Great Lakes Christmas Ale 6Pk

Great Lakes Christmas Ale 6-Pack is a 7.5% ABV honey-and-spice winter seasonal beer from Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. A six-time medal winner at the World Beer Championships since 1999, this copper-hued ale has become one of the most anticipated seasonal releases in the American craft beer calendar.

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, founded in 1988, operates as Ohio's first craft brewery. 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 sets this beer apart 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 kettle, where the spices steep for the full 60-minute boil before removal. This boil-integration method produces a depth of spice character that post-fermentation spicing simply cannot replicate, fusing the honey and aromatics into the wort at a molecular level rather than layering them on top of a finished beer.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Fresh ginger rises first, followed by warm honey sweetness and a subtle cinnamon undercurrent. The spice aromatics are clean and distinct rather than muddled, a testament to the full-boil integration.

Taste: The entry is honeyed and moderately sweet, quickly balanced by toasted malt character and a gentle roasted grain backbone. Mid-palate, ginger and cinnamon emerge alongside dark fruit and a whisper of nutmeg. The sweetness never turns cloying — the 30 IBU hop bitterness from Mt. Hood and Cascade keeps everything in check through the back end.

Finish: Medium in length with lingering warmth from the ginger and a dry, lightly toasted close. The honey sweetness fades gradually, leaving behind clean spice and a subtle malt dryness.

How to Drink Christmas Ale

Pour into a tulip glass or snifter at around 45–50°F to let the spice aromatics open fully; drinking it too cold mutes the ginger and cinnamon. A Hot Toddy Ale variation — gently warmed with a cinnamon stick — amplifies the existing spice profile on cold nights. It works well in a Beer Flip, where a whole egg, sugar, and the ale are shaken and briefly warmed, creating a rich, custard-like winter drink. For a simple mixed serve, a Ginger Shandy combining Christmas Ale with ginger beer and a squeeze of lemon highlights the fresh ginger notes already present in the brew.

Best For

• Holiday dinner pairings from Thanksgiving through New Year's
• Gifting to craft beer enthusiasts who collect seasonal releases
• Winter gatherings where a standout conversation-starter beer is needed
• Building a vertical tasting flight alongside other American winter seasonal ales

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Christmas Ale taste like? Christmas Ale delivers honey sweetness up front, balanced by fresh ginger, cinnamon, toasted malt, and dark fruit, finishing with moderate bitterness and residual spice warmth. It drinks smooth and moderately sweet without becoming heavy or syrupy.

How does Christmas Ale compare to Anchor Christmas Ale? Both are recognized benchmarks of the BJCP Winter Seasonal Beer substyle (30C), but Great Lakes Christmas Ale leans into a defined honey-ginger-cinnamon spice profile, while Anchor's recipe changes every year, making direct comparison variable from vintage to vintage. Great Lakes holds the edge in consistency, releasing a reliably spiced formula that has earned six World Beer Championships medals since 1999.

Is Christmas Ale good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — the balanced interplay of honey, spice, and roasted malt makes it a rewarding standalone pour, especially when served around 45–50°F in a tulip glass to let the aromatics develop fully.

Where is Christmas Ale made? Christmas Ale is brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1988, Great Lakes was the first craft brewery in the state and continues to brew at its original Cleveland facility.

What foods pair well with Christmas Ale? Roasted turkey or glazed ham mirror the ale's honey sweetness and spice warmth. Sharp cheddar or aged Gouda stand up to the malt backbone without overpowering the ginger notes. Gingerbread cookies or spiced pecan pie echo the cinnamon and ginger directly. Pork tenderloin with a honey glaze creates a complementary bridge to the ale's dominant flavors.

What sizes does Christmas Ale come in? Christmas Ale is widely available in 6-packs of 12 oz bottles; draft availability is common across the brewery's distribution footprint during the seasonal release window.

Is Christmas Ale worth the price? Christmas Ale positions as a premium seasonal craft beer with a pedigree — six World Beer Championships medals and consistently high community ratings (93 on RateBeer, 87 on BeerAdvocate) place it among the top winter seasonals nationally, delivering strong value within the craft seasonal tier.

Why Christmas Ale?

The full 60-minute boil with fresh ginger, whole cinnamon sticks, and hundreds of pounds of honey is not a shortcut — it is a production commitment that most seasonal brewers skip in favor of faster post-fermentation additions. That process, unchanged across decades of production, is precisely why Christmas Ale has earned six medals at the World Beer Championships and remains a reference point in the BJCP guidelines for winter seasonal beer. The grain bill, anchored by five malts including Roasted Barley and Special Roast, gives the ale a complexity that extends well beyond simple spiced sweetness. For drinkers who mark their calendars each fall waiting for seasonal releases, this is the one that set the standard.