Now that Halloween is over, many people are transitioning straight to Christmas. For many adults, we look forward to those amazing Christmas beers from our favorite craft breweries. Christmas beers are a true delight to drink and you can find these on store shelves now. They are flavorful without being overpowering and they are guaranteed to please your palette. ‘Tis the season to kick back with one of these festive brews to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Bell's Brewery | Christmas Ale

Certain to make any occasion festive, Bell’s Brewery’s Christmas Ale is a traditional Scotch Ale that is rich and malty with notes of caramel and a warm finish. First brewed in 2008, the basic inspiration was to create a sessionable holiday beer which would stand apart from the array of spiced, high ABV beers that are typically introduced during the holidays. Brewed without any spices, the dry, toasted notes and subtle toffee flavors come from the 100% Michigan-grown, custom malted barley. In 2017, Bell’s tweaked the recipe to be more malt-forward and fuller bodied as a Scotch Ale. While the beer formerly had a 5.5% ABV, it jumped to 7.5% ABV to better reflect consumer expectations for comforting holiday beers during those cold winter months. This brew is available in 6-pack and 12-pack cases.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company | Christmas Ale

Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale is perfect for the holiday season. Debuted in 1995, this was the first seasonal beer that Saint Arnold Brewing Company made. This rich, copper colored, hearty ale has a malty sweetness and spicy hop character. The generous use of five different malts is responsible for the full flavor and high ABV of 7.5%. Saint Arnold also uses two different Pacific Northwest hop varieties, resulting in a spicy bitterness and a flowery hop bouquet. If you are looking for food pairings, this brew goes perfect with fruit cake or Christmas pudding.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. | 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale

Another favorite for the season is Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.’s 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale. This Winter Ale is filled with seasonal flavors from generous amounts of toasted and caramel malts, mixed with equally generous amounts of honey, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. With an ABV of 8.0%, this beer is the perfect brew filled with the flavors of the season. Grab a 6-pack of bottles and enjoy trimming the tree this year.

Abita Brewing Company | Christmas Ale

Abita Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale is a brown ale that is brewed with six types of malted barley and fermented with American Ale yeast. It is brewed with pale malt and a combination of caramel, biscuit, Munich, and chocolate malts. It is hopped and dry-hopped with Columbus, Cascade, Centennial and Amarillo and has a nice piney and citrus hop flavor and aroma. The result is a flavorful brown ale that is sweet and malty with a pleasant hop aroma. With a lower ABV of 5.8%, this smooth brew is perfect for kicking back and enjoying a nice, cold winter evening by the fire.

Tröegs Independent Brewing | Mad Elf Ale

Tröegs Independent Brewing’s Mad Elf Ale has a blend of sweet and tart cherries, Pennsylvania honey, chocolate malt and a hint of mischief. First brewed in 2002, the essence of this legendary holiday ale, along with its ruby red glow, is born from five varieties of tree-ripened cherries. Local wildflower honey sweetens the celebration, and a spicy Belgian yeast adds subtle notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice. If you want the Director’s Cut version of Mad Elf, then you’ll want to check out Mad Elf Grand Cru. This version is a luxurious, limited edition version with Balaton cherries, wildflower honey and demerara sugar.

Cheers to the holidays

With so many amazing Christmas beers to choose from, we raise our bottle to these great flavorful beers! The holidays can officially start once you’ve enjoyed a Christmas Ale. If you get a chance to try any of these beers, or if any of these are your current favorite Christmas beers, drop BOB a line and let him know your thoughts.

Cheers!
BOB