PANAMA KRUNKLES

Krunkles’ trail seemed to go cold after Hawaii, or as most folks at Terrapin suspected, wet. The greatest IPA brewer of all time left Hawaii, and given the stories the old woman in Hawaii told of Krunkles’ time there, it was most likely by ship.

But where could he be headed?

A strong lead didn’t surface for almost a year.

While on vacation in Panama, an avid Terrapin drinker heard of a visitor who came from an island and created a delicious fruited beer for locals to enjoy. Thinking that it could be Krunkles, he quickly called the brewery!

Terrapin sent a scout to Panama within a week’s time. He scoured local bars (sampling along the way), farms, and markets for a sign that Krunkles had been there. At a tiki lounge, he was served a fruited beer that the bartender attributed to a mysterious mustached brewer. The bartender pointed him to a local street market not too far from the bar and suggested he stop by the tent with pottery bearing two mismatched fruits.

The scout wandered through the market and came upon a stand with what appeared to be a ceremonial beer mug painted with funny looking fruit. The bottom of the beer mug was branded with a distinct letter “K.” He found a clue! The vendor told the scout about the man who taught him the secrets of beer, and how to cut a pineapple and a papaya just right so that the flavors mixed into the drink. When the scout asked if Krunkles was still around, the vendor shook his head and muttered something about him possibly heading south. The scout thanked the man for his time and reached his hand out to shake hands. The man instead handed him the beer mug, along with a worn piece of paper with an IPA recipe on it.

After sending the evidence to the brewery, the scout went back to the tiki lounge. He silently toasted his success in discovering another Krunkles recipe, and a job well done.

But there was more work to be done. The scout felt it was safe to assume that while on board a ship, Krunkles must have passed through the Panama Canal and decided to hop off. But did he stay, or did he simply take a quick break to brew and then sail on through to his next destination??

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