Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Murky, dry, drab, boring spicy aroma. Very grey. A clear orange pour with little head. Flavor is a muggy, insipid malt, nutmeg and other random spices. Makes sense as a christmas ale, sure, but this is really dull.

This is a fantastic brew. Spices come thru, but don’t over power the malt and hops. Cinnamon and honey are prevalent.

Copper in color, poured a small off white head with a little bit of lacing to start but all gone very quickly. Spicy with cinnamon, ginger, good carbonation but some floaters and a little bitter aftertaste. Ok, not a big holiday beer fan.

Clean copper pour with light white head. Aroma of light cinnamon. Spicy cinnamonish flavor with light hints of malt. A semi sweet flavor as well. Mouthfeel is solid but the carbonation is a little over the top. Pretty decent holiday beer a bit bitter on the finish. Decent offering to say the least.

One of my favorite christmas brews to date. Very good sweet and spice balance. Smooth and simply complex flavors are wonderful. Cloves, cinnamon, and molasses. I will be getting more of this each year.

Pours a clear golden amber color with an attractive off-white head of 2 fingers. Retention is decent, and there’s some nice lacing. Very spicy nose, with cinnamon and clove and ginger on top of a sweet malt base. Taste is quite malty with a tinge of honey, and drowned in spices like ginger and nutmeg. Finish is medicinal, which clashes with the sweetness. Mouthfeel is a bit thin for a winter warmer. Carbonation is good and the alcohol is undetectable. Pretty easy drinking here, with no cloying or out of place flavors or notice of booze.

Copper in color with a touch of amber. The nose is filled with spices, Sprite, crystalized ginger and honey. In the mouth the beer is medium-bodied and like the nose, prominently shows the spices. The Sprite-like quality is still in the midpalate which ends with a watered down finish. The beer gives a decent initial impact but really falls off toward the finish.

[1008-20071227] 12floz (w/ jerc). Aroma of ginger malt slices. Clear, red orange body with a medium-lasting foamy white head. Spicy ginger slices continue in flavour with a bit of fruit. Medium body has a bit of a tang. Interesting ginger zip.