Day 2 of the 5th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 2: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale
This beer has been on the calendar every year, save for 2018 when we limited ourselves to only Ohio beers. Jubelale is a true classic holiday beer by a brewery that doesn’t know how to make bad beer. We’re big fans of Deschutes and so are most of our friends. From the brewery: “An original since 1988, our winter ale has a warm spiciness and tradition grace this bold, complex winter ale. The deep garnet color pairs perfectly with holiday celebrations.”
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Reflections
Beard & Broad
Beard: Jubelale falls right in line with my favorite cold weather beer styles: dark, malty, robust. At 6.7% it’s not too heavy, so I can easily drink multiple of these in one sitting. It’ll also pair perfectly with either a hearty meal or Christmas cookies. This is one of my seasonal favorites and is always in my winter rotation.
Broad: Ahhh now it’s officially Christmastime. I love this beer and I love most of Deschutes beers. It’s definitely one of my favorite breweries. It’s malty, caramely, rich but also very drinkable. I get notes of cinnamon and vanilla and none of the overbearing Christmas spices. Add this to your holiday beer collection immediately!
Adam & Alex
Adam: Jubelale is fun to say! This feels like a very traditional version of the Christmas ale we’ve all come to expect. A bit boozy to warm your insides, and a whole bunch of maltiness. I get a lot of toffee and caramel and, as with a lot of winter ales, there a notes of cherry and other dark fruits for me like plums. I don’t think this will jump out at the end of the month as a positive or negative for me. Just a standard “it’ll get you drunk and warm you up” holiday brew.
Alex: I always enjoy Jubelale and I can say that again this year. It is malty and I can taste the toffee and cocoa. The bottle says it has spices included as well but those don’t really stand out to me. I would definitely drink this again.
Scott & Christa
Scott: The second beer of our journey put me right into the holiday mood, with its slightly malty, caramel flavor that I’ve come to expect during this season. Just before opening this up, I told my comrades that I typically don’t gravitate toward this brewery but I was pleasantly surprised with the Jubelale.
Christa: What a Jubelale indeed! This beer tastes like a holiday beer should. Malty, caramel notes, hints of vanilla and cinnamon…hark the angels sing! It’s a little syrupy for me, but that may just have been this batch. Still, one I’d add to my holiday roster.
Tony & Megan
Tony: Save the neck for me Clark. (I’ve decided I’m going to start as many of these reviews as possible with a reference to Christmas Vacation). I like this one. Dark amber color, malty, caramel flavor, slightly bitter. The bottle mentions “dusted cocoa”, but I dont know if I get the chocolate taste. Might be more of a swiffered cocoa (oh dusting jokes…..the crowd moans 😒) But overall a good beer, good amount of that dark malty flavor that I like.
Megan: I liked this one. It has more of the holiday spices the Jubilee Hoppy Holiday was missing yesterday. It is darker in color and heavier in taste so I don’t know if I can enjoy these all evening but it is a solid Christmas beer. You immediately get the malt, spices and nutty flavor. I would suggest it to someone looking for a festive ale to bring to a party.
Brad & Heather
Brad: Deschutes has recently climbed into one of my top 3 favorite breweries. All of their beer has been excellent (IMO) and this one is no exception. When we poured this beer, I noticed it has that holiday beer color I was looking for. It’s got a great hoppy taste that includes all the flavors and smells I generally look for in a Holiday beer. I’d buy it again.
Heather: This one is much more wintry to me than the last one. A heavy malt sitting on the back of my tongue keeps me tasting it far longer than I’d prefer, but it sure does look pretty in my glass. And I’ve got to say, each sip is better than the last. I could enjoy a couple of these by the fire in a holiday onesie.