Not only are the holidays a great time to rekindle relationships with old friends and loved ones, hand out presents, wear extremely ugly sweaters, and bake and decorate an uncomfortable amount of cookies, but it’s also the season of craft beer. Specifically, Christmas-themed craft beers.
Whether or not you’re dreaming of a “white Christmas” or if you live somewhere without seasons, if you celebrate the Santa-centric holiday (or any of the holidays), you likely have adorned your house or apartment with at least a few twinkling lights and maybe even a blow-up Grinch in the yard. There’s also a good chance you’ve already attended your fair share of holiday gatherings and had to sit through some awkward, meandering conversations. These moments and events are what the holidays are made of and they’re sure to leave you craving a beer or two.
You’ve earned a winter warmer, seasonal ale, or flavorful stout. Below, you’ll find eight of our favorite Christmas brews ranked based on overall seasonal flavor. Keep scrolling to see if your favorite holiday beer made the list.
8) Ommegang Everything Naughty
ABV: 9.5%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
To say this is a unique beer is an understatement. Labeled as a “white chocolate imperial blonde stout,” this 9.5% seasonal beer is brewed with 2 Row, Cara Pils, and Blonde Roasted Malt. It gets its hop presence from Magnum, Saaz, and Styrian Golding hops.
Tasting Notes:
This “stout” is surprisingly golden in color. The nose also doesn’t resemble a stout in the least. There are notes of coffee, white chocolate, dried fruits, and Belgian yeast. The palate is loaded with more white chocolate, cherries, wintry spices, candied orange peel, and caramel. The finish is yeasty, boozy, and indulgently sweet.
Bottom Line:
This unique aroma and flavor of this “blonde stout” should be enough to add it to your Christmas beer list this year.
7) Narragansett White Christmas
ABV: 7.4%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
This beer is not only named for a classic Bring Crosby Christmas song but it’s adorned with his image. That’s because this limited-edition winter warmer was brewed in collaboration with the estate of the popular singer. This warming seasonal beer gets its flavor from the addition of dark cherries, orange peel, and ginger.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with aromas of caramel, dried cherries, raisins, ginger, and other wintry spices. The palate backs this up with sticky toffee, ginger, cherries, dried fruits, and a light, hoppy bitterness at the finish. Sweet, spicy, and gently hoppy, this is a can’t-miss Christmas beer.
Bottom Line:
Crank up the Bing Crosby, pour yourself a Narragansett White Christmas, and enjoy the sweet, spicy, warming brew.
6) Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Every year Rogue Ales drops a new version of Santa’s Private Reserve. Last year, the annual brew was a stout brewed with tahini, tangerine, and chocolate. This year, it’s a smooth, sweet, malty, robust toffee stout. To add to it, the can is adorned with a heavily tattooed Santa shredding on a guitar.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all chocolate, toffee, dried fruits, and vanilla. Sipping it reveals a world of toffee candy, dark chocolate, toasted vanilla beans, robust coffee, and light floral hops. All in all, a great, sweet, toffee-filled stout well-suited for winter drinking,
Bottom Line:
You might want to buy this beer for the artwork on the cans alone. But the beer inside is pretty good too.
5) Avery Old Jubilation
ABV: 8.3%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
It almost feels like the holiday season hasn’t yet officially begun until we have an Avery Old Jubilation or two. This English strong ale, available from October through December, is brewed with Black, Chocolate, Bonlander Munich, Gambrinus Honey, and 2-row malts. Known for its mix of chocolate, caramel malt, and nutty sweet flavors, this has been a seasonal staple since it first launched in 1997.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of cinnamon, hazelnuts, toffee, and chocolate are heavy on the nose. Sipping it reveals notes of molasses candy, toffee, dried fruits, vanilla, chocolate, and spices. The finish is warming, sweet, and lightly spiced.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a beer that tastes like Christmas in a pint glass, you’ll have a difficult time finding out better than Avery Old Jubilation.
4) Southern Tier 2XMAS
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Sadly, Southern Tier 2XMAS doesn’t mean that we get to celebrate Christmas two times. Its name is a reference to the fact that it’s a spiced double ale. Brewed to be reminiscent of the Swedish holiday drink Glögg, it’s brewed with fig paste, orange peels, ginger root, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find scents of caramel malts, ginger candy, cloves, cinnamon, and zesty orange peels. The palate continues what the nose started. There are notes of ginger, clove, cinnamon, candied orange peel, dried fruits, and vanilla. The finish is dry and has a hint of bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for fruit cake fans. It’s spiced, fruity, and borderline dessert-like. This is a beer to drink on a cold night. Slowly.
3) Pure Project Home For The Holihaze
ABV: 8.8%
Average Price: $23 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Not all Christmas beers are winter warmers or spice bombs. The folks at San Diego’s Pure Brewing Project released a hazy IPA for this year’s holiday season called Home for the Holihaze. This collaboration with Burgeon Brewing Company is brewed with Superdelic and Nectaron hops from New Zealand and Citra Cryo hops from Washington.
Tasting Notes:
This sublimely hazy, cloudy IPA begins with a bouquet of ripe raspberries, tangerine, passionfruit, mango, and light floral hops. The palate is extremely juicy and loaded with flavors like ripe orange, sweet peach, passionfruit, and earthy, floral, lightly piney hops. The finish is sweet, hoppy, and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
Who says hazy IPAs are only for the summer months? We plan to drink this seasonal juice bomb all winter long.
2) Columbus Tracksuit Santa
ABV: 7.8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
First launched in 2020, this annual 7.8% ABV spiced holiday ale is brewed with Indonesian cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel. It’s a malty, sweet, seasonal ale with just the right amount of spice to remind you that you’re drinking a Christmas beer.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of cinnamon, dried fruits, ginger, candied orange peel, and toffee intermingle on the nose. The palate is centered on caramel malts, cinnamon candy, chocolate, ginger, orange peel, and light spices. For the amount of holiday flavors, it’s surprisingly balanced and not over-the-top.
Bottom Line:
This is a well-balanced, malt-forward, warming seasonal brew that is made even better with the addition of ginger, cinnamon, and orange peel.
1) Troegs Mad Elf
ABV: 11%
Average Price: $16 for a six-pack
The Beer:
When it comes to holiday beers, there are few as eagerly awaited as the seasonal release of Troegs Mad Elf. This famous Christmas beer gets its flavor from Belgian yeast, locally sourced wildflower honey, and five different types of cherries.
Tasting Notes:
Caramelized sugar, dried cherries, butterscotch, and honey make for a very inviting nose. On the palate, you’ll find flavors of caramel malts, sweet cherries, honey, toffee, and a warming, boozy finish. Cherries, caramel, and booze, what’s not to love?
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Troegs Mad Elf is a popular Christmas beer. It’s not an over-the-top spiced beer. It’s all caramel, cherries, and honey sweetness — a very memorable brew.