Old Jubilation - Avery Brewing Company

aristeros

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I'm fond of several Avery brews and was interested in trying this one.

Pours a cola brown with ruby highlights, yieldingh one finger of head and mild carbonation present. Decent retention and lacing on the head. Smells of caramel, with light coffee and rum notes. No hops in the nose.

Toasted caramel and creamed coffee up front, with some cocoa notes. Medium-bodied with a 'chewy' texture. There's a little hop bitterness, about on par with an ESB, and a dry finish. There are a few warm alcohol notes on the back end.

Excellent drinkability for the style. Moderate alcohol presence is somewhat masked, and a six pack of these would make for a nice, relaxing evening indeed. The beer has character, though I was expecting something sweeter, darker, and even heavier.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 02:39:44 | More by aristeros

Stunner97

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- dark dark brown with thick foamy tan head and small amounts of carbonation to be seen streaming slowly up the glass

Smell- very nice mix of malty sweet nose with faint hop kick at the end, candied chocolate sweet nose

Taste- wow i really absolutely enjoyed the flavor profile of this beer it starts off very sweet and malty, with chocolate malt tones up front but this finish has nice hop bitterness and drying nature keeping it so nicely inn check, lovely balance

Mouthfeel- medium to heavy bodied with crisp drying finish

Drinkability/overall- i very much did enjoy this beer you appreciate the dryness as it build up more and more as you go, this is overall a very nice beer with great balance, i think i have to now start searching out many more old ales as right now this style of beer is just hitting me so perfect this winter

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 05:25:11 | More by Stunner97

stumac

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at my job. Pours up a mahogany clear coloration with an extremely nice off white head. Stayed with it throughout the entire ride. Good lacing. Reminds me of your mom. Aroma is malts and spices. Taste is the same but bigger, also caramel, some kind of nut, floral and slight citrus hops. Crispy carbo. Medium leaning light bodies. Easy, tasty, ive been a fan of Avery for many years now. I dig this winter brew

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 04:32:13 | More by stumac

weeheavybutdieting

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter at 62 degrees (really important to note because this beer changes characteristics as the temp changes, I like it warm to bring out the malty, sweet goodness.)

A: A dark mahogany with a nice clingy lacing of the head. It travels well up the glass and looks like an old ale/winter ale should. Shimmer that lace in front of fireplace you will be in a really good place.

S: Roasted malty goodness. Not over the top but all about chocolate notes, none of the burnt smoky aroma. Not complex but if you love chocolate malt like I do it is perfect.

T: A drinkable beer for the specific gravity. It carries the chocolate lightly roasted taste well upfront. It trails off into a nice lighter carmel taste and ends with just a hint of hops (really just barely) on the tip of the tongue and the back of the roof of the mouth.

M: For a big sweet sticky beer this does a great job of making it feel less big and sticky. To the point that you can down a couple of these and your lips won't stick to the bar on the way to the floor.

O: If you are looking for a beer to ruminate about for hours on end about how it is like an onion that you peel and there is another layer then you ain't gonna dig this beer. If you are looking for an Old Ale/Winter Warmer that is all about comfort food like rich, sweet, malty goodness with a cleansing aftertaste then pull up a stool and grab a glass. This puppy is going to warm your tummy on a cold winter's night.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 01:42:29 | More by weeheavybutdieting

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams "Perfect Pint" glass. 2012 Bottle.

Appearance: Pours a deep mahogany amber with a lot of rising bubbles. Big three finger off white head with good retention. Leaves a good amount of lacing clinging to the glass.

Smell: A deep malty and nutty aroma. Toasted malts with big hints of bready biscuit, toast, caramel, toffee, and some chocolate and hazelnut. A fair amount of brown sugar. Subtle undertones of fruits including citrus orange and dark figs and raisin. A little hint of smoke along with some earthy hops. Not really any spices, just a good malt aroma.

Taste: It the smell indicates, a good mix of baked bready malt flavors. Toasted malts with a good taste of baked biscuit, toast, yeast, caramel, toffee, and hazelnuts with some nice notes of cocoa. Mild sweet presence of brown sugar and some subtle smoke. Some fruit undertones with some light citrus orange and a good dose of raisin, fig, and prune. Moderate amount of earthy hops adds some drying bitterness in the finish. Its the bready malts that shine the most.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, toasty, and fairly drying in the finish. Alcohol is hidden very well.

Overall: A very good winter beer. Really nice use of malts that give a complex mix of flavors. Sweetness and body is just right.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 07:19:50 | More by MattyG85

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This bold holiday seasonal presents a deep, reddish-mahogany body topped by a frothy light-tan head that holds well and leaves some interesting Brussels lace throughout the glass. The nose is somewhat limited but reveals a sweet grainy malt, some dark fruitiness (raisins, prune), and a touch of floral hoppiness. The body is full with an exceptionally fine carbonation that caresses the tongue before becoming nicely creamy. The flavor is quite rich with a chocolatey note that's entwined with threads of soft dark fruit (raisins, plum, red grape) and balanced by an understated bitterness. The long finish lingers with residual semi-sweet & lightly chocolatey malt, a drying touch of alcohol, some thin hop flavor, and a light bitterness. Very nicely done with alot of character and a very good drinkability despite it's full maltiness and strength.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2003 18:56:54 | More by NeroFiddled

Gusler

Arizona

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught @ Papago
Another great beer I’ve only had in bottles, so it’s always nice to sample the Tap/Cask versions, and it was with great anticipation I sampled this excellent beer from one of America’s best breweries.

On the pour a transparent bruin with a majestic crown of creamy head that is a beauteous beige color and the lace an all encompassing sheet to obscure the glass. The hop floral aroma greets you first, followed by the fresh and slightly earthy malt sweetness; also a fine brandy like top also present in this magnificent nose, start is ambrosial, rich in malt, with the top middling to full in its feel. Finish is moderate in acidity, the hops forceful in their spicy presence, bittersweet aftertaste ends this great work of the brewer’s art, with each new beer I sample from this brewery, my admiration grows by leaps and bounds.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2003 16:07:12 | More by Gusler

meathookjones

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This one pours a dark mahogany color with a good-sized tan head. The head retains for most of the beers life and leaves rings of lace around the glass that melt away. Sweet malts are in the air with this, dark fruits, caramel and molasses are the main contributors to this sweet aroma. There is also slight earthy hop notes appearing here and there as this one was put down. Taste mimics the aroma in most ways with the sweetness hitting you first and strongest with the same fruity and caramel malt flavors with an earthy hop tone keeping it from being overly sweet. As this one warms and you consume more subtle complexities start coming out with various spices and flavors coming forward. There is a slight bitterness to the finish and a pleasant lingering taste as well. Excellent mouthfeel here with every sip covering your mouth with a thick, rich and creamy taste. Drinkability is high as well as only trace signs of the high alcohol content can be found in this. Highly recommend for the strong ale lovers out there. Another surprisingly great brew from Avery, but at this point in not as much a surprise.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2004 22:31:11 | More by meathookjones

allengarvin

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12-ounce bottle, served in a bulbed chalice glass.

Appearance: Deep, dark ruby tint, with a small creamy head of froth.

Aroma: Lot of malt in the aroma, slightly roasted.

Flavor/Body: Huge malt up front (chocolate, roasted caramel, some nutty notes). Rich fruit tones (raisin, perhaps plum). Hop bitterness balances the malt quite well; hop flavor is very low, and bitterness doesn't overwhelm. Body is high, and texture is oily. Long warm finish.

Very good strong autumn beer. Now that I've finished reviewing it, I have a plate of Borough Market farmhouse stilton that I think should go perfect with it. Mmmm.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2004 01:24:00 | More by allengarvin

BrewMan13

New York

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

One of the finer alternatives to the spiced winter warmers, and its new to my neck of the woods. Its sorta similar to Great Divide Hibernation: both are fairly malty, un-spiced, similar abv's and tasty. This one is a tad less hoppy though.
The pour was a thing of beauty: I poured fairly aggressively and got a ~2.5 finger tan-colored head (very similar to the pic on their site, only mine didnt go above the rim of the glass) which was slow to dissipate, with some remaining for the whole duration of the drinking. Substanital lace as well. Body was a clear but dark ruby-brown.
Taste is a well-blended array of malts...hard to really discern the individual flavors...hints of caramel, chocolate and in the finish, a hint of roastiness and a very slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel is just right as well...a very creamy, smooth mouthfeel. Not full bodied, but a solid medium. Very nice.
Very enjoyable...one for the malt-fans. Glad we finally got Avery stuff here in Albany. I've got The Czar and The Reverand yet to try in my basement...should be good.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2006 04:57:29 | More by BrewMan13

dsa7783

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Single, twelve-ounce bottle purchased from Palisade Liquors in Jersey City...
Appearance: Dark-brown, light-purple, maroon pour with an enormous frothy head that exhibited impressive staying power...
Smell: Thick malts in the nose, with hints of caramel spices...
Taste: This is what a true winter-warmer should be... Thick, rich flavor, with hints of caramel, ginger spices, nutmeg, and cinnamon...
Very thick, full-bodied mouthfeel with a great level of drinkability to match for a hefty 8% ABV...
Recommended...

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 01:14:42 | More by dsa7783

thespaceman

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Deep mahogany in color, decent size head with very good retention and sticky lacing.

Smell: A deep malt characteristic that is muted by a decent hop bite in the front, a bit of dark fruit (plum) and some buttered toastiness in the backround.

Taste: Didn't expect such a good roasted characteristic from the smell but WOW. This one is nice and roasty and malty. A subtle richness blended with some chocolate hue, caramel, toffee, honey and nut. Nice malt to hop combination, none overpowers the other.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth and decadent. This one has decent carbonation, the body stays right in tact. For a warmer this one has just the right amount of thickness to make it a pretty enjoyable to session.

Drinkability: I love how sessionable this one is, it's got great flavoring with the mix of spices and malt, yet the hops aren't muted too much, still prevalent to make it a bit bitter but boisterous on the tongue. An excellent winter warmer at 8.00ABV that nails down exactly what a good warmer should be like. Kudos to Avery.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 00:48:58 | More by thespaceman

ybnorml

Rhode Island

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A clean dark brown beer. Has a nice creamy beige head and leaves good lace. The aroma has a nice sweet spice character. With a sweet toffee note and a good backbone of spice. As it warms notes of cinnamon, allspice and clove wander through the aroma. As the beer hits your mouth it is filled with flavor. Sweet toffee, spices, coffee and tobacco all run all over your tongue. Then there is a nice dry hop bitterness on the finish. This is a great winter treat.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 21:27:14 | More by ybnorml

hwwty4

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2008 vintage, stored at 42 degrees in my kegerator since I've bought it this December.

Old Jubilation pours a dark coffee bean brown with ruby highlights when held up to the light. With a normal pour, this beer produces an immaculate 3 inch latte beige head that leaves just a slight bit of sticky lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma is immense. Notes of caramel, coffee, and burnt malts dominate with dark fruits finishing. The flavor follows suit but much more complex. Hazelnut is right there, with caramel, toffee, roasted malts, toast, dates, and just a bit of vanilla. This is really a great tasting beer. I don't know if its the fact its been sitting for close to 6 months now and has really come together or it is that great. I think I'll have to re review when it comes out again in November. The mouthfeel is full, leaving a latte froth creaminess lingering on the palate. This is a very good beer. I find Avery beers really hit and miss. This would definitly fall under the hit moniker.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2009 02:10:13 | More by hwwty4

ksimons

New York

4.29/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A-very dark brown with ruby highlights and a fingers worth of cream head

S-rich malt, caramel, light dark fruit of cherries and plums, and getting some light chocolate notes

T-taste matches the smell very well. Malt is dominant with caramel. Getting some dark fruits as the beer warms and light hop bitterness to finish it out.

M-very nice mouthfeel, solid medium body and good carbonation

Overall even though this beer isn't classified as a winter warmer, to me this is what all winter warmers should taste like. Really nice drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 22:29:37 | More by ksimons

maybrick

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Now this is one I could drink all darn day! Beautiful. Pours with a nice head. Head doesn't hold that long which invites a lot of swirling of the glass. The nose is exquisite. Spicy, sweet, a real nice blend of aromas.

On to the good stuff, the taste! Wonderful, bold, and quite complex. Very balanced between hop, malt and yeasts. This is one smooth brew. Did I say great color? Well it's richly dark and mysterious. I'll be buying more of this stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2003 14:50:29 | More by maybrick

clvand0

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Rich O's Public House. Pours a medium brown color with a tall head and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma has lots of citrus hops but also has a nice malty backbone. The flavor has a great caramel malt character, but is joined by the citrus hop flavors. More hoppy than expected, but very well balanced. Very enjoyable. Drinkability is great for an 8% brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2005 23:28:34 | More by clvand0

Maestro

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This was a nice suprise. The big, bubbly head turns into a thick, whipped lacing. The color is dark red/brown and only allows a small bit of light to shine through. The nose is a sweet, malty sensation that lets the slightest breath of hops come through. The first taste reveals all sorts of flavors...chocolate, raisin, fig and apple come to mind. The "Jubilation" is evident as the alcohol makes itself known rather quickly. Definitely a sipper. The flavors become more pronounced as the beer warms. This is a great winter warmer!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2005 00:56:46 | More by Maestro

cubedbee

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown with hues of red, two fingers of a beige head that quickly subsides to a small cap,and some great lacing. Aroma was sweet molasses, caramel, plums, and other dark fruits with a nice dose of grapefruit hops coming through, an indication of what is to come. Taste has a nice sweet complexity upfront, with hints of figs, prunes, roasted malt, nuts, and toffee followed by a big dose of piney resinous hops and a slight alcohol taste on the finish. This is a lot more hopped than most Winter Warmers I've had, and in this case it really turns out well, since the balance is right on. Medium bodied and very drinkable for it's alcohol level. I'll have to pick one up in season to compare against this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2005 17:55:45 | More by cubedbee

TripelJ

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Now Quaffing: Avery Old Jubliation

A careful pour yields a healthy white head atop the sea of deep, clear crimson. Aroma is full of malt and I kept getting hits of gingerbread. Taste is surprisingly and pleasingly balanced coming from Avery. Starts sweet and finishes with slight tartness. Mouthfeel is fairly full and slightly creamy. The carbonation is soft and the alcohol is barely noticable in the taste. Good drinkability for an 8% brew. I could enjoy a few of these without too much protest on a chilly winter night.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2005 01:31:38 | More by TripelJ

cheers2beers

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: The color is a deep dark ruby with a thin quarter inch cream colored head. This beer also provides us with a minimal amount of laceing and a shower of beads floating to the top.

Smell: The aromas are sweet nectars but yet not fruity, maybe just a sweetened maltiness that seems to have some fruits in it. A subtle hops is delightfully noted. No alcohol comes to mind but im sure its there.

Taste: Yes the the alcohol is there,but not abrassive at all. As a matter of fact, it blendes quite nicely with the sweetness coming from the toffeeish and brown sugared malts with a very quaffable hop bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The feel is in between medium and thick. It is slick, olily, and goes down very smooth. High amount of carbonation seems to be a plus for me, cause i tend to like this almost spritzy feel.

Drinkability: Wow! I must say this is a good beer, and i'll definitely have to put this in my winter rotation. Another great beer Avery has provided us with.


Cheers2Beers

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 23:50:18 | More by cheers2beers

AltBock

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle with a label that just screams out Christmas! It's this beautiful painting (couldn't find the name of the painter) of a mid 19th century moonlit Christmas night in where 2 people are on a horse drawn sleigh going to this big Southern style home to spend Christmas night and morning with the relatives. I just noticed that there are 2 people running beside the horse drawn sleigh. Either they don't want to be on it or the 2 people on it can't control it and those 2 people running by it jumped off ASAP, so that they don't get mangled in the sleigh accident. In front of the house it looks like the rest of the family has arrived to spend the night. No need to worry because that house can house the entire family and the whole US Army at the same time. It's that big. On the far left of the picture is a small house that I guessing is used to house the farm equipment or the servants. On the outskirts of the label to the right is the barcode and Government warning and to the left is just the address of Avery Brewing. What I couldn't explain was that at the bottom of the label is the words "Yeah, it is." I have no idea what that means or why it's even there. Avery didn't ask any questions on the label, so why is that there? It makes no sense right now. There is no back label or neck label that gives any information about the beer or any kind of brewing or best before date for that matter. I guess the picture is made to say it all, "drink it with family members during Christmas and you express great joy."

Appearance: The beer looked so nice in an Avery pint glass on their website, that I too had to put it in a standard American pint glass. I didn't have an Avery pint glass, so I had to use a Bell's Brewery pint glass. Same thing, different label. The beer looks much nicer in real life than on a website page. The beer was a dark mahogany brown with plenty of cranberry red highlights all through out the beer. If that wasn't enough, it had a long lasting beige head of foam that left tons of beige colored sticky lace around the glass. The beer looked just as nice as the label on the bottle did.

Smell: At first I noticed that it had a strange aroma of rusted barley with some citrus hops in the background. When it warmed up a bit, the rusted barley dissipated and turned itself into roasted malts. Quite a change. After the roasted malts left, some juicy fruits, citrus hops, and a pinch of coffee beans and caramel came through. It was pretty good, but that first aroma of rusted barley ruined it for me.

Taste: I'm glad that no rusted barley made it's appearance in the taste. That would have been bad. The first of the aroma to come through was some dark roasted malts. Then after that was the dark roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, nuts, bitter citrus hops, a splash of toffee, and just a tiny hint of caramel and alcohol at the end. Tons and tons of roasted flavors in this beers. If you like roasted flavors in your Winter Warmer, then you need to drink this beer immediately. For some reason I was expecting this beer to be something different than roasted flavors, but let's just say that I'm pleasantly surprised.

Mouthfeel: This one was medium bodied, smooth, and with an aftertaste of those many dark roasted flavors that were the main staple of the taste. I couldn't taste or feel any of the alcohol here. The only time I noticed it was here was at the end of the taste and even that was on the small end.

Drinkability: A great label on the bottle doesn't make for a great beer, but this one did. The dark roasted flavors can warm you up on a very cold day. Would I drink this again? I sure would, even in the summer time I could drink this beer. Is this another good Avery beer? Yeah, it is! If you like malty roasty winter warmers, then this is the beer you should pick up.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2007 21:12:21 | More by AltBock

awall422

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a beautiful deep red with an inch head that had good staying power and left nice lacing all the way down the pint. Aroma was failry sweet. Initial taste is almost, but not quite cloyingly sweet, with hints of raisins and prunes on the finish. The alcohol shows itself just a bit in heat, but just enough to make this a real "warming" winter ale. One of the best winter beers I've had, must find more!

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 14:09:55 | More by awall422

redmagik99

California

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured almost black but not quite. not much head. smelled like a lot of hops and a little spicy, some plum-like fruittyness. i havent had many of the winter warmer style, but this brew was a lot hoppier than i expected. to the ipa level even. this is not a bad thing, as i love hops, but while the beer was still cold the spices were barely detectable at all. as it warmed a bit of cinnamon emerged, and thats about all. tasted like a victory hop devil but with a more snappy spice taste. regardless, though, this one was real tasty. effectively hidden alcohol, low carbonation, and a medium body makes it dangerously drinkable. wish i picked up a 6 pack instead of a single 12 oz. recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2007 17:24:18 | More by redmagik99

srandycarter

California

4.28/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown, off white small head, leaves to disk fast. Some clingy lacing.

S - Deep bready malt and some spice.

T - Full bodied rounded malt taste with some spice added.

M - Round, good balance. Nice carb. Pretty thick, too.

D - For the style, would take some to get tired.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 04:59:40 | More by srandycarter