The Official Deschutes Brewery Newsletter

Fall 2008 Vol. 20 No. 4

PDF Print Version | PDF Calendar Only

WHAT’S ON TAP
Our Tasty Cold Weather Seasonal are Back!
Start your hibernation right with Jubelale, Hop Trip and that velvety smooth elixir, The Abyss.

Jubelale. Every year, fall’s crisp, cool air signals the imminent arrival of winter. Thoughts of snow, friends and family, the holidays, and Jubelale come to mind. Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to inspire your taste buds, it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.

Each year the Brewery commissions a different Central Oregon artist to capture the essence of this winter seasonal beer. Pam Jersey Bird, of Sisters, Oregon, created the artwork that graces this year’s packaging, available exclusively for the holidays from October through December.

“Because Jubelale is ‘A Festive Winter Ale,’ I wanted to portray a scene that was lively and colorful, but also captured Central Oregon’s snowy climate,” says this year’s artist, Pam Jersey Bird. “I decided to focus on the river that is the namesake of the Brewery and also inspired the name of our town. Emphasizing the curve of the bank, I added snowflakes and ice crystals, which surround the blue moving waters of the Deschutes River.”

Jubelale employs an unprecedented amount of malt and whole flower hops to provide a rich flavor, perfectly matched for the cold weather and hearty foods of winter. The team at Deschutes recommends pairing Jubelale with strong flavored foods like roasted beef, root vegetables, and pumpkin pie. As the first beer ever bottled by Deschutes Brewery, 2008 marks the 21st version of this award-winning, seasonal favorite.

“Jubelale is one of our most anticipated releases of the year,” says Deschutes Brewery Founder and President, Gary Fish. “The beer is always amazing, but part of the appeal is seeing the new label for the first time each year – it’s like unwrapping your first holiday gift of the season.”

Hop Trip.  Deschutes Brewery’s fresh hop pale ale, Hop Trip, returns to a Bond Street Series bottle this fall for its fourth installment. The much-anticipated arrival of the just-picked fresh hops summons a strikingly unique aroma around the Brewery only once a year, when the brewers utilize the bounty of hops from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

A perennial favorite, this year’s release marks a milestone in the history of Hop Trip. The fresh Crystal hops chiefly responsible for Hop Trip’s wonderful flavor and aroma are now certified Salmon-Safe! The Sodbuster Farm, our source for fresh Crystal hops, went the extra mile to obtain official Salmon-Safe recognition. Salmon-Safe practices keep Pacific Northwest rivers clean for native salmon to spawn and thrive.

“Healthy rivers are very important to us at Deschutes, especially since it’s one of the main sources we tap into to make great beer. If we didn’t have clean rivers, our beer and the craft beer industry in Oregon wouldn’t be where it is today,” says Gary Fish, founder of Deschutes Brewery.

Hops in abundance prepare Hop Trip to be versatile enough to pair with a variety of foods, from the traditional burger to seafood scampi and Bolognese based pastas.

The Abyss.  It is with great pleasure that Deschutes Brewery announces the third release of its magnificent imperial stout, The Abyss! Available late November, just in time for the holidays, The Abyss will pair perfectly with that warm piece of pumpkin pie. Make sure you leave room! It can be found in limited supply in wax dipped 22-ounce bottles.

A Jubelale Conundrum
By Amos A. Amarillo

This reporter was stunned last week. As the twenty-first edition of the celebrated Jubelale returned to gladden hearts, minds, and taste buds near and wide, the rumor spread that Deschutes Brewery had reached an obscurely related, yet separate milestone: a single tour guide had been asked 1,196 times ‘why Jubelale tastes different every year?’ and ‘if the recipe changes?’. How could so many folks wonder about the very same thing?

Clearly there was a worthy story here, bubbling up from the depths of a fermentation vessel somewhere. It would just require some “swimming”. With all the fervor I could muster, I tracked down the venerable Brewmaster of Deschutes Brewery, Larry Sidor. I found him plotting the next amazing elixir from the Brewery. When asked about Jubelale, he smiled. It is a question he frequently encounters.

“It’s complicated,” he responded. He explained that our experience with any beer is a combination of ingredients and process. Malted barley and hops are organic materials, subject to minute changes in their overall characteristics and internal chemistry over time. From one growing season to the next, even. This natural drift presents a brewer with challenges and choices where consistency is concerned, especially when creating the same seasonal beer every year. Additionally, the quality and freshness of hops and malted barley continues to improve. Sidor says (with great pleasure), “every year the consumer is seeing fresher hops. The alternative is dull and cheesy.”

Add this to the equation...a beer making process constantly evolving. Equipment upgrades, process improvements, and wisdom gained from experience require adaptation as well. “It’s a perfection process,” Sidor says. He reiterated that the Brewery strives to create the same beer every year.

This reporter sensed this was not the whole story though. An examination of the question from a somewhat intangible perspective cannot be discounted . Beer as social phenomenon. The suggestion brought a gleam to Sidor’s eyes. He is well aware that people talk about Jubelale. They seem to congregate around it like a campfire. Whereas many beers are along for the ride, mere accessory, Jubelale is often the reason for a gathering and/or the evening’s activity. Another retired tour guide, when asked about the winter seasonal, mused, “Jubelale is a sexy beer. People remember it in a way unlike any other beer we make.”

What about memory? Are our memories of last year’s Jubelale really that accurate? One is compelled to wonder (and factor in how much Jubelale we actually consumed last season). Our palette undergoes change as well.

Start with Jubelale. Add always improving ingredients and process. Multiply by social phenomenon. Divide by imperfect memory. Then subtract the square root of a few taste buds. The answer is further away and muddier then where this reporter began. Maybe it is better not to know. Maybe a little mystery is a good thing. What’s that line about India, “...it is a conundrum, wrapped in a riddle, clouded in mystery...”? Or something like that. We do know Jubelale is delicious every year. And we look forward to it almost as soon as it disappears.

…Oh by the way…if you have a burning beer question like the Jubelale conundrum, drop my editor a line at efrank@deschutesbrewery.com. He might just publish it….

New Web Site & Blog 

Deschutesbrewery.com is getting an extreme make-over! If all goes well, it should be live by the time you read this. But if we encounter some bumps along the way, subscribe to our online newsletter to be the first to find out when it launches. Some new bells & whistles to look out for: the Deschutes Brewery Blog, providing real-time news, Near & Far photo gallery, Twitter, a “what’s on tap” page for both pubs and food pairings.

MIKE’S ANGLE
The History of Hops, Part One

The history of the origin of hops is clouded in mystery. Some say that they were discovered by a Hopi Indian and got their name when he tripped over a bine (that's right: bine not vine) and jumped several times on one foot to regain his balance (this is also where we got the name for our beer, Hop Trip). It is said that the Hopis also invented the game of Hopscotch - though they prefer beer.

Another theory is that they were discovered on the Ionian Islands of Greece by Hoples (hop'-leez), son of Ion, and secretly smuggled to Hopei, China. They were later brought to the west by Johns Hopkins in the late 1700’s and then again in the early 1900’s by William Frederick Hoppe, the famed billiards player.

Hops have had a major influence on world culture. They are celebrated in the highly respected Ukrainian dance the "Hopak" as well as the American Sock Hops of the fifties (based on the Hop Sock, a device for filtering freshly-brewed beer). The Hopkinsian philosophy veered from Calvinism as a direct result of a late night pub crawl in search of a hoppier beer.

Even our language has been affected by the discovery of hops. How often do we hear about "hopped-up hopheads hop, skipping and jumping like a hoppled hoptoad" or hear the word "fuggle" in casual conversation?
So let's lift a glass in honor of the glorious hop, even though we're not really sure what it is or where it came from.

Editor's note: After some brief research, it was discovered that the article above was entirely made up by the author about two minutes before deadline - except the part about the bines.

BEND
The Luckiest Lager: German lager yeast and ingredients brewed like an IPA (lots of everything!)
Wild Plum Stout: Stout brewed with sour wort and tart wild plums
Cream Ale: Session ale brewed with oats, honey malt, and flaked barley
Quail Springs IPA: “old familiar” English-Style IPA!
Old Sam Hain (Sah-win): Nitro beer brewed for Halloween

FROM THE PUB KITCHEN
Inversion IPA BBQ Chicken
Serves 4

4 each ½ chicken
2 bottles Inversion IPA
2 cups orange juice
2 sprigs fresh thyme
10 coriander seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Water
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups barbecue sauce

Place chicken in a large stock pot with Inversion IPA, orange juice, thyme, coriander, and red chili flakes. Add water until chicken is just covered. Bring liquid and chicken to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until just cooked. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from liquid and let set for 5 minutes. Combine paprika, cayenne, sage, black pepper, and salt, and rub chicken with the mixture. Place chicken on grill and cook on each side for 5 minutes. Brush barbecue sauce onto chicken and grill for an additional 3 minutes.

UPCOMING BEER & FOOD PAIRING DINNER

Fresh Hop Beer Tasting
Saturday, October 18th
Doors open at 6:30 PM
$35 per person - Includes food, all beers, and gratuity.

Featuring 7 Deschutes Brewery fresh hop beers:
Hop Trip, Mt. Angel, Super Galena, Sodbuster, Goschie’s Sterling Ale, a “wet hop dry-hopped” Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and Mirror Pond Pale Ale made with fresh hops.
And....
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes with Ham (and a vegetarian friendly version too)
Roasted Fall Vegetables with Fresh Herbs
Braised Beef Short Ribs on Pumpkin Puree
Assorted Breads, Spreads & Crudités
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Wheat Malt Crust Drizzled with Fresh Wort Caramel

Please contact Sharon McMorris at 541.385.8606 for reservations.

4th Annual Bethlehem Inn Benefit Beer Dinner
Saturday, November 8th
Doors open at 6:00 PM, Dinner at 6:30 PM
$80 per person - Includes all food, all beverage, and gratuity.

All proceeds donated to the Bend Bethlehem Inn.

Featured guest chefs:
Justin Cook ~ Kanpai Sushi & Sake Bar
Jody Denton ~ Merenda
Marcos Rodriguez ~ Hola!

Plated Appetizer ~ Kanpai Sushi & Saki Bar
Fermented Black Bean & Demi Braised
Beef Short Ribs
Paired with Spencer’s Gold

Entrée One ~ Hola!
Fresh Pacific Prawns Crusted with Quinoa
Served with Causa Morado & Sofrito
Paired with Rooster Cream Ale

Entrée Two ~ Deschutes Brewery
Rack of Lamb Stuffed with
Wilted Chard, Spinach, Feta, and Fennel
Served with Lemon-Oregano Roasted Potatoes
Paired with Jubelale

Dessert ~ Merenda / Deep
Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with
Caramelized Bananas and Espresso Toffee
Paired with Black Butte XX

Please contact Sharon McMorris at 541.385.8606 for reservations.

Deschutes Brewery Annual Garage Sale
Saturday, Nov 22nd
Noon – 4:00 pm
901 SW Simpson – BEND

-In Conjunction With-

Fundraiser Bake Sale
Saturday, Nov 22nd
Noon – 4:00 pm
901 SW Simpson – BEND
All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation
Stop by and pick up some delectable treats for the family – we’ll also be accepting orders for Thanksgiving baked goods!

Please contact Sharon McMorris at 541.385.8606 for more information

NEAR & FAR (last hard copy edition)
From somewhere off the coast of Turkey to Stonehenge. Did someone say turkey? (Check out the pdf version for all of the stories and photos.)