The Swill: Deschutes Jubelale
The Still: Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com
The Drill: Seasonal Pale Ale, 12oz bottle, 6.7% ABV, available October through December
The Spill: What this beer has in common with other winter ales is its inclusion of dark malts, in this case, crystal malt, usually a major constituent of brown ales. What it doesn't have in common with other winter ales is its plentiful hop addition, making it taste more like a pale than a winter warmer. However, both flavors combine to produce a beer that tastes like one you'll only get around Christmas time. If it's Christmas Eve, and you've already had the Full Sail Wassail and the Anchor Christmas brew, and you're falling asleep into sugarplum dreams and still have to wrap presents, this will serve as a nice wake-up.
Says Bill: This is a great holiday session beer, and Deschutes has been crafting it for some 20 years now. In fact, it was the first brew that they put in bottles. Every year, they choose a new artist to create the label, so if you're a beer bottle collector like me, you'll want to grab a new one every year.
Refill?: The again, if you're a beer drinker like me, you'll want to grab one every year too: 4 taps out of 5.