Review: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale Winter Ale 2009
I’m the first to admit it’s weird to be drinking this “festive winter ale” during the week of Labor Day. No question. But Deschutes’ Jubelale 2009 arrives October 1, we got it early, and gosh darnit we’re gonna drink it now, even if it is still hot outside.
I went in expecting gingerbread and eggnog and came out with chocolate and fruitcake. This is a complicated yet surprisingly easy-drinking beer, dark and dessert-like, and with a good initial slug of bitterness. But your palate accepts that edge and soon embraces it like dark chocolate: Jubelale builds its after-dinner qualities impressively into a rich, full-bodied brew that nonetheless vanishes without much fuss — so many Deschutes’ beers can be so powerful that drinking them is a lot of work. I for one am shocked how quickly my bottle (12 oz., thank God), has vanished. And at 6.7 percent alcohol, I’m betting that’s going to be a problem later on.
A / $8 per six-pack / deschutesbrewery.com
Deschutes Brewery Jubelale Winter Ale 2009
$8
