Great Lakes Brewing Co.: No, Christmas Ale Isn’t Different Every Year

A little more nutmeg than last year. Not as malty. More cinnamon? Is it me or is it stronger?

Whether you enjoy your first Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale of the season at the annual first pour event at the brewpub in Ohio City or surrounded by family and friends during the holidays, you will undoubtedly hear something akin to the above.

It’s good. It’s just… different.

No beer in Northeast Ohio gets quite the palatal examination like Cleveland’s favorite wintertime brew. Every year since its debut in 1992 — through the early fandom, the grocery store rushes, the era of parents stocking up for Thanksgiving with cases like they were throwing a frat party — the seasonal must-have has been the subject of annual critiques.

Great Lakes is here to squash the rumors.

“While we certainly trust our fans’ palates, rest assured, Christmas Ale is brewed the same way every year, with 20 pounds of fresh-cut ginger, 20 pounds of whole cinnamon sticks, and over 600 pounds of honey per batch,” the brewery shared on a recent Christmas Ale myth-busting FAQ, which notes the beer has always come in at 7.5 ABV.

So why do people think otherwise?

“When you have your first sip of Christmas Ale for the season, you most likely have not had one for many months,” sensory specialist Jacob Eaton told the brewery. “So many factors are at play here: memory fading, taste buds changing, even your mood and other consumption habits can have drastic effects on what you perceive.”

And that theory that the Great Lakes recipe was someone else’s? Specifically Thirsty Dog’s?

Not true either, of course.

“One of my favorite GLBC memories is our 2016 Alumni Beer Dinner, where former GLBC brewers paired their beers and stories with our food. Tim Rastetter, Brewmaster at Thirsty Dog in Akron, was one of the invitees, and publicly cleared the air regarding the original Christmas Ale recipe. Like any good brewer, he thought he could make our beer even better, and so when he moved on to his own brewing operations, made his own version of our Christmas Ale with his modifications, said GLBC in-house historian Michael Williams.”

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