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This morning was the Oregon Brewers Festival Brunch and Parade. After a great brunch, where I had another Deschutes Miss Spelt with my eggs and bacon, everyone gathered together for the traditional parade through downtown Portland. It was a great time – marching the ceremonial first keg from Deschutes, past City Hall to pick up Portland Mayor Sam Adams (Yes, that’s his real name), and then going to the riverfront park for the tapping of the keg (see attached video clip from my phone).
They called the keg “Super Jube” and I was told it was Deschutes’ Jubilation, their holiday barleywine, but aged in this ceremonial keg for additional time. It was very cool to be able to go up and take a full glass, but it was in the 90’s that day, and a holiday barleywine was an interesting way to kick off the Oregon Brewers Festival.
As you can see, it had a deep brown, almost black color, with some ruby highlights in it when held up to the light. There was no noticeable carbonation in it at all. The aroma was sweet and malty.
It was fairly warm and had a pretty full body – almost syrupy. The flavors were very sweet and malty. There was a small bit of an alcohol warmth to it in the finish, but it was mostly the malty sweetness which lingered.
If I had to pair this with a food, I think it would probably be a pulled pork sandwich. I think it would add to the BBQ sauce flavor, but the bun would help to cut some of the thick sweetness. I probably wouldn’t have it without a glass of water nearby as well.
Overall, it was a an interesting beer, which probably would be good on a cold winter night, but on a hot summer day in the park, I found myself having trouble finishing it. It was just too big and sweet for me in that situation.
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