Theta
Hudson Valley Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L: Opaque, light-to-medium yellow (4 or 5 SRM). Conservative pour gives about a finger of head.
S: Light cantaloupe and melon, white grape, alcohol, and bubblegum present initially followed by hints of stonefruit. A pervasive smell of alcohol permeates throughout.
F: Soft and very creamy coating of the tongue once or twice; flavor lands towards the front third of the tongue with a light-to-medium overall feeling. Super smooth like everything else I’ve had from Hudson Valley.
T: This has been the hardest beer for me to describe, if I had to compare the taste to something overall it would be a Philly cheesesteak with provolone, chip steak, and carmalized onions. Sometimes I think the cheesesteak has mayo, sometimes it’s just on a plain Amoroso roll. To put it another way, inital bitter maltiness/sweetness gives way to a savory character with a strong umami finish. I’ve never had an IPA with this flavor profile before but I would imagine it would pair well with savory/salty foods.
O: This beer is very smooth and drinkable at 7% with an incredibly unique flavor profile. If I look at other descriptions of this beer, I don’t disagree with flavors like peach, mango, melon, or even initial notes of cotton candy; my palette just seems to find a savory/umami characteristic overall. If you can find this one near you I would recommend giving it a try even if it’s just to say you did.

 

 

 

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $6.99. The canned-on date is 05/30/24, so this beer is just a month and half old.

Look: It has a nice moderate haziness with steady, fine carbonation. The beer has a pale orange glow to it and has an almost golden color when held up to the light. It's more translucent than hazy at this point, let's see how much that changes when I pour the rest of the can. There was a one- to two-finger fluffy off-white head that dissipated to a thin rim around the glass. It looks very pretty. The bottom of the can did become significantly hazier.

Smell: Lots of grapefruit zest along with some white grape character on the nose. I also get other citrus notes including kumquat and mandarin orange. Nice floral notes up front also (honeysuckle, chamomile?). After swirling the glass, there's a prominent green bell pepper note on the finish. Based on the aromas, this seems to suggest that it will have a nice balance between sweetness, juiciness, fruitiness, bitterness, and green notes. Let's see!

Taste: It's very tasty. Highly drinkable and as indicated, it has a nice balance of flavors. I like that this beer is not too sweet yet it is also not too dry. The flavors very much mimic the nose. I'm getting more stone fruit flavors on the palate, including peach and underripe mango, along with cantaloupe up front and honeydew melon on the finish. The bitterness is moderate and firm yet not sharp and it does not linger so long. The finish is pleasantly peppery. I think that the beer gained juiciness and complexity after pouring the hazier bottom of the can, so that is a plus.

Feel: The mouthfeel is nice. It's medium bodied with a decent chewiness.

Overall: This beer reminds me a bit of Half Acre Vallejo, which is one of my favorite IPAs. Both are hopped with Nelson Sauvin. It's hard for this beer to match my impressions of Vallejo, however I am definitely enjoying this one sure. This beer is probably a bit sweeter than Vallejo, and this is definitely hazier (Vallejo is much more West Coast). Nonetheless, I find this beer to be very tasty. This is quite crushable and it is nicely balanced.

Very nice

 

At the tap room in Beacon, served in a wine glass — kind of a big bowl, but angular with a flared lip — that all their other beers seemed to be served in. Look is very cloudy but burnished yellow, decent head that settles quickly. Nose is a ton of tropical fruit punch, a little bubble gum, some wet garden greens and melon. Taste pretty much follows the nose…really tasty and juicy, but also garden fresh….nice balance between bitterness and sweetness. Mouthful is medium to full, very very soft, even though there’s a hint of liveliness. Flat out delicious.

A: Poured from the can into a Tree House tulip. Body is hazy golden with a 1.5-finger foamy white head settling on top. Nice splotches of lace left behind.

S: Good strong nose of tropical fruit, bubble gum, and a touch of white grapes (makes me wonder if Nelson hops are in the house).

T: First impression on taking that first sip is more about the mouthfeel than the flavor - this is pillowy-smooth in feel. Really nice in that regard. . . . As for the taste . . . I get some sweeter tropical fruit (mango or papaya and ripe melon), a touch of white grape skins which, along with some lemon, provide bitterness at the finish. Also a hint of alcohol at the end.

M: See above. Medium in heft, creamy/pillowy in feel. Makes it an easy drinker.

O: Quite good. Not surprised, as even though I believe this is the first time I'm reviewing one of their beers, I've had their sours in the past and they've always been outstanding.