Deschutes Jubelale

Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Bend, Oregon USA

Strong, flowery hop aroma, along with warm cinnamon notes. Bitter, more from dark grains than hops, though the hops contributed a nice spice as well. Thick and nutty. Enjoyable, but forgettable.

Pours clear mahogany, with a medium khaki head, fine and lasting lacing. Aroma of caramel, pine resin, biscuit, cherry, and grass. Medium body, velvety, crisp, lightly dry. Flavors of toast, dark fruit, toffee, pepper, citrus and pine. Well balanced with a medium bitter pine and grass finish.

Nice, malty ale. Jubelale is definitely among the better American Christmas beers. It looks and tastes rich and malty. The bottle art is always nice, as well. The aroma is a mix of hop flavors with a nutty, spicy malt note. The flavor has a good level of sweetness and a relatively clean, hoppy aftertaste. Feel is a tad thin but rather good. Solid winter ale.

2009 edition 12 ounce bottle at the Bayou over lunch. Pours a dark mahogany color with a medium beige head. The aroma is super sweet nutty malty notes, some spices. The flavor is similar; a rich nutty flavor, loads of massive maltiness, light but noticeable bitter hops. Pleasant. A nice brew.

VINTAGE 2008 Pours a dark, somewhat murky, brown with ruby tinting. One-finger head of light brown, loose foam. Dissipates to a thin covering on top of the liquid. Lacing is foamy and fairly sticky. A touch of caramel maltiness. Notes of dried, dark fruits. Raisins and figs, mostly. Not really getting alot from this one. You get a lite kiss of hops first. Followed by some hints of those dried, dark fruits. Then a roastiness comes in, fairly large. Some mild biscuitiness follows. Finishes with a slightly dry citrus taste. Okay, medium body. A little bit on the lighter side, than I’d hoped for. Overall, I expected more from this one. It’s drinkable, but there just isn’t a whole lot going on, here. Pretty mild, as far as winter warmers go.

Pours crimson with a thin but solid sheet of froth that has lacey tendencies. The nose is of musty cherry, vivid canteloupe, pineapple, and candle wax. Full body of melon-like flavors to the point even tasting the canteloupe seeds. Bitterness is strong, biting all over the mouth in the finish...mouthfeel is a bit chalky...the fruit cocktail flavors are nice, but I think the bitterness takes away from the fruitiness. I seemed to like this beer more a few hours ago when I drank a couple bottles sanz analysis...now with some thought, I find a bit of criticism, but too much...still a nicer 6er to have around during the holidays.

Bottle. I smelled plenty of floral, grass, and herb notes. This winter beer poured an amber brown color with a few unfiltered yeast and decent lacing and foam. I tasted obvious hops, so much so that I initially thought this was a pale ale or IPA. Smooth slick texture with a lively carbonation. Overall this is a surprising winter treat that I’m glad I scooped up at the local beer store. Cheers!

( 12oz 2009 bottle) pours garnet clear red with nice lasting creamy head and excellent lacing. Nose of pine and grapefruit hops, juicy oranges, and lightly burnt caramel. Taste is roasted malt, cocoa, light bitter hops, and some nice spices. Also a good deal of piney oils. Finishes nice and creamy with a good weight.