Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

12/13/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased a single can on December 13, 2024 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge. Purchased at store temperature for $2.84 including tax, refrigerated for four hours before opening later in the evening. 12 oz, Best By 2/16/25, no can date beyond the 8:08:13 AM can stamp. Christmas Ale with spices and honey, 7.5% ABV. Brewed & Canned by Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio.

Appearance: Beautiful crystal clear ruby red base. Strong sustained center glass carbonation in the goblet containing the single can pour. Snow like dusting of creamy covering most of the base, creamier and richer along the rim. Looks excellent! 4.5

Aroma: Cherry cough drops, strong malt, raisins and ginger. All work together well despite the disparate origins. Smells like a Christmas fruit cake, above medium strength. 4.0

Taste: Taste not as wide as the aroma yields. A whole lot of malt going on here. Consistent with the style, and not necessarily surprised, but the aroma led me to a wider breadth of flavors. Let this warm a bit, and it brings back memories more of the strong malty Belgian Dark Strong Ales. All that said, beyond my personal taste preferences, this is consistent with the style, though wish I could gleam honey, plus the cherry flavors enjoyed in the aroma. Did get the ginger about 15 minutes in, enjoyed that taste portion the most. 3.5

Mouthfeel: This is strong from go, very malt forward. Malt, malt, malt. More bitter than expected, though still a bit sweet. Barley malt finish with a splash of ginger . 3.75

Overall: If you like winter warmers and malty beers, this one will fit the bill. Well crafted, beautiful aroma. This one is served by Nick, who serves hard malty beers in here to men who want to get drunk quickly, and don't want any hop characteristics here to give the beer "atmosphere". Can see why many like this, a bit malty for my tastes, but glad I picked up and finally tried this evening. 3.5

 

Copper colored with excellent clarity. There’s a quarter inch of brown on top. The aroma is of ginger and honey. I’m tasting ginger, honey, and cinnamon. The mouth is busy with spices and moderately carbonated.

Pours a clear darker amber color small tan head that falls fast.

Aroma is malty, honey, raisins, ginger, clove lightly spicy and malty.

Taste is malty but also crisp, sweet from the honey perhaps, light raisins notes then finishes with lingering ginger and clove. Pretty drinkable malty but also crisp makes it easier to go down then some.

Mouthfeel is medium smooth carbonation also.

Overall enjoyable easy drinking.

 

This has the best balance of spice/hops/malt for my palate. Delicious beer.

 

On draught, an amber pour with high clarity, a decent head initially, but leaves very little lacing.
A malt forward brew with a mild but pleasant spice profile.

 

Poured from a 12 oz can into a stemmed tulip

Pours a clear amber/copper color, with about two fingers worth of tan head that recedes slowly leaving behind very little lacing.

Aroma is toasted malts, raisin, cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Moderately spicy and definitely "Christmasy".

Taste is toasted malts, slightly roasty, notes of raisin, ginger, and some generic spices. There is just a hint of a mild hoppiness in the background, very similar to the aroma. Medium bodied and moderately carbonated,

Overall this is a very nice example of the style, and very festive

 

I generally like Great Lakes' offerings. This was a little below what I was expecting. Color was great, aroma was alright. Mouthfeel was ok. I felt the maltiness was overpowering. The "holiday spices and sweet honey" felt artificial/chemical to me. Hop profile was a little hidden for me. Got a six-pack of cans Dec 2025. A couple of steps down from Sierra Nevada's Celebration IPA, which is my "standard" for this type. I get this is not an imperial, but the off taste of the flavorings did not blend well or feel "genuine".

 

Pours a clear, dark amber with a half finger of creamy-looking tan head. Sheets of lacing.

cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry and dark bread in the nose.

Drier tasting than expected, with ground spices presenting, but not popping like the aroma. Cardboard bitterness and slight warming alcohol in the finish.

Thin to medium bodied with a nice, soft carbonation to it.

I always expect winter warmers to be sweeter, thicker, hotter. This is to style, and very tasty for what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally trying the Great Lakes holiday entry after having some of their other beers a few years ago. Pours a dark copper- red, a little head on top. Smells sweet, can smell some spice, and toasted malt. The taste is sweet, but not cloying, toasted malts, dark fruit, a little nutmeg, honey, and a touch of bitterness. This is a solid holiday warmer, and very drinkable. I’ll have to get a sixer to share on my next liquor run, two thumbs up!