Cathedral IPA
Block Three Brewing Co.

can from Abe Erb - pours a cloudy gold with a 1 finger cap...aroma is fruity, grassy, pine, some funk with sweet malt undertones....flavor is balanced between the caramel malts and sharp hopping....goes bitter in the finish...clean, sturdy IPA....not bad just nothing spectacular to distinguish it.

May 13 2024

 

 

From Block 3 Brewing via the Brew Box, came what looks like a 500 ml bottle (can’t read the black-on-dark background printing), of Cathedral IPA. Cathedral is 6.4% alcohol by volume with no visible production or ‘best before’ date.

Cathedral poured a cloudy, light orange/amber colour topped by 2.5” of off white head with considerable staying power. The head eventually faded to a collar and central blob of foam which left some intermittent lacing down the glass. Its aroma was dominated by tropical fruits; grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, orange, and papaya, with a touch of yeast. The taste was an all-hop production with sweet pineapple being the most noticeable, joined by lemon, orange, papaya, and a mild grapefruit bitterness in the finish that lingers on the palate. This is one tasty beer! Cathedral is relatively light bodied with a restrained carbonation and dry mouthfeel. Pleasantly surprised by this beer. A good balance of the sweet and bitter and a lot of separately identifiable tropic fruit tastes and aromas.

 

Unlabelled 500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery a couple of weeks ago; served slightly chilled.

Pours a cloudy golden-orange colour, generating nearly an inch of soapy, off-white froth at the surface. It fades away over the next couple of minutes; a bubbly film remains on top, along with a thin, foamy collar and plenty of messy seafoam lace. Nice aroma; lots of floral, pithy hop presence, including hints of grapefruit and lemon, as well as some tropical fruit (pineapple/mango). Light suggestions of bready malts and caramel, along with a bit of sour funkiness in the nose, too.

Interesting flavour; they used their house yeast blend on this one, which includes some Brett, resulting in the addition of a few enjoyable subtleties. It begins moderately sweet, with bready, wheaty malts and some light caramelized sugar leading into hints of apricot, pineapple and cantaloupe. A rather mild orange-lemon citrus pithiness surfaces mid-sip, which is followed thereafter by a mixture of grassy, floral bitterness and earthy, peppery yeastiness in the finish. Hints of banana in the aftertaste, with a briefly lingering 'green' astringency from the dry hopping, and some slight funkiness. Medium-bodied, with light-ish carbonation levels and small bubbles that uniformly prickle the palate. The alcohol isn't exactly noticeable, but it does provide a bit of warmth as you gulp your way further into the glass.

Final Grade: 3.83, a respectable B+. Block Three's Cathedral IPA is a pretty good example of its style, but definitely not an overachieving one. The Citra and Mosaic hops give it a bit more of a tropical fruit kick than your typical Belgian IPA, but like most examples of this style I would still consider it an acquired taste. The strong pithy, floral bitterness won't be for everyone, and the presence of the Brett adds another layer of uncertainty. That being said - I like it and would drink this again. I'd also say it's well worth a shot if you yourself are at all inclined toward this hybrid style.