My final print article for 2020 is out today, in which I explore a once-in-a-decade beer with Super Jubel from Deschutes Brewery. I dip into a bit of the history behind the beer (stolen keg! Frozen Jubelale!) and review this year’s version.

When I interviewed Deschutes’ original brewmaster, John Harris, in 2014, he recounted the story behind the break-in and the brew. “They busted in, stole my stereo, stole a keg of Jubel, and stole a tri-tip out of the kitchen,” said Harris. The thieves discovered that full kegs are heavy — too heavy to make it far on foot.

The thieves stashed the keg in the snow under an old loading dock, presumably with the intent to retrieve it later. Fish and Harris were walking to the pub when they discovered it. Harris realized that it hadn’t yet been tapped, and that they could get to the beer inside. He recalled saying, “Gary! I think it’s the missing keg! This could be awesome!”

The sub-freezing temperature had frozen the water in the beer and effectively ice-distilled it, concentrating the flavor and alcoholic strength. The team loved the resulting brew, so much so that brewer Tim Gossack (now production manager at Bell’s Brewery in Michigan) hauled another keg of Jubelale to the roof a few days later, in the hopes of freezing it to produce more.

I also featured the beer on the Beer Advent Calendar this year, and it’s just an all-around good beer with which to see off this weird, crazy year.