This is an odd hop indeed. I guess it is supposed to be similar to simco. I’m not sure I think it is very much line simco at all but not sure what it is like.There is some pine but it is overwhelmed by an aroma I want to call “damp basement”. Not really “dank”, but “damp”.
There is also some fruitiness here that I can’t really describe. A faint melon or maybe it is kiwi.
Flavor is melon or kiwi. Very smooth bitterness. But not a very enjoyable aroma hop, at least not for me.
Polaris has about twice the oil content of Citra, so it literally drowns out every other hop it is combo’d with when used in normal amounts. When I used it, I just got intense, clingy, resin note from it. It basically seems like it would turn any beer into an IIPA from a flavor perspective. I’ve been gunshy to use it again, but I’m thinking that if you use maybe 1/3 to 1/4 your usual late-hop amounts you might get a different result.
I think I’ll pass it by for a while in favor of other hops that sound better. There are other resiny hops that bring more to the party from the sound of it. I’m sure I’ll break down and try it at some point though. Gotta say, ‘damp kiwi’ is never something I shoot for in a hop blend. ;D
On the subject of trying hops I think I’m gonna make an Azacca APA this weekend. It sounds like one of those hops that people perceive pretty differently. One friend described it as citrus, stonefruit, and a hint of pine. Another described it as straight tropical fruity but pretty interesting, unlike some of the candy-like hops we’ve talked about lately. I need to see for myself.
I made a single hop IPA using Azacca in May. Here are my notes: The aroma is quite enjoyable: Tropical fruits & Citrus mainly. The flavor majors on Mango, and ripe pineapple and generic citrus (maybe bending toward tangerine), Juicy fruit gum.
A local microbrewery did a single-hop black IPA with Polaris a year or so ago. Dankest beer I’ve ever had by a longshot. It sold slowly, and I have to say after a couple of months it started to grow on me. The age mellowed it out quite a bit.