Normally naming something 39-1/2 Foot Pole might not be sending the right message to your customers, since the term comes from “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and who would want to be associated with seasick crocodiles, dead tomatoes squashed with moldy purple spots, and crooked jerky jockeys (whatever that is)?

Yet our friends at Yukon Brewing gleefully plow ahead with their 39-1/2 Foot Pole Black Currant IPA, embracing their inner Grinch (okay, maybe their inner Who). This release is part of their new bomber series of one-off seasonals. Some of you who purchased the 2013 version of the Craft Beer Advent Calendar may remember this beer as Yukon’s contribution to the yuletide beer gift box.

However, in the need to accommodate the packaging of the calendar (a rather involved process as you can imagine), they had to brew the beer in the summer. This meant black currant puree instead of fresh fruit. Plus by the time consumers got to pop it open, much of both the black currant and hop character had dissipated.

So they wanted to try it again, and this time do it their way.

I picked up a bottle a couple weeks back, shortly after it arrived in Alberta, and opened up recently. It pours light orange with a decent but quickly dropping white head, leaving behind some lacing. It could be my imagination but I swear I detect a slight purple hue  in there, ever so subtle (or ever so projected by my brain).

The aroma begins with sharp black currant mixed with an earthy hop aroma. Other fruity esters supplement and create depth. I pick up light toffee malt underneath, but this aroma is about rich fruit. The black currant aroma is definitely still in full bloom.

In the sip, I get a surprisingly light malt upfront. It has some toffee, a bit of honey graininess. Then the fruit note starts to rise, offering an earthy, sharp sweetness that reminds me of blackberry (really!), grape and saskatoons. What quickly starts to emerge is a fascinating interplay between earthy, sharp fruit and a rounded, more grassy hop flavour and bitterness. At first it is hard to discern which is which, but then the hop slowly takes over and you can see a citrus, grassy bitterness form. The linger is a interesting mix of bitter and fruit tang. For the serious IPA-heads, the hop portion of this beer might disappoint, but that would be missing the point. It is not the most aggressively hopped IPA, aiming more towards balance than big hop hit, but that allows more of the fruit to shine through. It is its balance that makes the beer work.

By the time last year’s version got to people it was past its prime. This year it is fresher and the fruit is still making its presence known, creating a very engaging flavour combo. Neither element is overdone – the bitterness is present but reined in enough to allow the fruitiness to show itself as well. The black currant might be a great choice for fruit, adding sweet esters but also an earthy, slightly tart edge. A well-designed effort. It shows you what fresh can do.

Yes, I am certain I would touch this beer with a 39-1/2 foot pole. In fact I would happily touch it with a five-fingered hand. Repeatedly.