Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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

Sparkling deep copper, fizzy off white head. Spicy nose of ginger, cinnamon, and dried citrus, with lighter notes of honeycomb and juniper. Gingery flavor mellows into cinnamon and citric honey tones. Some faint hints of cherry emerge at room temp. Nice spice, malt, hop balance throughout. Medium bodied and slick, light carbonation, spicy finish. Really wish Great Lakes was available in MD. My 3rd beer from them in the last few months, and without a doubt, another winner in my book....

2 bottles shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow & tupalev -- courtesy of HogTownHarry and me. Pours a clear orange/amber with an average size foamy white head. Nice lacing. Sweet and spicy aroma of malt, cinnamon, ginger and citrus hops. Flavour is mildly spicy (cinnamon & ginger) along with some malt, hops and honey -- quite nice! Medium bodied. I really enjoyed it.

Bottle 335ml. Thanks to jsquire!
Amber, and wow, what an aroma. Full of christma. Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardemon, orange zest. And full of all the above in taste as well. The hops are not noticed until the bitter aftertaste. Well balanced. Could maybe have been a bit more full bodied and sweeter.

Bottles shared with HogTown Harry, GregClow, and Blankboy - courtesy of Harry and blankboy. Orange pour, medium white head. Aroma has notes of bready malt, spice and citrus. I was a little shocked by the taste, as it is quite bitter with no hint of hops at all from the aroma. Medium foamy mouthfeel. Taste is also quite spicy, it seemed like Christmas, but not one spice stood out. This was a really nice one to sip, it seemed to grow in complexity as it warmed with more flavours revealing themselves. A very solid beer that started average but ended quite well.

Bottle. Courtesy of ??? at argo0 and Kathy Holiday Party. Took this back home with me and am drinking it today. Ruby tinged amber with a small off-white head. Nose is very spicy. Lots of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Maybe gingerbread cookies spirnkled with cinnamon. Taste is semi-sweet and has lots of spices about ti. More cinnamon and ginger, light caramel, hint of nutmeg, chewy malts, and light bitterness. Splash of honey sweetness in the background as well. Body is medium with a slight stickiness to it. Lots of spices lingering on the palate as well. Finishes with more ginger, a toned down cinnamon flavor, light caramel and sweet malts. This would go great with gingerbread man cookies or even oatmeal raisin cookies. Nice!

On tap at Firkin’s, Libertyville, IL. Clear amber ale having a long-lasting large white head with excellent lacing. Intoxicating aroma of ginger and spice. Medium bodied that starts with spicy sweet malt, ginger, and toffee flavors. Finishes with nutty malt aftertaste and light hop bitterness. Well-balanced. Ginger flavoring is delicious. An excellent spicy ale for the winter holidays, one of the best Christmas ales that I’ve tried. Enjoyed on my birthday at my favorite pub restaurant.

Clear copper appearance with a small, fast fading head. Mildly spiced aroma, primarily ginger. Spices and honey dominate the taste with enough hops to prevent the sweetness from becoming too cloying. Well carbonated, medium bodied mouthfeel, leading to a fairly sweet, long lasting finish.

Pours to a deep amber bronze body with a lasting and creamy white head and thick airy lacing. Looks very attractive. The aroma is caramel malts and kinda smells like an August Schell caramel bock and vegetables like cooked carrots or yellow squash. The flavor is pretty smooth and balanced but isn’t very exciting. Some honey and cinnamon and grainy. Lightly tart and medium bodied. Bitter. >>>> I may have rated too soon. The more I drink this, the better the flavor becomes. Rating updated.