Maxlrainer Jubilator
Along with the bottle of Maxlrainer’s Leo Weisse that I reviewed the other day, I had also purchased a bottle of their doppelbock, Jubilator. Being a big fan of bocks and doppelbocks in general — Ayinger’s Celebrator is one of my all-time favorite beers — I was more interested in this 7.5% brew more so than I was the hefeweisen.
My fear was that my lofty expectations of any beer in a style that I love would get in the way of the one that I’m currently drinking. Luckily, that was not the case with Jubilator. It wasn’t as refined or as dynamic as Celebrator can often be, but it was darn tasty in its own right with plenty of earthy malt and moderate alcohol presence to warm on a cool Spring evening.
Appearance
Jubilator pours a brilliant mahogany in color with a dense and resilient cap of light tan foam.
Aroma
Earthy malt, light coffee, caramel, subtle brown sugar, grain and a touch of fruit (fig?, raisin perhaps).
Taste
As it should, the malt character of this beer dominates the flavor with a touch of earthiness and a light roast. Hints of caramel, toffee, fruit and brown sugar are also present and give the beer a uniqueness to separate it from its peers. As per the style, the beer has an appropriate warming glow and moderate sweetness that linger a bit in the slightly drying finish. It’s medium-to-full bodied.
Overall
This in certainly one of the more interesting doppelbocks that I’ve had in recent years. I can’t say that I’ve run across any examples of the style that had such a presence of brown sugar in the mix. It’s not overly strong, but it’s there and gives the beer an intriguing character. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will look to stock up on a few more bottles before they disappear from shelves.
Rating: 4/5
