Polly's (part 2)

Brewer’s note: We’re all about perfecting that pyramid dry-hop technique we rave on about so readily. Explicitly designed to accentuate the boldest characteristics of each varietal in order of pungency, we’re bringing the pyramid back to the party here on Past Future. Leading the way with a big addition of Mosaic for juicy tangerine sweetness, we’ve added gradually cascading charges of Idaho 7, Simcoe and finally Talus for a four-way dance of intense tropical notes a-plenty. Expect to find super ripe stone fruit, pink grapefruit, and just a whisper of pithy bitterness in this all-out, amped up banger of a pale ale.

Brewer’s note: It’s pretty much a dead cert at this point that when we bring a new and exciting hop into the brewery we’ll start it out in a kick-ass pale ale to test the idiosyncrasies and quirks that make our hop bills the most complex and diverse ingredient that goes into making a Polly’s beer.

Reeled back enough to not blow our palates, but with enough mouthfeel and flavour intensity to really showcase new kid on the block to Polly’s Motuere. A high alpha hop variety, we love how it expresses bright and characterful passionfruit and grapefruit notes, with an underlying spiciness backed up with resinous pine undercurrents.

Wanting to team this up with some seriously big hitters, we’ve gone for a NZ/US hybrid pale ale and brought in house favourites Citra and Simcoe to rep the States, whilst Wai-iti makes it a doubles showing for New Zealand to boot. Soft and delicate mango, pomelo and stone fruit notes, with a fresh splash of lime juice compliment the big hitting notes of this wonderful variety fresh off the boat from the South Pacific.

Brewer’s note: It might just be us, but we find our DDH Pale Ales sing at their highest when the dry hop charge consists of three different varietals. Beginning Futures is a beer we’ve employed this theory on with aplomb, and boy does everything seem to be working in perfect harmony with one another. A baby addition of Talus brings gentle pink grapefruit, dried roses, citrus rinds and just the slightest whisper of sage herbal complexity, before equal 20kg additions of Mosaic and Idaho 7 bring the Polly’s new school juice to the table with abundance. Taking this to an extra level with Simcoe Cryo in the whirlpool, we’ve been able to bring a crisp bitterness to this beer, whilst maintaining the ultra fluffiness from our in-house LA3 yeast strain. Bangin’.

Brewer’s note: When we set out with the recipe for this beer, we decided on a three way dance of modern beer's best varietals, so what better to go for than a triple threat of ultra hype hops Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe? Calling back to that first IPA that put us firmly on the map back in 2018, Everything Works Again - named for an ism in the brewery when we finally sorted out the electrics in the brewhouse, and put an end to months of our brewkit shorting out mid-brew - takes the foundations laid by that OG Polly's beer and brings it roaring into 2021. Juicy, dank, hazy, and everything we love about modern British beer.

Brewer’s note: Sometimes the best hop combinations just come from looking in our cold store and seeing what we have sitting next to one another.
A moment of inspiration came when undertaking the otherwise boring and arduous job of sorting our hop stockholding out; noticing Bru-1, Citra, Simcoe and Vista next to one another in sequence and realising we’d never combined these four superstar hops in a beer before. Who says designing a beer is hard eh? With an all US lineup of some of the pillars of our brewing journey alongside some newer modern icons, this beer absolutely sings with honeydew melon, papaya, fresh cut citrus fruits, berries and that unmistakeable intense pineapple flavour that only Bru-1 can produce.

All wrapped up in a pale ale that is perfect for smashing in pints, ideal for sharing good times with mates

Brewer’s note: We love our DDH pales, don't get us wrong, but sometimes there's nothing better than a straight up, unfussy, clean and crisp pale ale. A beer specifically made with smashability in mind, Lupo Capisco is brewed with the masters of simplicity in mind - our heroes over at The Kernel, who make in our opinion the best pales in the UK. Hopped with a relatively easygoing dry-hop charge of 20kg of Azacca and Citra, this is a beer perfect for those after work pints we love so much. Soft, juicy, and crisp. These two incredible hops bring a swagbag of mango and tropical flavours to compliment their respective pithy bitter notes.

Brewer’s note: Our double dry-hopping ability just levelled up. When we designed Are We Famous, we wanted to hit the thick, pulpy mouthfeel of some of the high juice beers of our UK contemporaries, but reeled back to a sensible ABV to see if we could maximise flavour without having to overload the strength. Featuring a mammoth hop bill of Azacca, Mosaic, Citra, El Dorado and Ekuanot, and just the slightest lashing of lactose for sweetness, this beer is an dialled up, maxed out pale all about the juice.