During a recent visit to the local Wegman’s Wine and Spirits Shoppe, I noticed that they had quite a few winter type Ales in the “build your own six pack” section of the Craft Beer aisle. While there were several that I’ve had before and decided to buy again (i.e. Smuttynose Winter Ale and Anchor Brewing’s Our Special Ale), I also noticed one or two that were new to me. Given the reasonable price for the Wegman’s mixed six option (a mere $11!), I simply couldn’t resist picking up the bottle of Avery Old Jubilation Ale that you see in the above photo.
Before we get to my review, here are a few words about this beer taken directly from the Avery Brewing Company website:
Our winter strong ale has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts.
And now for my thoughts on this interesting sounding beer…
- Appearance: Dark reddish brown color. Not much in the way of head or lacing.
- Aroma: Lightly spiced with a hint of nutmeg. Quite sweet smelling overall. Getting some toffee or caramel scents with maybe a touch of candied orange peel too.
- Taste: Lightly carbonated with a creamy texture. Oodles of sweet malt with lots of that caramel/toffee richness going on. A very subtle nutmeg spice shows up as you approach the finish. A touch of bitterness at the end, but it’s overshadowed by the sweet malts.
- ABV: 8.3%
According to the Avery website, this beer is an English Old Ale. I have no clue what that means, but I will say this: Old Jubilation is positively delicious! They say English Old Ale, but to me, this beer reminds of a Belgian Dubbel. Whatever it is, I really enjoyed it. Definitely one to sip and savor on a cold winter night. I highly recommend that you give this one a try.
