Cherries Jubelale from Deschutes Brewery has notes of cherry pits and light vanilla, and an overall taste reminiscent of a light Manhattan cocktail.

Deschutes Brewery is well known for its core lineup of classic beer styles, some with longevity reaching back to the company’s earliest years. One of the things I appreciate about the brewery is its willingness to reimagine those recipes and develop specialty brews you might not expect. This past spring and fall, Black Butte Porter got the treatment with raspberry and whiskey variants.

I thought I’d start the new year with Deschutes’ latest spin on an old favorite, Cherries Jubelale — a twist on the brewery’s iconic winter warmer.

Released in November, Cherries Jubelale was inspired by the classic dessert cherries jubilee, after founder Gary Fish mentioned it was his favorite dessert to pair with Jubelale. Conceptually a simple recipe, the dessert consists of sauteed dark cherries that are combined with a liquor (typically brandy or rum) and flambéed. It’s commonly served as a sauce over vanilla ice cream.

To re-create the experience as a beer, Deschutes started with the imperial-strength version of Jubelale, also known as Super Jubel. Adding cherries was the obvious next step, and the brewery selected whole Montmorency cherries from Evans Fruit Company in Mosier, according to Veronica Vega, director of product development.

Montmorency is a tart, classic pie cherry, and is a favorite among brewers. Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing Company’s highly regarded Wisconsin Belgian Red uses over a pound of the fruit per bottle, for instance. Locally, Sunriver Brewing Company’s Cherry Vanilla Cocoa Cow, which I profiled this summer, combined Montmorency and Balaton cherries in the dessert-like stout.

For Cherries Jubelale, Deschutes added the fruit along with vanilla to the Super Jubel base and aged it in wine barrels for about six months. I asked Vega what types of wine barrels. “All Oregon Red, mostly Pinot from King Estate (Winery),” she said via email.

The end result is 9.2 percent alcohol by volume with 50 IBUs. I picked up a couple of bottles to review.

It’s a deeply bronzed amber color with a creamy tan-colored head of foam. The aroma expresses subtle dark cherry with a bit of vanilla and oak, with big malt notes featuring dried dark fruits and a hint of booze. There’s a slight impression of cherry liqueur, but it’s not terribly fruity.

You can definitely taste the wood in the flavor, an oaky bitterness that’s drawn out by the alcoholic strength, with notes of cherry pits, bark and light vanilla. There’s a savory cherry fruit character that’s slightly medicinal or tonic, and overall, it’s reminiscent of a light Manhattan cocktail.

It wasn’t as sweet as I had expected, but I think it would play quite well with a variety of desserts. Start with the classic pairing of its namesake, vanilla ice cream — pour it directly over the top if you’re feeling adventurous.

I asked Vega about what types of dessert (aside from cherries jubilee) she would pair with the beer. “I really like pairing it with a flourless chocolate cake — it brings out some cocoa notes in the Jubelale,” she said.

It’s a bold beer to help kick off the new year, and has me looking forward to other upcoming classic variations from Deschutes.

Top 5 beers of the week

Not Your Usual Barrel-aged Stout — Bend Brewing

Dry Apple — Tumalo Cider

Filament Winter IPA — Ecliptic Brewing

Airbounce IPA — Bevel Craft Brewing

Black Panther Imperial Stout — Golden Valley Brewery