Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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

The aroma is a mixture of cinnamon and ginger. Christmas Ale pours a copperish red and has a fully lasting tan head. There is lacing. The flavor begins with a sweetness and grows into a spicy finisih of cinnamon and ginger.

Bottle. Small off-white head that became mostly diminishing, fine-small sized bubbles, poor lacing, transparent, carbonated, and an orange hue. Malty, hoppy, cinnamon, sweet nose. Flavor was sweet, hops, malt, and cinnamon. Tingly mouthfeel. Light-medium body.

12oz bottle - Pours a dark amber with a fluffy white head that stays pretty well and laces down the glass in layers. Aroma is caramel malts, a touch of cinnamon. Flavor is malty.. Caramel malts laced with stronger notes of cinamon and ginger. Some hops finish each sip. Palate is medium bodied and pretty smooth to drink. Very pleasant and festive taste. I’ve come to expect the best from Great Lakes and they usually stand up to the test!

Light cinnamon on the nose.Head stays thin and laced The cinnamon is heavier in the taste, and light ginger. Strong hops(which I like) and carbonation. Long finish, thin textured, medium-bodied. It’s hard to find that 7.5%. The taste just doesn’t come off as alcoholic. A pretty good ale overall. Definitely recommended. I’ve yet to be dissapointed in this brewer.

GABF-Pours a lite amber with an off-white head. Heavy cinnamon and ginger nose with little maltiness. Body is lacking some weight which it tries to make up for with overly high CO2. Somewhat 1 dim flavor of spices. A pretty boring and not very warming x-mas.

Pours a crisp clear light brown amber color with a very small amount of quickly dissapating white head. Aroma is just what I would expect from something called a christmas ale: spices, cinnamon, gingerbread, candy granny smith apples, and scented candles. Flavor is light on the palate, sour apples, plums, cherries with a dry sour bitter finish. Overall, I thought this was excellent like most GL products.

Best winter ale I’ve tasted. Others I’ve had don’t even come close. I’ve tasted about 30 varieties. I obsess about it coming out every year due to limited supply. Usually not readily available by December. It does seem like that is stepping up a bit in last 2 years.

A great seasonal brew, best drank around the season with food. Nice pumpkin and bitter hoppy taste with some light spice notes. Overall it’s a very good Christmas ale and another winner from Great Lakes.