Polaris Hops

So I got my hands on about 3.5 oz (100 grams) of what's called Polaris hops through a small local brewery who got it from United Bottles. Here's a quick little run down on them (from United):

"New high alpha breeding line with strong, pleasant, fruity, refreshing, Gletschereisbonbon (glacier-like) notes.

The guy I emailed from United called them a German version of Cascade on steroids. That's probably because this baby clocks in at 21.5% AA :rockin: Has anyone else has ever brewed anything with these? I was thinking about making an a super simple 2-Row only IPA with it this weekend but only using .5oz for bittering (along with some Citra at 20, 15 & 5 min) and then dry hopping with about an ounce for a 5 gal batch. Anyone have and suggestions or tips on using this beast?

-Dan

There's a description here from Hop Steiner: http://www.hopsteiner.de/pdf/neuigk.../2012-05_ts_newhopvarietiesgrowningermany.pdf

I haven't really heard about anyone brewing with them yet though... with that oil content I'd be curious what it's like by itself and not mixed with any other hops.

Don't have anything to add other than holy crap at the 4.1-4.4ml oils per 100g! That's the most I have seen and 2-5 times more than most varieties. So it's potentially potent. Please be sure to let us know how it goes!

I'm willing to bed Gletschereisbonbon should actually be Gletscher Eis bonbon (Gletscher eis, or 'glacier ice' brand candy). Gletscher Eis is a mint candy that's sort of fruity and herbal. Interesting way to describe a hop.

Well it's in primary right now. I decided to change my hop schedule to be just Polaris. I did .50 at 60 min, .25 at 20 and 5 min. I actually got my wort from Bells, they are doing a homebrew competition were they give you approx 5 gal of 2 row heated up just enough to pasteurize it, so that kinda worked out perfect. I used some s-04 that was about a year "expired" and it is going freaking nuts right now. It just about blew my air lock off this morning (I'm getting a blow off tube tonight). I can't wait for this one to be finished so I can try it!

Very interesting. I have been looking at some super high alpha hops for those huge imperial IPAs. I hate using 3 or 4 ounces just for a bittering charge.

Just noticed this variety for sale at a shop I frequent, so I'm quite interested in the outcome of your test batch.

Well I hope that it turns out ok. I came home and found the top and the inside cup of my air lock completely off for god knows how long... So I'm crossing my fingers that nothing too bad got in there. I guess it's time to get away from my 5 gal carboys and make my pony keg fermenter!

vwdan said:

Well I hope that it turns out ok. I came home and found the top and the inside cup of my air lock completely off for god knows how long... So I'm crossing my fingers that nothing too bad got in there. I guess it's time to get away from my 5 gal carboys and make my pony keg fermenter!

Click to expand...

With flow like that it seems unlikely!

Any word on how its going? taste it yet?

So far so good. It's in secondary right now and tastes pretty good. I dry hopped with an ounce and I'm going to do a little ghetto cold crash here in a couple days (some ice in a tub inside my non-working fridge) and get it in some bottles. I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Update please! Is she bottled?

I bottled about 20 bottles and kegged the rest (I hate bottling) so I think that I may try one this weekend and see how it's coming. It tasted really good at packaging (even the wife liked it!) so I have pretty high hopes for this one

So here is my first pour from the bottle. The nose on this thing is crazy and It's weird, you can really taste that mint-like flavor. I'm really happy with it and I hope Bell's likes it too!

That looks delicious!!! I'm gonna have to try a Polaris SMaSH now!

Nice, the SMaSH makes sense, especially with a new variety. That beer looks great also.

It was also my first time using gelatin as a clarifier too. I was a little hesitant since it was a competition beer, but it worked great!

I've been using these in my California Common's and find they're a great replacement for Northern Brewer hops with a pungent pine like to them. Love this hop and about to use it for a IPA next weekend prob.

I just tried my first use of Polaris a week ago. It is my first own recipie (second ever brew), a IPA, and I used polaris for bittering and a little of it for 10min and dryhopping. In term of flavour I did not seem to notice a lot of it, which is little suprising given the ratio to the other hops in there. However the bittering I got from it I really dig.
Compared to my first brew, a coopers IPA kit, and a lot of commercial brews this one has a certain character to the bitterness that I would describe as smooth. Sometimes you get that dry or biting, agressive bitterness, but this one is pretty round which I really dig.
I will defnetly use it again for bittering.
Of course it is insanely potent too.

Can recommend it to everyone as a bittering hop as I find it to be not only efficiant but also very nice in character.

I will also make a try to use this as a main flavour hop. After I do my Stout and a (german) Comet IPA I think I will do a Polaris IPA with a tad of (german) Comet to keep it swedish as I will soon move there, therefor all my future brews will have a swedish reference.

Maybe I can taste more of the Polaris when I have finished a few more bottles and decyphered the taste more. Got a really complex fruit and malt mix (seriosly intensive too) doing a IPA with Amber and Light Malt, Honey, Brown Sugar with additions of El Dorado, Galaxy, (german) Comet and Polaris both during the boil and dry. Also added half a vanilla bean to the boil.
Amazing so far (hop bomb, but still retains balance), but when I tried it it still needed more aging, the dry hopping was still a bit too biting after 2 weeks.
Will taste with friends this week for my B-day and see how it ultimatly turned out.