For many years, Great Lakes Brewing’s Christmas Ale has been among my favorites. In fact, I’ve been working on, and nearly perfected, a clone over the last three years. However, I noticed this years batch seems very dull with hardly any spice flavor at all. It used to have a some very nice cinnamon and ginger notes.
I know their recipe changes slightly from year to year, but this years version really sucks and is a poor representation of a holiday spiced brew, in my opinion.
Anyone else have the same experience, or are my taste buds growing old?
Although you may be using the same recipe, the actual ingredients will change year to year. If you are using the exact same ingredients, then you should expect them to go stale. IMHO
I’m not sure I understand. GLB Christmas Ale does not taste the same to me this season as it has in the past. My recipe issues fresh ingredients each year (as I’m sure they do also) and my brew tastes a lot like what GLB’s Christmas Ale used to taste like.
In my experience, my tastes have changed over the years. I have survived the IPA love affair and have broadened my love to embrace many other styles of beers.
I have also noticed that medicines prescribed to me will effect the way beers (and foods) taste to me.
I am only trying to help you narrow down what is happening with this batch of beer. For a real in-depth analysis, I will need a mug. 17!
Seems all of GLB’s beers have changed over the years,
that’s probably to be expected. Don’t know if it’s available where you are, but if so try Thirsty Dog’s Twelve Dogs of Christmas. Thirsty Dog’s brewmaster who created it worked at GLB back when they brewed the original version of Christmas Ale, and many around here think it’s much more reminiscent of the original GLB version. Not alleging industrial espionage or violation of non-comps or anything course… Personally I don’t care for Christmas Ale lately either, it just seems kind of meh. Not spicy and not much of a plain winter warmer. I don’t care much for spiced beer anyway but if you’re going to do it, then do it, right?
KellerBrauer, I just talked with my favorite retailer. He said he’d just been told by another customer that they liked this year’s Christmas Ale just because it was so much less spicy. Apparently even the last couple of years it has been too spice-forward for their taste. So fear not, it seems your palate is in good working order.
Well that’s good to know! I heard a story several years ago where the guy that created the GLB Christmas Ale left the brewery and went to work at another. (Maybe Thirsty Dog??). The story goes that he took the recipe with him and GLB has been trying to recreate it ever since. This is why the recipe changes every year.
I’m not a real fan of many of the spiced beers available today. They’re simply over the top. But GLB made a good one - at least it was a few years ago. Try one if you get an opportunity. See what you think.
Tim Rastetter, the brewer at Thirsty Dog, was just a shift brewer at GLB way back when, AFAIK. He headed up a couple of other places before Thirsty Dog. So it wouldn’t have been him, but I’ve heard the story of the absconding brewmaster too. At least it’s a good story. Still Tim came up with a good beer in the original mold. It doesn’t seem like it should be hard for GLB to clone their original if they wanted to. Maybe you could send them your recipe! ;D
Just had a GLB Christmas Ale. Ugh. If memory serves, it used to be considerably stronger. But this year’s strikes me as simply cloying, and alcoholically hot. Not a great deal of anything to offer IMHO. And last year’s I liked – the spice was so restrained as to be undetectable, but it was a nice winter warmer type ale at least.
Now I’ve just taken a sip of 12 Dogs of Christmas. At nearly 1% ABV stronger, it is smooth, creamy, and deliciously balanced between malt and spice. Not obnoxious spice, just plays nice in an ale spice. Like GLB was. KellerBrauer, sorry to tease you. I see Thirsty Dog only distributes Ohio and eastward. For giggles I also got Fat Head’s Holly Jolly in my mix-6 pack, a more recent pretender to the crown of GLB Christmas Ale. I will report if I can withstand 3 strong ales in one evening. (Where is my younger self when I need him?)
EDIT/update Okay the Fat Heads is just barely noticeably alcoholic and slightly bitter, not nearly as well balanced or smooth and creamy as the Thirsty Dog. Of the three Cleveland area contenders for top of the Christmas tree, I give it to 12 Dogs. GLB, you’ve been dethroned. IMHO. YMMV. And any other necessary disclaimers. Interested in the opinions of others.
Well said, Robert. Here in the Chicago metro area, we have Binny’s Beverage Depot - a “big box” store for all our alcohol needs. Immediately after you posted your recommendation about Thirsty Dog, I checked to see if Binny’s carries it. No luck. I then went to the Thirsty Dog website and learned, as you said, it’s only distributed in Ohio.
I was actually ready to throw in the towel, but then I just read your very good review of 12 Dogs. Now I’m on a quest - a mission. And, as it turns out, my niece is in from the Cleveland area for the thanksgiving! Hmmmm. And, she will be back for Christmas! Hmmmm. Stay tuned…
Also Andy Tvreekrem, brewmaster at Market Garden and a fellow College of Wooster graduate (as I was), brewed at GLB before going to the Frederick Brewery in Maryland (now Flying Dog) and then back to Cleveland. Both Tim and Andy are good friends of mine and Tim is in the process of retiring.
I am full of this type of historical stuff (or useless information if you prefer)!
I’ve never been a fan of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. It was always too harsh. But even with the knowledge that it’s been toned down, the only way I’ll try one is if someone else buys it (and there’s nothing else available). I have, though, always enjoyed the 12 Dogs but my favorite winter type spiced ale has been LagerHeads Winter Mischief. To me, it has the best balance of spice and beer flavor. I did take a 4 pack of the Thirsty Dog Barrel Aged 12 Dogs when we visited my son in the Chicago area this past month and that was very good.
Now I realize I’ve never tried Andy’s Market Garden Festivus. Next on my list. (If he’s out-Christmasing GLB right across the street, that would be salt in the wound.)
If I’m not mistaken, Andy was at Frederick for only a year or two before moving on to Dogfish Head which was his last stop before getting together with Sam McNulty to build Market Garden.
I think one of the issues with GLBC’s Christmas Ale is that they have to start brewing the stuff in July to meet the demand. Don’t count on the distributors or retailers to treat it well, either. I’d be curious to see how a bottle from a July batch holds up against a draught from more recent batch. I’ve never been a huge fan of the style, but it’s not what it once was. It doesn’t matter much though - it’s become a holiday tradition here in Cleveland and every BMC-swilling D-bag in town will line up to get a couple cases and a DUI.
That’s a very good point I’ve never considered. In fact, I brewed a GLB Christmas Ale clone about a month ago. I typically taste a bottle each week while it’s bottle conditioning and I have noticed a huge swing in the cinnamon flavor already in just 4 weeks. I assumed it was because I bottle conditioned. But maybe you’re right and age, heat, transportation, etc. may all play a roll. Interesting.
Robert suggested I try a 12 Dogs of Christmas from Thirsty Dog Brewing. We can’t buy it in Illinois, so my niece bought some for me and will bring it to me for Christmas. I may just make 12 Dogs my new holiday tradition!
Well Robert, my lovely niece was kind enough to bring me 2 6’s of 12 Dogs from the Thirsty Dog brewery near her apartment. I thought it was a good representation of a Winter Spiced beer, not overwhelming, nor cloying. I thought it could have finished a little sweeter, but that’s just my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed it very much and I also thought it is better than GLB Christmas Ale.
That said, I made a Christmas Ale again this year and was able to compare it to the GLB and TD versions. While I’m probably being very partial, I enjoyed mine compared to the others. The cinnamon and ginger comes through as very individual and distinct flavors in my brew where those flavors are very muddled in the GLB and slightly muddled in the TD. In the end, I had some really great spiced ales this Christmas. Thanks for the suggestion!!
My favorite local/regional this year was easily Columbus Brewing’s Citra Noel. It’s a dark amber ale with a nice toasty malt flavor, some hints of special B and caramel. It has a persistent tan head with almost a mulling spice aroma. I get more piney/resin hop character vs citrus, likely a Chinook bittering addition. Wish they would put more specs on their website. I had hoped to get down there over the holidays to see what I could learn from the brewers but will have to wait for a free weekend. All and all a very nice beer that gets even more complex as is warms up.
Here’s something very telling. I was in a supermarket yesterday and noticed there are still pyramids of Great Lakes Christmas Ale they’re trying to move. No other Christmas seasonals in sight, the other breweries are all long since into their next seasonal offerings. (Well so is GLB. Which would bring us to my opinions of Conway’s Irish, but let’s not go there.) Point is GLB Christmas doesn’t appear to have sold very well. (Wasn’t many years ago if you didn’t preorder a case you were SOL.)
Go to the Giant Eagle Market District in Cuyahoga Falls. I was just there an hour ago and I saw several brands of Christmas ales. Great Lakes, Thirsty Dog, Lager Heads, Columbus and I can’t remember the rest. But they were still there.
And come on, Robert! Don’t wimp out on us. What’s your opinion of Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale? At one time, that was one of my favorite beers. Then in the summer of 2014, Great Lakes changed equipment AND the head brewer. To me, their beer hasn’t been the same since. And not for the better.