What style do you brew for your Christmas beer?

[Bubba Wade]

So, do you make a Christmas beer? If so, what style? Spiced, special fermentables, or reinheitsgebot purist?

This year I made a a Belgian Dark Strong Ale (9.0 %ABV) and an Old Ale (8.5% ABV). No spices in either one, but a healthy dose of Special B malt in the Belgian gave it a rich flavor. Both ales used unrefined Louisiana cane syrup.

What did you make?

 

[Nosybear]

Not doing a Christmas beer this year. I did one for Thanksgiving, a Cranberry Orange ESB, well, amped up a little. Turned out very nice!

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Not doing a Christmas beer this year. I did one for Thanksgiving, a Cranberry Orange ESB, well, amped up a little. Turned out very nice!

I tried one last year. that told me not try it again. Our guests drank it out of pity for the brewer.

 

[naDinMN]

Every year is an American Barleywine without spices. Instead of the usual 9.5%, 2020's was 13.5%.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Lite fizzy beer here its usally stinking hot and coupled with all the food lite easy drinker is good for rinsing down the food.

 

[Bubba Wade]

Lite fizzy beer here its usally stinking hot and coupled with all the food lite easy drinker is good for rinsing down the food.

You do have a bit different climate considerations than most of the rest of us.

 

[GFHomebrew]

You do have a bit different climate considerations than most of the rest of us.

Also one must take into consideration the market your brewing for.... my family would stick their nose up to anything too elaborate .
I'm going to take a growler of Bulins shady boh for a perusal but being dark not lite golden in colour I can imagine straight out the gates their noses will be a bit squished up!

Na brew it as bland as you can as far from real beer tasting as you can imagine and they'll lap it up.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Lite fizzy beer here its usally stinking hot and coupled with all the food lite easy drinker is good for rinsing down the food.

A nice Voss/citra cream ale works so nice in hot weather. For me I made a simple pale ale. Right now we’re going through a blizzard. I’m sitting tight and swilling my Christmas beer.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I'm a big dark beer fan in general so a coffee stout is a no brainer for a winter beer

 

[Sunfire96]

First Christmas as a brewer and my holiday beer ended up being the Czech dark lager from the community recipe lol Next year I would love to do a winter warmer similar to Fullsail Brewing's Wassail (I think technically an Old Ale per BJCP).

 

[James_sweden]

Did a spiced Bock that was mostly taken from a David Heath recipe. I had pretty much all of the ingredients to hand and only had to switch out a couple for grains I actually had. Next time I make it, I’ll use the right grains, the lack of CaraPils means barely any head retention.

 

[Mark Farrall]

Lite fizzy beer here its usally stinking hot and coupled with all the food lite easy drinker is good for rinsing down the food.

Similar for me. 3.5% dry hopped kettle sour. Lovely to drink a few on the hot afternoons/evenings.

 

[Craigerrr]

Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout 7%
Medium Dark Ale with cinnamon and ginger 7.5%

 

[GFHomebrew]

Similar for me. 3.5% dry hopped kettle sour. Lovely to drink a few on the hot afternoons/evenings.

Nothing like something slightly acidic to chew into them greasy Christmas fats...

 

[Beer Foundry]

My third year doing a Bad Santa recipe - dark ale with adjuncts of cherries, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup. Mashed high (67) to get a really full bodied taste.

I have had rave reviews every year and requests to buy crates of it! I brewed 50L this year and it still disappeared in a couple of weeks.

It’s a Jon Finch recipe, but reproduced on the maltmiller website for anyone in the UK to order the ingredients. https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/bad-santa-jon-finch/

Here’s an Instagram post showing my home made labels: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIa57gIlqHc/?igshid=hm4gmz4n3ov2

 

[Craigerrr]

My third year doing a Bad Santa recipe - dark ale with adjuncts of cherries, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup. Mashed high (67) to get a really full bodied taste.

I have had rave reviews every year and requests to buy crates of it! I brewed 50L this year and it still disappeared in a couple of weeks.

It’s a Jon Finch recipe, but reproduced on the maltmiller website for anyone in the UK to order the ingredients. https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/bad-santa-jon-finch/

Here’s an Instagram post showing my home made labels: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIa57gIlqHc/?igshid=hm4gmz4n3ov2

Sounds delish!