Avery Old Jubilation Ale

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

probably got the bottle from the same place as flna80. and i agree 100% with your rating. i just liked it slightly better. touch of alcohol and a toffee straw note (in taste and in aroma) that manages to dissappear quickly enough. chaingang guy i can understand you’re apprehension perhaps you haven’t had winter in awhile. and i did spend three good years at fort benning ga. particularly at kelly hill and harmony church. but if given the chance may i say that there are quite a few wonderful winterbrews that i would feel privilaged to bring to you’re attention.

Bottle. 12 fl. oz. A dark ruby color with fluffy, off-white head. Sweet, aroma of malt, fruits, caramel, and light hops. Medium bodied, creamy texture. Flavor is sweet toffee, then light hoppy bitterness. A good, malty brew.

I’m somewhat shy about this whole ’Winter Warmer’ category; a category filled with beers flavored with spices, bush berries, and twigs. Yet, as I’ve enjoyed the other Avery products I’ve tasted, I thought I’d give this one a try. Here we go! Appearance: Pours a rich garnet hue with a modest, yet persistent tan head. Aroma: Sniff! Gobs of sweet malty goodness upfront teamed with hints of caramel and mystery dark fruitiness. Also: a playful, leafy hop bouquet once you get past the malts. Taste: Alright, let’s jubilate! I get a Malt Mouth with light cocoa powder, caramel, and with a dash of light coffee thrown in. The hops lazily file in at the back of the line, allowing the beer to finish with a pleasant, albeit lingering hop flavor. There’s also a tiny bit of smokiness to be found. The 8% alcohol goes undetected, and was well hidden within this brew. Delish! Just the right amount of sweetness for me. Mouthfeel: I would say medium for the mouthfeel with this one, and there’s a decent amount of carbonation, too. Smooth! Which leads us to... Drinkability: Oh, its drinkable alright! Especially for the 8% alcohol. Absolutely a joy to drink, even without the spices, bush berries, and twigs present in so many of these seasonal offerings. A hefty brew, and certainly a tasty one, I am pleased to have given this Avery offering a try and look forward to the remainder of the six-pack. Way to go, Avery!

Pours a dark deep red brown to mahogany with a healthy light tan head. Dark malt abounds not necessarily sweet or roasty though. Distinctively nutty. Some dry dark bitter chocolate and a god hint of alcohol. A light though creamy mouthfeel. Perhaps a bit soapy, low carbonation. The flavors are a bit more confusing than the nose. For starters, the roast is much more noticeable. A good bit of chocolate and nuttiness also in the flavor. Maybe some chicory or even light coffee? Rather dry, the alcohol is well hidden too though. Perhaps a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, but only a hint. Something woody and maybe even a touch oaky, minus the cherry hints. Dry tannins linger on the tongue. Dry roasty finish, with a bit of charcoal. Lingers like a stout. Almost like a big in your face dry porter. This got better as I drank more of it. I could get used to this.

Rated 12/2/06: Burnt amber color poured with a towering light tan head that remained 1/2" thick for the entire time (surprising considering the strong alcohol content). Powerful carbonation inside the glass. Drinkable and lightly warming. Only wish it were fuller, but it’s still a hearty brew. Aroma has a thick malt scent with some grassy yeast. Taste is oh so slightly bitter at first soon mellowed by the thick malts with a tinge of alcohol burn. A touch of nuttiness. This one really gets bitter after a while, different but nice.

Bottle. Sweet, soft chocolate and roast malt aroma, porterish with wood, sweet ripe fruit in the bg, prunes. Good deal of malt with some caramel. Ruby body with a spoonable, lacing, creamy tanned head. Sweet malty taste with a wave of medium bitterness, warm ending. Dry, somewhat alcoholic aftertaste. Toffee and roast sweep in and out, wood lingers with the saltiness. Raisins and prunes and faint brown sugar behind dark, ripe fruit. Caramel and medium, late-arriving hops. Some earth and spice. Thick, almost syrupy full body, rich and smooth feel. Very robust flavor, a malt lover’s dream. Complex and delightful!

This was awesome, the black licorice flavors really shined and gave this thing a great complexity to the malts. I’m a big black licorice fan, so that helps. Dry and spicy with a warm toasty nutty malt start. Reading the description i’m amazed to see no anise or black licorice in there, I need to find that malt for when I brew that gives that strong flavor. Overall one of my favorite winter seasonals.

OK, I may have had a few beers at EBF2008, but by 11pm I actually quite enjoyed this, so notched it up a few points.
Rerate of (5-4-7-2-11=2.9)
355ml bottle (Black Door, Helsinki)
Sweet and beerlike. Malty with vegetable tinge. Sticky malt/hop combo, not very sophisticated.
Rerate of (5-4-7-2-11=2.9):
355ml bottle (Pikkulintu, Helsinki , American Week 2007).
Looks great, dark creamy head on dark red body. Smells sweet and sticky, some dried fruits maybe. I was unprepared for the taste - it’s huge. Very unsophisticated, and unbalanced. Even the unsubtle explosion of malt and hop tastes fails to cover the strong alcohol taste. Yet another US charicature of a UK style not done very well. Didn’t leave any though, so not that bad.