Deschutes Brewery celebrates Jubelale’s 25th

It’s become a tradition for Deschutes Brewery: the release of its iconic seasonal beer Jubelale. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the beer.

Every Oct. 1, Deschutes Brewery throws a label release party at the brewpub on Bond Street.

Folks can meet the new artist, get an autograph and of course, drink the seasonal beer.

Every mid-September for the past 25 years, the special seasonal beer arrives on grocery shelves.

And for those trying it for the first time, it instantly becomes a classic.

“It’s dark, it’s got a heavy flavor,” said first-time Jubelale drinker. “I guess it’s now my second favorite, next to the Black Butte Porter. “It’s excellent, very nice.”

But with Jubelale, equally as important as the beer to some — the art on the label.

First brewed in 1988, a different label has been created by Oregon artists and chosen every year.

And this year’s pick goes to Bend’s Kaycee Anseth.

“I’m just so honored, I’m really, really honored,” Anseth said. “I’m getting such street cred with my beer-loving family.”

Anseth moved to Bend nine years ago and says Deschutes was the first beer she tried.

Her favorite has always been Jubeale.

“It tastes like fall to me,” Anseth said. “It’s really festive and warming, but refreshing and exciting at the same time.”

Anseth spent more than 300 hours making the 2012 design. It was inspired by her Norwegian heritage of “yulebaching.”

“I have some friends in a band and had them pose for me under a street light, and that’s just how the idea came about,” Anseth said. “The idea of caroling and playing pranks and having a good time in the snow.”

The tradition of picking a different style of art for each edition is especially true this year.

“Most people don’t realize that it’s a collage,” said Gary Fish, owner of Deschutes Brewery. “As much as they love the piece, they love the artwork, the movement, the feel, all of that, they don’t really understand the level of detail that has gone into it.”

Anseth took labels from all the past years of Jubelale as her raw ingredients, so to speak.

“Just cut them up, cut into pieces, picking out different colors,” Anseth said. “Little pieces that I liked that say festive winter ale, incorporated it in a really good way, piecing it together.”

“The finished piece speaks to the fact that this is completely unique, different and a remarkable level of quality that we are just completely excited about,” Fish said.

Jubelale is the most popular of the seasonal beers and has help become the anchor of the seasonal rotation.

The beer was Deschutes Brewery’s first-ever bottled beer and the first to be bottled at the Columbifacility.