Great Lakes Christmas Ale 6Pk Cans

Great Lakes Christmas Ale 6Pk Cans is a 7.5% ABV winter seasonal ale brewed with honey, fresh ginger, and cinnamon, packaged in a convenient six-pack of cans. A six-time medal winner at the World Beer Championships since 1999, this Cleveland-born holiday release has become one of the most anticipated seasonal beers in the Midwest and beyond.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.5%  |  IBU: 30  |  Origin: Cleveland, Ohio  |  Style: Winter Seasonal Ale  |  Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Great Lakes Brewing Company was founded in 1988 in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, making it one of Ohio's earliest craft breweries. Christmas Ale is built on a grain bill of 2-Row base malt, wheat, Crystal 45, Special Roast, and Roasted Barley, hopped with Mt. Hood and Cascade varieties. What defines this beer's character is the direct addition of over 600 pounds of honey, 20 pounds of fresh ginger, and 20 pounds of whole cinnamon sticks into the boil — a method that integrates spice flavors at a molecular level in a way that post-fermentation spicing simply cannot replicate. The result is a layered, deeply aromatic ale that returns each year as a cornerstone of the American holiday beer calendar.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Toasted malt greets the nose first, followed by a warm wave of cinnamon stick, ginger, and clove. Deeper notes of brown sugar, caramel, and raisin develop as the beer warms in the glass, with a subtle honeyed sweetness tying everything together.

Taste: The entry is rich with toasted caramel malt and a slightly roasty backbone from the Roasted Barley. Mid-palate, ginger and cinnamon emerge front and center, balanced by a smooth, natural honey sweetness. Flavors of pie crust and fruitcake mingle with the spice tones as the beer moves toward its peak, never tipping into cloying territory thanks to a moderate 30 IBU hop presence.

Finish: Medium-long with lingering warmth from ginger and a dry, gently roasty close. A whisper of nutmeg and brown sugar stays on the palate, inviting the next sip.

How to Drink Christmas Ale

Serve at 45–50°F in a tulip glass or snifter to let the aromatics open up fully; this beer rewards patience over ice-cold pours. A Hot Toddy riff works well — warm the ale gently with a cinnamon stick and a lemon twist for a fireside alternative to mulled wine. Use it in a Beer Flip, where the honey and spice notes pair naturally with a whole egg and a touch of nutmeg. For a modern take, try it in a Shandy with fresh apple cider, where the ale's ginger and cinnamon echo the orchard flavors.

Best For

• Holiday party hosting where you want a crowd-pleasing seasonal beer with genuine complexity
• Gifting to a craft beer enthusiast who appreciates limited seasonal releases
• Pairing with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner spreads featuring roasted meats and spiced desserts
• Stocking up during the annual fall release window before shelves sell through

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Christmas Ale taste like? Christmas Ale delivers rich toasted caramel malt layered with prominent ginger, cinnamon, and honey flavors, plus subtle notes of raisin and fruitcake. It finishes warm and gently roasty without being overly sweet.

How does Christmas Ale compare to Anchor Christmas Ale? Both are listed as the first two examples in the BJCP guidelines for Winter Seasonal Beer (substyle 30C), but they diverge in approach — Anchor changes its recipe each year and keeps the ingredients secret, while Great Lakes uses the same honey, ginger, and cinnamon recipe year after year for a consistent, recognizable profile. Anchor's version, first released in 1975, is often considered the original American holiday beer, whereas Great Lakes has become the Midwest benchmark since the late 1990s.

Is Christmas Ale good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — the complexity from boil-added honey, ginger, and cinnamon gives it enough depth to stand alone, especially when served slightly warmer than standard fridge temperature. At 7.5% ABV, it sits at a sessionable-enough strength for holiday evenings without overwhelming.

Where is Christmas Ale made? Christmas Ale is brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The brewery has operated from this location since its founding in 1988.

What foods pair well with Christmas Ale? Roasted turkey or glazed ham matches the ale's malty sweetness and ginger warmth. Gingerbread or spice cake echoes the beer's dominant flavors for a complementary dessert pairing. Sharp cheddar or aged Gouda stands up to the malt backbone. Pecan pie benefits from the ale's caramel and honey notes. Smoked sausage links provide a savory, slightly fatty contrast to the spice and sweetness.

What sizes does Christmas Ale come in? Christmas Ale is available in 6-packs of 12 oz cans as well as 6-packs of 12 oz bottles, and is commonly found on draft at select locations during the seasonal release window.

Is Christmas Ale worth the price? Christmas Ale positions as a premium seasonal craft offering within the winter ale category, and its six World Beer Championships medals give it a track record that justifies a modest premium over standard year-round craft six-packs. For a spiced winter beer with this level of ingredient quality and brewing heritage, it represents strong value.

Why Christmas Ale?

The direct boil addition of over 600 pounds of honey and 40 combined pounds of fresh ginger and whole cinnamon sticks is not a marketing flourish — it is a production decision that creates flavor integration most spiced beers never achieve. Six medals at the World Beer Championships across more than two decades confirm the consistency of the recipe. Great Lakes Brewing Company's status as a pioneering Ohio craft brewery, combined with the annual frenzy surrounding each year's release, has turned Christmas Ale into one of the few seasonal beers that genuinely defines its substyle. This is a winter ale with real substance behind the reputation.