Fresh Catch - Strata
Block 15 Brewing - Southtown Tap Room

All hops, no (well, low) malt. Just what I’m looking for.
The aroma has a floral fresh hop character. The sip follows, with a delicate nuanced fh note. Easy drinker, too.

 

unfortunately we didnt get to this one until it was a little past its prime, our fault, not theirs, a wet hop pale that should have been consumed a month or more ago, but with the pandemic and all, it was hard to get together with the friend who scored this in his travels. in any event, it still tastes nice and shows signs of having been amazing at its peak, i am becoming increasingly stoked on the hoppy beers these guys make overall. i like the pale ales as opposed to the ipa types with the fresh hops, a little less bitterness generally, and in this case some good malt balance, more drinkable than aggressive, although still an obviously fresh hopped beer. this is done with strata, which seems to be everyones choice for these this year. the hop profile is awesome, at first herbal to me, but then decidedly fruity forward, everything from lemon verbena to dried apricots and green apples, all from perhaps a single varietal, impressive! even though there is a little oxidation to this and some obvious fade, canned late in september, the oily slickness of the fresh hops remain in the texture, and i think their essence is still in tact overall. the grain is ever so slightly toasted, contributed a nutty earthiness that supports the hops pretty uniquely, and then its all fermented dry and clean, which i appreciate for drinkability. i also think a tidy ferment like this is the best way to showcase the special hops. even though i wish i got to consume this when it was first acquired and it is clearly degraded some since then, i like it a lot, and recognize the high overall quality. these guys do just about everything well, and it was awesome to be able to dabble in a bunch of their beers all in one session with my buddy who snagged them. next fall i hope to catch this one in its prime!

*2020 Version using Strata hops
Look: Nearly clear copper in color with a nice, thick head forming that settles in, leaving great lacing behind
Aroma: Grapefruit rind, orange, lemon-lime, strawberries, occasional Cannabis notes, and some bready malt underneath
Taste: Berries galore and pithy grapefruit-led citrus shock the palate upon initial sip with some vegetal to grassy notes following suit that just scream ‘wet hops.’ More citrus in the middle and the malt, though present and keeping things somewhat balanced, is clearly in the background. A great bite on the finish as well
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, slick, medium-high carbonation, and some fresh hop sharpness on the finish that could come across as mild dryness as well
Overall: I’m enjoying this tasty concoction immensely. I’m admittedly a Block 15 fanboy so was bummed to miss this last year as they’d never made a fresh hop beer (packaged at least) before. Everything about it hits all the right fresh hop pale/IPA notes for me – strong (more than non-fresh-hop) fruit and berry notes, tons of pure, pithy, raw vegetal/grassy notes that mimic chewing on a freshly picked hop cone and that tell-tale fresh hop bite that is hard to duplicate with kilned or dried hops. Even at just over two weeks old, this is delicious, well-made, recommended, and I need to hurry up and score some more

16 oz can from Westside Taphouse
This beer is not retired..it is a seasonal Fresh Hop.
Pours a nice rich golden colour with a rocky/frothy off white head..looks good in my British pint mug.
Very green , very fresh hop aromas. Mango, strawberry( really), kiwi, ..very nice
Taste has all this plus a lovely honeyish tone.
Mouth feel is excellent..nicely carbonated with a dry finish.
Excellent FH pale ale.