

 

 

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 2/5/24. Pours an ebony black with a moderate creamy head. Smoky roasted malt aroma. Bitter dark chocolate and tannic coffee flavors. Mouthfeel is tannic and with a dry finish. Overall, a solid dark lager!

Courtesy of Beer Drop's new emphasis on New England brews, this is my first from Hudson Valley. It may not be my last as they clearly are dedicated to the craft over their 8 years; but they also brew mostly Kettle Sours and IPAs... neither of which I yearn for. Hudson Valley is an interesting - and to my knowledge -- a unique brewer in that they also take wine seriously... at least for the last couple of years. They also have a clean, mostly simple aesthetic ... which is refreshing among brewers. Their website does not say much else about them, but there is still time to tell their story.

I poured Say No More into my BA "Respect Beer" glass and it Looked great: a voluminous mocha foam that stuck around as the black body disappeared. Smells are mostly malt, as they should be, but modest distinction comes from how the malts are blended. Tastes also are indistinct until mid-to-late palate when a nice drying sensation appears, more hop-driven than malt-driven to me. Medium-mouthed leaning to light, enough bubbles to wash down lunch... which is how I'll also apply the second copy from Beer Drop.

2/23/24 Started the second can with a simple lunch of squash soup. Worked well together. Finished the can later preparing dinner and eating appetizers. A functional dark lager.

This is yet another beer I was drinking a lot of in Florida last weekend but brought back a can to review. I was enjoying it a ton over the weekend (unsurprising for a Dark Lager) so I’m sure it’ll be no different now. Let’s dive right in

Pours a dark brown with 3 fingers of frothy tan head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves decent lacing

The nose has a gentle spice to it that sings over the dark malty notes. I’m picking up on aromas of burnt toast, black pepper, black cherry, brown sugar, piney hops, honey, bread crust, cocoa powder, and a touch of juniper oddly enough

Things are a bit more straightforward in taste, but that’s not a complaint. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dark toast, cocoa powder, grassy hops, black cherry, black pepper, light roast coffee, and brown sugar. The swallow brings notes of dark toast, acrid coffee, cacao nib, black pepper, black cherry, bread crust, and light grassy hops

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a silky beer. Finishes mostly dry with a firm bitterness

This one is solid all around. A different approach for a Dark Lager but I’m on board with it

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with little light transmission in the glass and a huge, fine, four finger khaki head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, light piney hops, brown bread, licorice and a little cocoa. Flavor is dark toasted malt, grassy hops, licorice, rye bread, cocoa and some peaty smoke, solid bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. An interesting dark lager with a profile somewhere between a European dark lager and a schwarzbier, but with more complex flavors. Some resemblance to a black IPA but with less bitterness and more lager body. Stand-out flavors are the clear licorice and peat notes as well as a bit more hop bitterness than expected for the style, which give this a unique presence. The dark malt body is excellent. Remarkable flavor depth and complexity for a 5% beer. And this appears to be a can with some age on it too, which means this is one of those rare modest ABV beers that hold up over time. I'm impressed. I would love to taste this fresh.

Deserves an even higher rating, found at Urban Barley W 32 St NYC.
a) Lasting and lacing tan head over black body.
s) Aromas of dark roasted malts, Ireland, smokiness, char, peat, licorice, chocolate, dark breat toasted.
f) Follow aroma but large smoky / sweetness.
f) Dry mouthfeel, tickly, cleans up well.
o) More than the sum of its parts, this should be toprated black lager

This is a very well rounded dark lager overall.

Pours a a near opaque black that only goes slightly translucent when introduced to light. Lingering tan head. Moderate carbonation. The Nose carries notes of milk chocolate and smoke. The taste has the above flavors with some coffee and hops added to the mix. The mouthfeel is on the thicker side of medium.

Overall, 4's all around.

 

 

 

No canning date. Can to willi.

Pour: Pours a deep dark brown with a lightly beige, fluffy head. No lacing. No floaters.

Smell: Roasty, malty and woody. Hints of brown sugar and coffee.

Taste: Malty and roasty. Sweet and bitter. Licorice, coffee, brown sugar, caramel and some earthy notes. Hoppy finish.

Feel: Clean and drinkable. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Nice combination of roasty dark notes and the drinkability of a lager. Very flavorful and complex despite its relatively low ABV. Could drink more of it without getting bored. Much more interesting than many other dark lagers. Great stuff.