Beer # 181 - Jubel, Deschutes Brewing Company, Bend, Oregon

The Jubel 2010 - Once a decade beer! Fittingly at 10% - I was excited to give it a try - though I must say, I wish the beer was available more than just once every 10 years!!!
Let's pour!

It pours nearly opaque with a hefty head.

The aroma reveals malt with some sweetness and noticeable fig or raisin.

The Jubel is smooth with a full rounded body. Malt builds on the palate revealing fig and currant notes on the tongue. It finishes very smooth with a nice warming sensation. It has the presence of a well-aged port, but doesn't pack any sweetness with it.

It finishes fairly bold, but still drives a consistent smoothness through to the end. Assertive alcohol settles nicely - again reminiscent of a port. It is a smooth delicious sipper.
This is an excellent smooth beer offering up consistent flavorful palate pleasing sip after sip, pulling flavors from their excellent Jubelale. It is recommended that you buy one to enjoy now and cellar one for next year - a suggestion I will definitely take up!
Cheers!

Beer #166 - Hop-Head Imperial IPA, Bend Brewing Company - Bend, Oregon

Happy New Year and Happy 2010! My intuition is that this will be a great year, indeed! To start this year, indeed, this decade off right, I thought it good to start with the Hop-Head Imperial IPA from Bend Brewing Company. My beer goals this year are to keep the blog updated more frequently and to brew more! This started last weekend, when my friend Dustin and I brewed up a batch of "Santa's Dilemma Ale" a winter ale with ginger, honey, cinnamon and orange peel. It was my first time brewing a concentrate on the stove top indoors - I'm used to freezing outside while brewing. A few weeks and we'll know how it went.
The Hop-Head won a Bronze medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. It's available in the 22oz bottles and on tap in the late fall at the brewpub.

It pours a golden honey with a decent sized head.

The aroma holds big flowery hops with citrus and earthy tones.

Flower notes give way to an earthy smooth body. Honey smoothness on the tongue also holds citrus tones. Earthy bitterness and alcohol tones arrive late on the back of the tongue.

The aftertaste bounces bitterness around the mouth, but it is cut short by a velvety body - smoothing out with a slight vanilla at the very end.

A great way to kick the year off!

Happy drinking -

Beer # 161 - The Abyss 2009 & 2008 Deschutes Brewery, Bend Oregon

This month marked the arrival of Deschutes' Reserve imperial stout. It is a limited release, so don't delay to give it a try. At 11% & 65 IBU's, it packs a punch, as well it should. At their Portland Brew House location, they offer samples of the 2008 release as well. Let's travel back in time, then return to the present release. Come follow me into the Abyss!

The Abyss - 2008
It pours opaque with a light-tawny head.

The aroma holds strong alcohol tones and malt with mild sweetness.

The full body delivers a robust roast malt flavor. The intense flavors seem surprisingly balanced. Biscuit, hop freshness and licorice all unfold on the tongue. Molasses also makes an appearance and lasts through the full finish.

The aftertaste holds the roast malt and molasses sticky on the palate, but is very smooth and gets smoother as you drink.

The Abyss 2009
It pours opaque with a dark tawny head.

The aroma is malt with sweetness. The roast tones are there, as well but a little lighter than expected. Lighter, it seems, than the 2008.

The full body presents BIG malt packed with licorice, roast, oak and bitter chocolate tones. There is a lot there and it evolves as it is enjoyed. It holds a dominating presence over the palate. These flavors last through the finish where the licorice and roast tones take it to the aftertaste.

It finishes relatively clean for such a big sticky thick beer. A hop freshness arrives late and helps the palate from being too dominated. Malt roast and sticky molasses linger on the palate delivering a robust dominating presence without being overly sticky and coating the taste buds. It has more alcohol presence and gets more complex as you drink it.

The Abyss does not hold back. There are many flavors hiding in it's opaque mysteriousness. As it evolves over enjoying, you'll only know the true virtues of the beer when you reach the bottom of the Abyss!

Cheers!

Sinister, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Bend Oregon

On a recent stop to pick up a Flying Pie Pizza, I had the chance to enjoy the Sinister (Black Ale) from 10 Barrel while I waited. A great way to spend a few minutes while waiting for a pizza -

It pours opaque with a small head.

The aroma is mild, but sweet malt is detectable with some mild hop.

Mild chocolate malt with a little sweetness greets the taste buds. It has a rich body with lots of character. Not overly heavy, it is an easy beer to enjoy by itself. It finishes clean with brown sugar and caramel malt at the end. From their website, I learned they use German de-husked black malt. It is also mentioned that this malt is free of astringency, which helps keep the beer from being overly heavy or sticky on the palate.

The aftertaste is mild richness with caramel and brown sugar. It finishes remarkably clean...

Cheers!

Elk Lake IPA, Bend Brewing Company, Bend Oregon

Ahh, the Bend Brewing Company.... In a state with so many brewery options, this is a great gem.

It pours darker amber, hazy with a tight head.

The big aromatic hops reveal a mild pine.

The hop builds in the medium body, bitter with a mild pine on the tongue. It is flowery and hoppy 'til the end.

The aftertaste - bitter on the tongue, rests on the palate for awhile before having a clean finish. Bitter, but refreshing!

I brought a Hop Head IPA home in a bottle - We'll sample that another day...

Cheers!

Jubelale Winter Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend Oregon

Well, it's about that time. It's getting dark quick here in Portland, Oregon, the yellow leaves disappearing quick leaving the empty branches to scratch the cold wind. It's crisp, cold, and winter is on the horizon. It's good news for those of you (who, like me) rejoice and take refuge from winter's long dark days in winter ales! They are an exciting and interesting collection, most changing their recipe each year. Now is the time to start cracking them open, so let's do it! Our first winter ale comes from Deschutes Brewery from here in Oregon. According to their website, Jubelale was the first beer they brewed when the brewery opened.

It pours a dark caramel amber with a good creamy head.

The smell is mostly malty, it is also slightly sweet and has a slight "holiday" aroma to it.

The taste is creamy, mostly malty. It is refreshing, but definitely a 'warmer' of a beer. It has a full body and is mildly sweet. There is a noticeable bitterness to it along with a mile "alcohol" flavor.

The aftertaste is sweet with a lingering roastiness.

A great way to crack open the winter season! According to their website, Jubelale is available in 13 Western states in 12 oz bottles. It can be consistently found at most grocery stores around Oregon.

It is 6.7% with 60 IBU's.

Cheers!

The Dissident, Deschutes Brewing, Bend Oregon

From left field comes The Dissident, a Flanders-style sour brown ale. It is brewed with a special yeast strain that is used in European wines (providing an earthy flavor). Then it is allowed to ferment, while being stored in Pinot Noir and Cabernet barrels. During the brewing process, Washington State cherries were added to the mix. Interesting. Let's pour.

It pours a deep brown with a tight head.

The smell is sour, the yeast is there, but so is a fruity aroma. The cherry is mildly evident.

The taste, sour. If you haven't tried a sour ale yet, it is interesting grounds to explore. The cherry appears quickly, but doesn't linger too long. The yeast is there, but it is mostly the sour that dominates the palate. It has a wine-ish body to to it, and it in some ways, the beer has wine characteristics. It is definitely a sipper.

The aftertaste lets the sour linger. It isn't unpleasant by any means. I am a big fan of sour ales, so I enjoy the aftertaste immensely. The cherry adds an interesting dimension and is definitely around in the finish.

The Dissident is available for a short time only - it may already be gone! It is available in 22oz bottles and is 9%. If you find it, buy it. It makes for an interesting beer tasting night, for those of us just getting into beer. It'd be great with a cheese plate.

Cheers!