There’s something about this time of year. The nights are long (and suddenly start at 5PM), the trees are becoming bare, the wind is getting cold, and the skies are gray… really gray. Yet, despite such less-than-hospitable conditions, or perhaps because of them, we seem to naturally feel the yearning to celebrate. For a bountiful harvest, a good year’s work completed, and hey, the sun will start shining again soon, theoretically. 

For this special time of year, we serve some very special beers. What’s fascinating is that brewers throughout time and across cultures have all made beers with similar characteristics for this joyful season. Whether in Germany, Belgium, or even in Scandinavia, beers brewed in anticipation of the winter solstice tend to be darker in color, higher in alcohol content, and are often spiced. Sound familiar? A more robust, fuller flavored beer that pairs with similarly hearty foods is called for during these celebratory times.

Our Christmas Ale draws directly from the British approach to festive brews. Despite being the birthplace of IPA, England was one of the last brewing cultures to adopt hops centuries ago. The unhopped ales brewed at the time were perfect for heating up during the cold winter months. (Pro tip: try enjoying a malt-forward beer at a higher temperature and see how the sweet flavor chorus sings just a little bit more.) Throw some ginger, nutmeg, or other festive spices into the mix, and you’ve got yourself the perfect beverage to keep you warm while going door-to-door caroling, or wassailing, if you will. Even once hops became fashionable in England a few centuries ago, British brewers continued to make strong, dark, malt-forward holiday beers called Burton Ale or Barleywine well into the 20th century. Unfortunately, most of these English celebratory brews faded out of existence in the 60’s and 70’s. 

Thankfully, the holiday beer tradition was revived by brewers on this side of the Atlantic as the American craft beer boom began. As with many other early staples in “microbrewery” beer lineups (think Porter and IPA), early American craft brewers often took inspiration from their British forebears when crafting their holiday recipes, brewing beers inspired by those overseas, but with a distinctive American twist. We should know – we’re one of them! 

While a few other holiday beers existed in our country earlier, it’s no hyperbole to say Christmas Ale popularized the style in the U.S., making darker, stronger, spiced holiday beer a household name (literally). With a quaffable yet elevated 7.5% ABV, a beautiful amber hue, and recipe featuring whole cinnamon sticks, fresh-cut ginger, and real honey, Christmas Ale is the benchmark for American holiday beers, and has been since it was first brewed in the early 90’s. We’re proud and grateful that our style-defining holiday beer has grown to warm countless hearts in Cleveland, throughout the Midwest, and beyond, for well over 30 years, and continues to do so today. 

But the festivity doesn’t end there! True to American craft brewers’ culture of innovation, many other beer styles now embody the holiday spirit as well, from good old American IPAs to German-inspired wheat beers, Belgian-inspired brews, and more. While many of these beers fit the traditional mold of being darker, stronger, and incorporating holiday culinary ingredients, some simply express their festivity in other ways unique to the brewer or community, like incorporating fresh hops, famous local ingredients, or barrel aging, like we do with our even more jolly Barrel Aged Christmas Ale.

We take our holiday spirit to the next level with Cookie Exchange Milk Stout, honoring the common Midwestern tradition of sharing cookies with friends and family during these special days. True to the spirit of a cookie exchange, our seasonal stout is brewed with a rotating cookie-inspired flavor each year, with this season’s flavor inspired by the Peanut Butter Blossom. So, whether you want to take the traditional holiday beer approach or try something different, we have a beer for you. Even better - get both Christmas Ale and Cookie Exchange in the Holiday Pack, and round out the selection on the holiday table with the satisfying Cran Orange Wheat.

Embrace the holiday spirit today with a fresh can, bottle, or pint of Christmas Ale. Locate all our beers near you using our Beer Finder. Experience how other cultures around the world holiday with a Christmas Ale in hand at Christmas Around the World. Enter here by December 16 for a chance to win tickets!

Words by Advanced Cicerone® Michael Williams 
Pictures by Lily Switka

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Questions? Email GLBCinfo@greatlakesbrewing.com for more information.