Great Lakes Christmas Ale

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

My favorite of their seasonal beers. It sells out the quickest too... go figure. This is the perfect winter beer. Had it on tap at the brewery and that was amazing. Wish I hadnt of drank all the backups or Id have one now.

I give this one a very high rating because it is the perfect Christmas Ale. I look forward to getting this every winter. The flavors and spices are a great combo.

Best. Beer. Ever. People come from all around the country for this stuff. Clevelanders who move out of state beg for me to send it to them. This stuff is amazing, why is it not rated higher?

One of my most favorite beers I have ever had. A gorgeous brown with red color. And a thick body with a thick head. The beer has a great sweetness with spice, malt, and hops in the aroma and flavor. Great alcohol content, but the alcohol never overpowers the flavor. The drink is smooth and you never get that much too bitter aftertaste in the back of your throat. Amazing.

quite simply--nectar of the gods! It’s impossible to just drink one of these babies. It has a lively festive taste and aroma, coupled with a most pleasing reddish hue.

One of my favorites. It has a pretty complex teste with all the spices blended into it. It’s expensive, but gets you drunk quicker than any beer I’ve had. Don’t pound them on an empty stomach. Available from late October-early January. Doesn’t transport very well; it picks up a very skunky and spoiled taste after packing it and driving for a while. And drink it quickly before it goes bad in the fridge.

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.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale is a really wonderful, rich, malty, warming brew spiced with ginger and honey. It is perfect for sipping during the holidays, and the cold winter months. Christmas Ale pours to a beautiful, opaque caramel color with a nice white head and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful. Really big sweet caramel malt aromas marry with some ginger spice character, and peppery hints of alcohol. The palate is rich, and delicious. More big sweet malt flavor, a touch of toffee, a hint of chocolate, and traces of honey flavor. Honey gives this beer a nice warming alcohol boost, but in general honey really doesn’t impart all that much flavor to a beer. The body is hefty, and slightly syrupy. This beer finishes with more sweet malt up front, then ends with some nice ginger spice and a warming, high octane burn. This is a fantastic winter warmer. I would match this beer with desert. It would work well with mince meat pie, or ginger bread men. I look forward to this beer every Christmas. This beer is hard to find, it can only be found in Great Lakes market, which is a few Midwestern states. So if your lucky enough to get Great Lakes beers, keep a eye out for this one.