The Tail End of the Bear

It's always fun to brew with friends. Late December 2019 saw the affable DrBeer return to the brewery, to add some much needed elbow grease to another fun brew.

Ever since I tasted The Kernel's awesome Polaris IPA (sadly another one of their one-offs and hence no longer in production), I'd been meaning to brew something with this underappreciated hops variety. So I stocked up on a decent quantity, cooked up a recipe, and found an accomplice to assist with the brewing.

Polaris is actually a sub-cultivar of the Hallerthau denomination, so expect a certain herbal quality to it, with those hard-to-define noble notes. However, intriguingly, Polaris definitely has more of an edgy, dare I say crafty note to it, imparting a distinctly unique, almost minty aspect to the beer. While the combination mint-and-beer makes me think of lagers-stirred-with-a-toothbrush, in Polaris' case, the mintiness is more elusive and subliminal. One you notice it, it's definitely there, but it may take a while to pin it down. 

A fun day was had by all, many and sundry, and the resulting beer is very much, well, us. 
A bit quirky. A bit off-center. One of the nice guys.

Enjoy it while it lasts.