Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Clear dark amber brew, topped with a light, cream-colored head. Poor retention and almost no lacing. Almost completely transparent.

Spices (especially cinnamon) dominate the aroma, with sweet notes of honey and brown sugar behind. A bit of vanilla. In a blind smell test, it would be easy to convince people this is a pumpkin ale.

Flavor is more complete and nuanced than the aroma, but cinnamon still dominates from start to finish. Lots of caramel malt and brown sugar lend a body to complement the spice. I don't get the ginger, and I really only detected honey in the aroma, although it could easily be blending in with the sweet malt body.

Very easy to drink. Nice and smooth, with a warm finish. Dry, spicy finish of cinnamon and nutmeg, yet cloying and sticky. Very lively with moderate sting.

This is pretty tasty, although I generally don't run out to buy spiced beers. It's easy to drink, sweet, and pretty interesting.

A brew like this highlights the fact that during the Fall, people don't like pumpkin; they like pumpkin spice. This beer has almost the exact same flavor profile as most pumpkin beers, albeit with a much smoother and sweeter malt base (and obviously, no pumpkin).

 

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!