Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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

On tap @ Coles Buffalo NY. One of the better Christmas Ales out there. Mildly spiced with cinnamon, allspice. nutmeg but not overbearing. Mild sweetness to just cut the spices. Medium body with a nice mouthfeel, mild carbonation. Nice beer

12oz bottle from my Secret Santa. Cinnamon, ginger and graham cracker crusted pumpkin pie on the nose. Just a touch of sweet honey under all that heavy spice. Pours bight copper with a thin white head. Nice balance on the palate between sweet honey, toffee malt and spicy cinnamon and ginger. Medium bodied and rather spicy. The ginger lingers on the tongue for a while.

Bottle. Pours a goldenish/copper amber color with a slight fast fading head. Aroma mainly of a variety of spices with definitely cinnamon at the forefront. However, the spice aroma was not too overwhelming. The taste was rather pleasant at best. The spices were balanced well with some light hops resulting in a nice drinkable beer with a somewhat dry finish with lingering spices. Although I probably wouldn’t ever drink more than one of these.

On tap at Map Room, Chicago. Christmas spices not too overpowering. Body may be a touch thin, but nice balance. Nothing too extreme-- just a solid spiced beer.

bottle. pours clear orange gold with a fluffy off-white head. nice looking beer. first bottle was pretty bland all around. there was some spice and hop but it was all very faint. second bottle was a world of difference. cinnamon and ginger on the nose. taste brings in a nice sweet malt, and a mild bitter. nice fruity spice combination. not overwhelming. clean palate. i was surprised by the 7.5 ABV as there’s no trace of it. a nice holiday beer that macro drinkers would probably enjoy as well. 9.99 is steep but its worth a taste.

Nice beery aroma. Orange yellow appearance with a fading creamy head. Good creamy carbonation. Rather fruity and mild. Well behaved and pretty well mannered. Burping pine tree needles. Overall not bad for a Great Lakes brew.

12oz bottle, courtesy of a trade from a while ago. Thanks! Pours a bright, clear, orange-amber color; fluffy off-white head with decent retention and lacing. Pleasant amounts of soft spices (nutmeg, mostly) and a light sugar core; smells festive. Average carbonation, in a medium-to-full mouthfeel: nutmeg and sharp cinnamon and cloves upfront, with a decent, one-dimensional maltiness behind (a bit of maple syrup and sugar); nothing overly intricate, but very pleasant in the glass and in the mouth with a measured amount of spice. Solid and well-done. Medium, clove and cinnamon and sugar finish; slightly dry.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a crystal clear amber color with a small, thick white head. The aroma is as advertised; a sweet malt base with spices such as ginger and cinnamon. The flavor is sweet caramel malt with the forementioned spices. There is a hint of some hops in the lightly bitter finish. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated. Nice holiday brew.