Diadem
Hudson Valley Brewery

Undated can. Perhaps to foam-iest beer upon pouring that I’ve ever had. Lightly hazed, straw-yellow. Pleasant nose and palate of light citrus, grape and pine resin. Nice beer which seems more like a pale ale than an IPA in heft.

16oz can purchased from a bottle shop as a single for $6.99. No canned on date; this is at least 3 months old just based on when I purchased it.

Look: It's a yellowish colored beer with a translucent haze. Upon pouring this beer, the carbonation produced a huge fluffy off-white head that was rocky and eventually died down. It looks like a hazy pale ale with lots of lacing. A good amount of sediment/hop proteins at the bottom of the can, which caused the beer to become hazier.

Smell: This beer is super dank on the nose. It has this funky white grape / gummy kind of vibe along with gooseberry and melon liqueur. There are some piney and floral notes as well. There are also sweet notes coming through of cotton candy.

Taste: Yum. I'm a big fan of Nelson Sauvin. This beer has a nice balance of malt and hops and I can see why it's been characterized as an American Pale Ale because of that balance. The flavors very much mimic the nose. Up front, it is a bit juicy with a touch of acidity and lots of dank white grape notes. The finish has a nice, snappy bitterness, which does not linger on too long. The beer is not super dry but it's by no means sweet. There is a lot of fruity notes that come through along with grapefruit zest on the finish, but again the beer does not come off as being sweet.

Feel: It's medium bodied. Nicely carbonated.

Overall: I'm not sure why this is characterized as an American Pale Ale. Hudson Valley calls it an IPA. As I mentioned in Taste, I can see it as an American Pale Ale. This beer reminds me a bit of Half Acre's Vallejo. This is a bit lower in alcohol, not as dry, and it's like the American Pale Ale version of that IPA. It's very tasty and I'm glad that I got it, even though it was a bit pricey.

From the website:
(6%) IPA w/ wheat & oat, brewed & dry hopped exclusively with Nelson Sauvin.

Tastes Like: cotton candy, crushed white grapes, lemon Starburst, melon ball cocktail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A- Pours from the 16oz can into a becher glass with a cloudy pale yellow body. The cap rises to a finger high with fairly good retention as a thin layer of foam stays atop the beer. Spotty lacing and some thin webs.

S- Nelson hops bring some fruity, floral and berry notes. Mostly the hops and overall the aroma is moderately strong bringing some oats along for the ride as well as a light sweetness.

T- Melon comes out more and overall it is a bit more nectar forward here. Oats provide a nice base to the melon, lime, berry, floral, peach, cantaloupe and papaya. A touch vinous as well with hints of bubble gum. On the simpler side but the balance between the sweet nectar, oats and the berry notes is nice.

MF- Light to medium bodied with a frothy texture that isn't quite creamy. Carbonation is moderately low for the style and it finishes with a clean herbal bitterness

Solid Nelson hop Pale Ale that brings together juicy, floral and berry hop flavors with a nice oat base.

 

 

 

Can. A Hudson Valley beer that looks...like a beer! Semi-clear yellow with a tall, white head. Smells great. It's hopped with my absolute fave - Nelson. Definitely getting all that unique Nelson Sauvin aromatics. Earthy, melony, berry, Sauvignon Blanc. Flavor is also a big old pop of Nelson. It is such a unique hop that may be divisive but if you're a fan, you keep going back. Diadem delivers the goods here, too. Drinkable, hoppy, repeatable. A respectable and surprisingly straightforward offering.

Can from the brewery in Beacon NY. Pours a medium hazy gold with two fingers of fluffy white head that sticks around, nice lacing, smell is dank grapefruit flesh, candied grapefruit peel, orange cake, hints of peach, mango, and caramel, taste is dank candied cantaloupe, papaya, gooseberry, orange soda, hints of peach rings and peach skin, earthy dank grapefruit pith on the finish, feel is light to medium bodied, lively carbonation, semi-dry finish. A pale ale that punches above its weight in flavor, fruity nose and nice earthy citrus and peach character. Yorm.

A: The beer is very hazy dark yellow in color and has some hints of amber hues. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that left a short head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of gooseberries are present in the nose along with hints of white wine.
T: The taste follows the smell and is packed with lots of flavors of gooseberries; notes of white wine-like flavors are noticeable in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found this beer to be extremely aromatic and flavorful for a pale ale - it had the type of smell and taste that you would expect from an Imperial IPA.

Serving type: can