Everyone has heard “The 12 Days of Christmas” before. But for all those drummers drumming and turtle doves, they forgot the best gift of all – beer! Seasonal beers come and go, but Christmas craft beers are always an extra special addition to an already special time of the year. Before you send that list to Santa, make sure you add some holiday “spirits” to that wishlist.
What is a Christmas Beer?
Christmas beers are brewed with many seasonal spices and flavors from cinnamon to vanilla to chocolate, making them perfect to pair with a holiday dinner or with just a few Christmas cookies. These craft beers don’t follow specific criteria. There are no set spices to include or maltiness to adhere to. Every brewery has its own tradition and style for Christmas beers, much like families have their own traditions for Christmas.
Christmas beers are not just an American style beer either. You can find Christmas beers, holiday ales, and winter warmers every December, all around the world. These beers were originally created as gifts, and so, the quality and abundance of the ingredients is much higher. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, it’s hard to find two identical styles of Christmas beer flavors during the holiday season.
So take a break from the egg nog and warm up with a Christmas beer (or two) by the burning yule log. Forget the eight maids a milking, here are twelve beers for pouring this Christmas.
GREAT LAKES CHRISTMAS ALE, Great Lakes Brewing Company | Cleveland, OH
A favorite every holiday season, especially in the Midwest, Great Lakes Christmas Ale is a spiced red ale featuring honey, cinnamon, and ginger.
ANCHOR CHRISTMAS ALE, Anchor Brewing | San Francisco, CA
One of the most popular Christmas beers around, Anchor’s Christmas Ale, changes its recipe each year. It’s somewhat of a Christmas tradition to decipher what flavors are in that year’s batch.
MAD ELF, Tröegs Brewing | Hershey, PA
This small elf packs a large punch at 11 percent alcohol content. It’s crisper than most holiday ales, with potent flavors of cherry and honey.
FIRESIDE CHAT, 21st Amendment Brewery | San Francisco, CA
An appropriately named winter warmer beer, Fireside Chat, wins crowds over with its spices, perfect for warming up next to the fire.
ST. BERNARDUS CHRISTMAS ALE, Brouwerij St. Bernardus | Watou, Belgium
This Belgian quadrupel screams Christmas. With a spicy, minty profile, you can skip the candy canes and go right for this Christmas beer.
SCHLAFLY CHRISTMAS ALE, The Saint Louis Brewery | St. Louis, MO
With a nod to Wassails and mulled wines, this Christmas beer is as sweet and as drinkable as they come.
DELIRIUM NOEL, Brouwerij Huyghe | Melle, Belgium
It may come in a white bottle with a pink elephant on the label, but this is a potent
Christmas beer. After one or two of these, you’ll be sleeping right through Santa’s arrival.
JUBELALE, Deschutes Brewery | Bend, OR
This popular winter beer in the Pacific Northwest features more fruitiness and hops than many Christmas beers.
MIKKELLER TO FROM VIA, Mikkeller | Copenhagen, Denmark
The label is essential a gift tag, and with the taste of chocolate and licorice, we can’t blame you for writing “To: Me, From: Me.”
SWEETWATER FESTIVE ALE, SweetWater Brewing Company | Atlanta, GA
Southerners enjoy Festive Ale because of its cinnamon taste. The dark roasted malts make this Christmas ale bold and smoky.
CORENDONK CHRISTMAS ALE, Brouwerij Corsendonk | Oud-Turnhout, Belgium
This beer from Belgium is wildly popular with notable hints of Christmas flavors like fig and plum alongside notes of citrus, it's like drinking a fruitcake.
BELL'S CHRISTMAS ALE, Bell’s Brewery| Kalamazoo, MI
Here’s a lighter style Scottish ale that isn’t quite as bold with its spices, making it a smoother option for Christmas.
Taste every flavor of Christmas with the right beer glass.
No matter the season, craft beer requires glassware that highlights all the flavors a brewmaster intended. Read the Birrateque Guide to Craft Beer Glassware and see how various craft beers need their own unique style of glass to unlock the beers’ full potential.
