Great Lakes Christmas Ale - Great Lakes Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
89
very good
-
1,423 Ratings

rAvg: 3.97
pDev: 13.35%
Reviews: 716
Hads: 707

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Brewed by:
Great Lakes Brewing Company

Ohio, United States

Style | ABV
Winter Warmer | 7.50% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (606), on-tap (104), growler (6).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

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Reviews

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Reviews by KickInTheChalice:

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.53/5 rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale pours a transparent burnt copper brown color with a small off-white cap that quiets down to a thin film as the glass wears on. Some visible carbonation rises from the bottom of the glass to support the head.

The aroma is full of sweetness and wintery spices. Honey biscuit malt sweetness and butterscotch dominate. Nutmeg is the primary spice, with cinnamon and all spice adding some kick.

The flavor largely follows the aroma, which is large expected given the straight forward nature of the style. Sweet up front, the butterscotch and toffee flavors really shine through, with a lighter, biscuity malt character and some honey in the background. The spices come through in the middle, again dominated by the nutmeg and cinnamon. The end has some ginger flavor and some spicy hop notes, which dries out the feel a little bit, as well as a strange medicinal alcohol flavor I don't really care for. The light carbonation and light body make this a mellow sipper, but it is a bit light-bodied for my taste.

I understand the pride and passion that comes from Ohioans over this beer, but the strange notes at the end drop this from truly enjoyable to more or less replaceable.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 22:24:24 | More by KickInTheChalice

More User Reviews:

ValpoExpo

Ohio

4.64/5 rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A winter classic from Northeast Ohio. You have to be VERY careful with GLBC's Christmas Ale because it will knock you on your butt in no time. It truly is the perfect sweet honey, alcohol infused taste of Christmastime. November 1 (the release date of Christmas Ale) is a holiday in itself for Northeast Ohioans.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2013 04:19:00 | More by ValpoExpo