Jubel Ale

Review Date 7/24/2000  Last Updated 7/7/2022 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Winter Warmer   Brewery: Deschutes   Country: USA   State: Oregon   $ Per OZ: $.15 (B), $.30 (D)   ABV: 6.7%

The Pacific Northwest region of the United  States is home to some of the best beers in America. The Deschutes Brewing Company of Bend, Oregon is among the best of the best. They brew a wide range of beers, each an admirable example of it's respective style. Accordingly, they have become quite successful, brewing about 75,000 barrels a year last time I checked.

Deschutes Jubel Ale is their holiday seasonal. The first time I tried it was in February of 1997; this was the 1996 edition. It was a tasty brew that seemed best classified as a hoppy pale ale at the time. Tawny red in color with a brief head and a crisp hop nose, the beer's palate hinted at malt and fruit but was soon overwhelmed by the grassy, impressively bitter hop finish. Alcohol content for this beer is considerable at 6.7% by volume. A tasty winter brew, and another triumph for Deschutes, if not exactly my idea of an old ale at the time, the style it purported to be.

In November of 1997 I took notes on that year's vintage:

Jubel seems a bit heavier in body than what I sampled last year. Deeper in color with a bit more toasty malt and some yeasty, bready notes, it is a bit more fruity and finishes with good lingering hop bitterness.

Then in 1998:

I got to sample this year's Jubel both on tap and in the bottle. I enjoyed the draft at Redbones, a restaurant in Somerville, Massachusetts featuring some of the best barbecue I've ever tasted and always a wide selection of beers. Each year in November Redbones specializes in Pacific Northwest beer, beers you won't normally find on the East Coast.

I found the Jubel to be very impressive, a big malty brew with a noticeable alcohol kick and a cascadey hop finish that reminded me somewhat of Brooklyn Brown of years gone by. In the bottle (which features a new label each year), Jubel was a real treat, rich and malty with an underlying sweetness and a touch of chocolatey malt character to the body that makes this an ideal winter brew. The finish has a good bitter kick along with a firm alcohol bite certain to warm the cockles of even Ebenezer Scrooge's heart. A bit less florally hoppy than the draft version I enjoyed, but by all means a masterpiece of the brewer's art.

The cooler weather will soon be upon us, and with it bigger, heartier beers like Jubel. A beer not to be missed.

Update 12/16/2020: It's been a full 20 years since I have enjoyed a Deschutes Jubel Ale if memory serves. When I saw it available on Craftshack.com, I was all over a bottle of the 2020. Deschutes says on their website:

Cozy up fireside with this festive winter ale full of spice notes and a robust malt character of toffee and dusted cocoa.

MALT: Pale, Crystal, Extra Special, Carapils, Roasted Barley
HOPS: Bravo, Cascade, Delta, Us Tettnang, East Kent Goldings

Deschutes Jubel Ale still has an alcohol content of 6.7% by volume with 65 IBUs. I paid $3.49 for my bottle, but I hjave no idea how much this goes for in stores. My bottle is marked as packaged on 9/17/20.

Jubelale 2020 pours to a dark mahogany color with a thick fluffy tan head and a rich malty raisin bread nose. A thick layer of Brussels Lace forms on the sides of my glass and follows the liquid all the way to the bottom of the glass.  Taking a sip, the beer is chocolaty, raisiny, cookie like (chocolate chip), with hints of brown sugar and molasses. Dark fruit appears with the slightest hint of prune. It finishes balancing to slightly more than that bitter. Just an outstanding winter warmer, and although absence does make the heart grow fonder, this would be a world class beer no matter how often you drink it.

Update 11/5/2021: Deschutes Jubelale in Georgia! Deschutes beers are now sold in Georgia and I am celebrating with a 23-ounce mug of Jubel on tap at Taco Mac! $6.80 is a fair price, and I picked up a six-pack of bottles at Total Wine for $10.99. The draft is dark mahogany in color with a thick creamy tan head. It's roasty, toasty, flinty, malty, nutty, with dark fruit hints and a bitter hoppy finish. Delightful!

Update 7/7/2022: Christmas in July with Deschutes Jubel Ale! The beer has developed some wonderful dark fruity riasin and fig notes over the past seven or so months. Delicious in July with the AC and Christmas music cranked!

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??