When I pulled this bier out of the fridge, my first thought was “Herrnbräu? Wasn’t there already a Herrnbräu beer already?” To which the answer was yes, as bier #10 was also a Herrnbräu product, Tradition. It did not rank well on my rankings, and it was kind of like the Miller High Life of Germany; as in the cheap, easily drinkable beer that you drink after you’ve got your buzz going and you want to keep it going. It wasn’t terrible, but at the same time, it was entirely forgettable. If I didn’t write about it, I wouldn’t have been remotely close to recalling anything about it.
Regardless, I do not waste beer if I can help it, and perhaps this Jubiläums-Sud which looks like it says “Jubilation Suds” could redeem Herrnbräu and make me not feel critical that a box full of beers from a country that’s known for its beer production would dare to double dip to one company when there are probably hundreds to have chosen from.
I thought the can design was boring and the green and gold in the logo make me think of O’Douls, the shitty non-alcoholic beer, and the types of middle-aged white men who want to look like they’re partying but don’t have the cojones to actually drink. But that’s really where the criticisms end.
Cracking open the can, I’m met by an aroma that’s subtle but pleasant. Pouring it into my pint glass, I’m pleasantly surprised at the dark, caramel color that’s coming out, and my mind is immediately wondering, is this a dunkel? I don’t see the word dunkel or any variant of dunkel anywhere on the can, so I’m left wondering.
Intrigued, I bring the pint up to my lips and take a first taste, and I’m immediately greeted by a toasty flavor with not too much bitterness, and I’m fairly certain that this has to be a dunkel. BeerAdvocate says it is a dunkel, and I’m satisfied that I’m able to identify that on my own. Immediately my mind is placing this high on my rankings, and the real question is, is this the new #1? Bearjew Weisse just took the #1 spot two days ago, and already a strong competitor has come out of locker room and is threatening.
It’s kind of like when Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998 to set the all-time single-season record* and everyone’s all like this is a record that will never ever be broken, and then just three years later, a juiced out of his testicles Barry Bonds cranks out 73 home runs and McGwire’s place in history is kicked to the curb just like that.
Well, in spite of the poor showing by Herrnbräu a week ago with Tradition, they’ve not just redeemed themselves with Jubiliation Suds, but it’s also Barry Bonds and it’s the new #1 beer in my list, with six days to go. Bearjew McgWeisse can go lie to congress about being all-natural and get comfortable at the #2 spot now.
It’s got that almost sweet toasted caramel-ly flavor, it’s not too bitter, it goes down smooth, and it’s everything that I grew to love in dunkels while traversing through München and Wein. When I first embarked on this bier journey, I was really hoping that there would be some dunkels in the mix, and this is proof that they most certainly are worth the waiting out for.
Current Rankings:
- Jubilation Suds (#18)
- Bearjew Weisse (#16)
- First Coral (#2)
- Kirta (#5)
- Turbo Prop (#6)
- Schwarze Tinte (#13)
- Perlenzauber (#9)
- Loncium Vienna Style Lager (#12)
- Jubiläumsbier 333 (#7)
- Zwönitzer Steinbier (#4)
- Alpen Stoff (#17)
- Grandl (#11)
- Altbairisch Hell (#15)
- Hell (#1)
- Tannen Hell (#8)
- Tradition (#10)
- Hallertauer Hopfen-Cuvee (#14)
- Käuzle (#3)
