Beer Me: Top 5 Christmas Ales - According to Me

I have been lax in my beer drinking. My apologies. This is a fantastic time of year for beer lovers. The brews are warming and rich with flavor. Perfect for a snowy eve. Today, I'm bringing you 5 of my favorites, in no particular order. OK, the first one is my absolute favorite, but the rest are in no particular order. And they're all good.

1) Troeg's Mad Elf

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This is the most expensive one at around $15.99 for a 6-pack (or it may be a 4-pack). It's also sold in 22 oz. bottles and is 11.0% ABV. But....it's worth it.

From the site: "The Mad Elf is a cheerful creation to warm 

your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of 

cherries, honey, and chocolate malts delivers gentle fruits 

and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique 

yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength 

that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet 

delicious Ale. The Mad Elf is a jolly and delicious beer for 

 the holidays."

2) Southern Tier 2XMAS

Absolutely love Southern Tier and their beers. They make my favorite fall beer, Pumking, so it's only fitting that their Christmas offering is high on my list as well. I wrote about them last year HERE.


3) Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas

Now, I heard rumor that the brewer of 12 Dogs used to work for Great Lakes Brewing and tweaked their Christmas Ale recipe to come up with the 12 Dogs of Christmas. I don't know if that's true or not but it seems plausible. This is for sure one of my favorites. I wrote about it last year HERE.


4) Fat Head's Holly Jolly

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Fat Head's consistently puts out some quality beers and this Christmas is no different. I believe this is a new offering from them this year and it's a winner! Full of spice!

From the site: "Once upon a frozen evening way up north, a 

sweet local honey named Holly inspired our Jolly Fat Man 

(as only Holly can) to create this festive spiced holiday ale. 


We think you will enjoy his holiday creation with it's aromas 

and flavors of Christmas day. Sweet malt, ginger, honey 

and cinnamon spice. Sip this by the fire with your significant 

other. Who knows, maybe it will lead to a little inspiration of 

your own. From our Jolly Fat Man to yours, Happy Holidays."


5) Rivertown Winter Ale 

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This is the Christmas offering from Rivertown but because it's a Winter, I'm hoping it will stick around through the new year. Let me say, the 6 pack we just recently purchased ($8.49) was the freshest I had every tasted! Like it came directly from the bottling line and into my glass 30 minutes later. Holy moly!

From the site: "Winter spiced ale is our winter seasonal offering. 

With its thick body, creamy head, ruby hue, and big bold flavors 

with hints of caramel, toffee, and cinnamon, it is sure to keep you 

warm through the cold winter nights. "


I did not include Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Blasphemous, I know. Truth be told, I do like it. I just like the ones I listed better.

Happy Beering!

Beer Me: Blueberry

I recently tried two different blueberry beers that I must share with you. Blueberry and beer not a natural pairing, you say? Well, I would have said so too but I'm always looking for something new and different in my glass so here they are!

This is Bumbleberry, a Honey Blueberry Ale from Fat Head's Brewery. Up until now I was unfamiliar with them but I am a new fan! They are located in Ohio about 20 minutes from my hometown. How I didn't know they existed up there, I don't know. But, I am for sure making a visit there...possibly this coming weekend!

From the site: "Brewed with fresh harvested spring honey stolen from some very angry bees (we have the welts to prove it) and infused with fresh blueberries. Creating a light, refreshing ale with a nice blueberry aroma, crackery malt flavors, a hint of sweetness and a refreshing blueberry finish. Get yo buzz on!"

I thought this was great and super refreshing, like they claimed it to be. Not overpowering on the blueberry but you must like blueberry to enjoy this beer because the flavor is definitely there. Only a 13 on the bitterness scale and 5.3% ABV makes for a good summertime brew. I hope it's a year rounder so I can enjoy one on the patio in June! Give this a try. $10.99/6 pack.

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The other is the Blueberry Lager from Rivertown Brewing Co. I only had a sample of this at the store so that's not my picture above but I would definitely look at buying it in the future.

From the site: "this light, crisp clean lager beer is brewed with fresh blueberry aroma and flavor."

Short on words but big on taste. I liked this a lot more than I expected to. I tried it a few weeks before the Fat Head's one. Good blueberry flavor and smooth drinking at 5.3 % as well. Blueberry Lager is one of their year-round offerings so hopefully it'll still be readily available as spring actually springs.

Maybe these blueberry beers are the cure for my winter blues?