Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon

A few weeks ago, well actually closer to a month ago, we were down at one of the local breweries and met a delightful lady from Bend, Oregon who not only let us sample some of the beers she had collected from around the country, but also left us with a parting gift of a few bottles of the 2009 Jubelale, only a few days after it had been released. The Barbeerians would like to thank Jennifer Kopp for her kindness and love of beer, as well as for sponsoring this review. The 2009 Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery is one of the more complex beers I have drank recently. It has a lot going on and I’m sure other beer fans will pick up on some flavors I perhaps missed.

Since the Jubelale did not become available locally until recently, we held off on the post until it was easier for people to obtain (read: it sat in the fridge for a few weeks). When drinking time came around, we poured from the bottle into small tasting glasses and the Jubelale was a medium amber color with ruby tinges. It formed a thick, coffee-colored head, easily lingering until the glass was empty. It had sweet, perhaps fruity notes to its aroma, that blended well with the spicy, woodsy odor of the hops used. As I said earlier, it was a complex beer with a very unique taste to it. Up front it was sweet and malty with hints of what I believe to be apples, that transitioned into a more spicy (juniper) flavor with a well balanced hop finish. The biggest drawback for me was how slick it left the mouth feeling, just a bit to buttery for me.

Overall, the 2009 Jubelale was not as good as I remember the 2007 to be, but that has also been a while. I will likely purchase a six pack of this later, but I’m not sure its a beer to go crazy about. Perhaps a few in the weeks around Christmas and New Years when I plan on sitting in front of the fireplace and watching the snow fall. Perhaps I’ll even take a suggestion from the guys at Deschutes and try pairing this with some Jubelale and Hoisin braised short ribs as a Christmas Eve dinner. Or for the more casual diner, they also recommend trying it with spaghetti and meatballs.