Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": Great Lakes Christmas Ale

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 19, 2007 7:00PM

We get letters:

Chuck, Please tell me you're going to review Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Co., it's pretty top notch! And pretty much sold out everywhere, the Binny's locale on 3000 N. Clark told me on Monday that I'd purchase their last case. Any way it's a nice beer if you can get it! Cheers,

Chris Sauve

Although it's rare that we take requests, we were fortunate that we didn't have to travel to Binny's in Lakeview for Chris' recommendation. We headed to Archer Liquors again, where we found Great Lakes Christmas Ale for $10.79 a six-pack.

What you'll find on this hearty amber brew is cinnamon, and lots of it. We also noted some nutmeg and honey in the beer. Christmas Ale has a breezy effervescence on the palate, followed by some light bitterness. The hops linger in the back of the mouth on finish, much like how this winter is gearing up to do. Overall, it's a solid winter ale, but it makes us long for Bell's Winter White, which didn't roll out with Larry Bell's Kalamazoo end-around.

And so that leaves us with one more beer for 2K7. How do you like that? To Chris Sauve and all other readers with suggestions for "BotW," keep them coming. Great Lakes Christmas Ale is Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."