Day 13 of the 7th Annual Holiday Beer Advent-ure Calendar
Day 13: Braxton Brewing Company Jubilee Hoppy Holiday “Extra” IPA
This is another acquisition from Scott and Christa when they were in Cincinnati. We’re not sure if we’ve had other Braxton beers, besides this one that’s been on the calendar before. Maybe last year? Who knows, what is time. At any rate, we’re back to another IPA! “Jubilee is a hop-forward holiday treat sure to make your celebration extra merry and bright…It features strong citrus and tropical fruit aromas, flavors including orange, tangerine, mango, and pineapple with subtle fresh pine notes as well as a clean, soft finish.”
Reflections
Ben: I enjoy this, but I can totally see why someone would hate it. It’s quite bitter, but I find it refreshing. There’s just enough malt backbone to balance it out. It’s also quite boozy at 8%, so I’d probably only be able to drink one in a night. It’s good enough that I’ll be looking for more swill from Braxton if they happen to make it up to Cleveland.
Julia: Nope, not for me at all. I was worried about going into this because it smells SO hoppy. Well, it also tastes even hoppier. It’s so bitter and a tad piney and very dry. It’s also somehow tastes weirdly malty and kind of sweet. I think we had this last year and I probably said the exact same thing. I would reach for the other IPAs we’ve had on the calendar before I would try this one again
Adam: Mele Kalikimaka | Hawaiian pine | deliciously bright | delightfully snappy
Alex: Braxton Brewing Co’s Jubilee Hoppy Holiday Ale is crisp and delicious. It definitely has a wintry pine taste that could qualify it as a holiday beer. I would definitely drink it again.
Scott: The Braxton Brewing Holiday Ale is delicious. It’s a really, really well-balanced holiday IPA with both maltiness and the dryer, IPA flavors that I haven’t experienced yet this advent-ure. I’ve had this before and I thought it was much sweeter, but I’m happy to report this batch is sweet enough and is just an excellent overall beer.
Christa: Hoppy Holidays! I freaking love this beer. If you aren’t into hops, this beer isn’t for you but it’s most definitely for me. I know it’s been said, you try one IPA, you’ve tried them all but this one is a holiday stand out because yes, it’s a very hoppy, malty traditional IPA, but it’s got holiday pine notes that don’t get lost. Shout out to Kentucky for finally doing a single thing right.
Tony: Little full, a lot of foam…I dont claim to be a beer expert by any means but I don’t recall seeing the term “Extra IPA” before. This one is pretty extra though. Extra carbonation creating some extra foam and the flavor is extra hoppy. I get a little of the citrus and pine but this one is too hoppy for me. It doesn’t feel like a holiday beer to me either. If you like IPAs than an extra IPA will probably be right up your alley but its just not my personal taste preference. I would pass on this one. Curious to see what the rest of the group thinks because I know we have some IPA fans in the group.
Megan: A very light pour, this one smells SUPER hoppy. To be honest, I can’t smell anything past the hops which is disappointing because I feel like we’ve had other IPAs where I can gleam some other notes or aromas. This feels like a light and dry IPA so I don’t think I would be the biggest fan, but that’s just personal taste. The can design is classic and I always appreciate a description of flavors, so points added there.
Brad: I really like this extra hoppy IPA. It is definitely extra hoppy. Zero part of this beer aside from the can screams “holiday” beer. It mentions a pine flavor which is there but not enough to be a holiday ale. I still enjoy it though.
Heather: Welp, I looked at the can and saw “extra IPA” and immediately said some rather un-Christmassy words. But, here’s the twist: I actually didn’t hate it as vehemently as I expected. It doesn’t eat at my tongue as much as most IPAs do. Did it go OVER the bell curve of hoppiness for me? Maybe. More likely, I’ve had too many beers tonight and I lost a few taste buds. But it’s still not a fave — super citrusy and piney, like I’m licking a pine cone that someone sprayed with orange Fabreeze. But hey, some people like that sort of thing so if that’s your jam, grab one of these and have at it.