HB Berchtesgaden: Jubilamsbier (German: Marzen: 5.1% ABV)
Visual: Darkened gold clear body. Lots of small bubbled carbonation. Large, slightly yellowed, mounded white head.
Nose: Vanilla custard. Cake sponge. Palma violets. Lightly fluffy. Toffee. Light hop oils.
Body: Sweet and thick. Oily feel. Charred oiliness over glacier cherries. Chocolate cake sponge. Fudge. Palma violets.
Finish: Hop oils. Shortbread. Crushed hard sugar coating off mini eggs. Oily, charred, bitterness. Burnt brown sugar. Nutty. Fatty butter.
Conclusion: Ok, not what I expected here. Aroma starts pretty gentle – vanilla, slightly fluffy, slightly oily. Definitely not light but has an easygoing vibe there.
So, then I take a sip and this body is thick and oily. For something that rocks in at just over 5% abv, this is so thick, so hop oils and – for a lager – heavy.
Initially on that first sip it seemed really sweet, but as it leads out it shows an oily charred finish which really lasts, leading to each further sip passing over that groundwork and creating a much more balanced sweet to charred character.
It is such a different beer over time, each left layer of the oily beer clings to your tongue and alters the balance for the next sip, so by the end, while there is some sweet residue, it is over a quite charred, bitter and even slightly nutty drink.
So, big question, is it any good? It is definitely interesting. Early on I would say good, pretty much most of the first half, but it gets a bit leaden by the end. Solid but not great, but could come across better if you limit yourself to a half I would think.
Background: This brewery was pointed out to me by Chris of Independent Spirit as a brewery in a tiny town below the mountains in Germany, and one that’s beers do not hit the UK much, so of course I grabbed a few bottles. I had tried their helles already, and decided to do notes on this, their anniversary beer, that was first brewed for the towns 900th anniversary in 2002. Not much else to add, for such a pretty town it appears to be, I went with Ulver: Neverland for backing music to get me in a similar head-space.
