Day 21: of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 21: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale
Deschutes produces some of our favorite beers, especially their IPAs and Stouts. This beer has been on our list the last two years and probably will continue to be because it’s just so good. From the website: Warm spiciness and tradition grace this bold, complex winter ale. The deep garnet color pairs perfectly with holiday celebrations. To celebrate the 30th bottling, for the first time ever, this year’s packaging features not one, but a series of custom snowflake themed illustrations.“
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: Ahhhhh Jubelale.This is exactly the type of beer I think of when it comes to Christmas beers: malty, roasty, slightly sweet, and warming. I almost wish this had more of a boozy kick, but then that would be trying to better an already near perfect beer. This has all the characteristics of a spiced beer, without actually having any spices, that’s a mark of a brewery that knows exactly what it’s doing and how to achieve the flavors they want. The roastiness is achieved from the malts, the slight spice from the hops, and the dried fruit notes from the English Ale yeast. An amazing winter weather beer.
Broad: This is one of my favorite beers every holiday season. This year is no different. It’s warm, malty and full of holiday spiciness. It’s definitely different than your typical Deschutes beer as it’s not hoppy at all. The dark color is deceiving. It looks like it would be very strong but it’s surprisingly light. I could drink these all night. Deschutes rarely disappoints.
Adam & Alex
Adam: Jubelale to me falls into the collection of good, quality holiday ales. It’s a perfect mix of spices, dried fruit and malty warmness. I get lots of toffee in there too. Fantastic holiday brew.
Alex: Jubelale is delicious. It’s definitely one of my recent favorites, and one I will definitely purchase again. It warmed me up nicely and I can taste holiday spices and a touch of fruit.
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Scott & Christa
Scott: Cocoa, dried fruit and toffee notes. That’s what the bottle says and you can definitely smell some cocoa and taste some fried fruits. On first sips I wasn’t crazy about this beer but halfway through the bottle it’s really coming around to me. It’s not very sweet and it’s lighter than I imagined which is a nice surprise. I give this a strong thumbs up. Addendum to my review. Unpleasant aftertaste. Still great beer and still a thumbs up, but needed to add this disclaimer.
Christa: I had a lot of hopes for this one on name alone. It is a nice break from the heavier, sweeter winter beers we’ve had during this rotation. You can smell the toffee right away but I wouldn’t say it’s present in the taste. I do get the dried fruit that’s promised though. It’s not full bodied like some of the ales we’ve had which means you could have a couple without that full belly feeling. All in all, it’s nice. It would be better without the funky after taste. I’m not very jubilant.
Tony & Megan
Tony: This one is pretty solid. Its got a dark color and caramel colored foam which serve as accurate indicators of what your about to taste. Deep cocoa flavors with hints of toffee, malts, and a little spice. You get some hops in this one which adds to the layers of flavor. I haven’t had a lot of beers from Deschutes but I like this one and it does give you that holiday feel. Makes me want to hang some tinsel, chug some beers and get in a dance off! …….Ok got a little carried away there but yeah as a fan of darker beers this was right up my alley and I thought it was well done. Good stuff!
Megan: Coming from a girl that doesn’t like hops, I liked this one! I think it has a good balance of hops as well as a lot of depth. Its not too bitter and not sweet. It’s a dark pour and notes of chocolate really come through.