Tag: Deschutes Brewing

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Up from the Cellar – Jubel 2010 (Once a Decade Ale) from Deschutes

So this has been waiting in my cellar for a decade to pass. Couldn’t quite open it in 2014 or 2018. Seemed to need a bigger date for this “Super Jubel” from Deschutes.

Jubel 2010, subtitled Once a Decade Ale. Seemed appropriate that I should crack the wax off of this beer on 1/1/20.  Pours a dark amber, close to brown. The aroma filled the room momentarily. Fruitcake comes to mind.  Sweet brandy.  This beer still holds some ABV kick. This is a quite dry beer.  You get that spirit and wine mix but then it flattens into the alcohol. More subtle notes may have been lost in the ten years of aging. Quite good for a beer of this age. 

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Squeeze Manhattan

I certainly didn’t see this extension of the “squeeze” coming from Deschutes. But seeing as I have liked other beer versions of the classic cocktail, I think I will take a swing at this one to see how the fresh and the bourbon meld.

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It may be the summer celebration today and light beers are the order of this day but I want to talk about Black Butte XXXI.

“Deschutes Brewery’s specialty anniversary reserve, is an annual tradition since the brewery’s 20th anniversary in 2008. The beer is an imperial barrel-aged double version of the brewery’s flagship, Black Butte Porter, that changes every year.

Deschutes brewers love to experiment with this beer and this year were inspired by Turkish coffee and added chocolate, cardamom and cold brewed coffee from Third Rock Roastery, a locally owned roastery by Deschutes Brewery co-owner Scott Hughes. BBXXXI is 80% barrel aged in oak bourbon barrels.”

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Up From the Cellar – Collage # 1

One of my goals for late 2018 that will bleed over into 2019, is to clear the ol’ beer cellar to a more manageable size. That means, more of this…

I have been holding onto this beer for quite a while now.  Almost opened it on a couple of occasions but I finally broke through and brought it up from the cellar.  With the combined knowledge of Deschutes and Hair of the Dog, my worry about how this was holding up was more allayed than for other beers.  Initially, there is oak and quickly I learn that Collage #1 is still boozy after all these years.

Cherry and spice swirl around in pie formation but settle into the vicinity of a Flanders Red.  For a beer so old, it really tastes bright.  Not viscous or weird at all.  I probably should have sipped this a bit slower to look for more flavor adjectives but my surprise at its durability had me drinking it quicker.

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How Do You Pronounce?


Even though I am quick to point out when someone butchers the pronunciation of Oregon, I would be less speedy to correct those who have not encountered the word Deschutes Brewery before.

That being said, I wonder why this hasn’t been done before. Maybe it was planned for their East Coast operation and now is being used here. Either way, good to see another pilsner to choose from.

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Book Review – Bend Beer: A History of Brewing in Central Oregon

I read a lot. And I read a lot of beer books. What I have come to appreciate are the histories of the craft beer movement. Be it of a style, a brewery, or going up a rung, the larger, beer scene of a region.

Bend Beer – A History of Brewing in Central Oregon slots into that last history as author Jon Abernathy starts at the beginning of beer in Central Oregon and takes us up to just about before the sale of 10 Barrel Brewing to SABInBev.

Abernathy, the blogger behind the Brewsite beer blog has a tricky territory to cover. The City of Bend plus Sisters and Redmond just don’t have a lot of meat on the bone in regards to beer history. Partly due to population and also prohibition, the heat doesn’t really rise until the first mention of Deschutes Brewing.

Once that happens you almost need a genealogical chart to map out which people left Black Butte Porter behind and what brewery they started. For the most part, Abernathy doesn’t lose you in all of what I call the “begats”, the biblical dead spots where we learn who everyone’s ma and pa is.

It is fascinating to see how each brewery got started. Though I would have liked to see more about how the city and community played a part in the brewing evolution. Was Bend amenable politically to craft beer? Did they make it easy to open up shop? What beers did the people of Bend gravitate towards? Is there a discernible Bend terroir?

Unfortunately, Abernathy has already spent 1/2 the book before even getting to Gary Fish and Deschutes. But that is also the strength of the book, I am reeled in and want to know more and more. Let’s hope an updated version is around the corner.

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Review – Hopzeit Autumn IPA from Deschutes

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Instead of going straight to pumpkins let’s first review the new Hopzeit Autumn IPA from Deschutes Brewery. According to the Bend, Oregon brewery they were “inspired by a traditional Märzenbier, German hops add herbal, fruit and spice notes to balance the smooth and elegant malt character.”

This new seasonal is half dank and half Marzen. And neither half quite works for me. Too astringent by far with a weird bitter toast taste that veers into almost burnt toast territory. I love the label and the accompany marketing…
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…but the beer doesn’t showcase the highlights of both styles. As a test, to make sure, that it wasn’t just a long day of work that had me off-kilter, I also had an Oktoberfest bier and an IPA to see and came away more convinced that the right hop in the right amount wasn’t added to the autumn beer in this case.