Recommendations for brewing a Christmas Ale

With the cold and humidity come winter beers. As we well know, in different cultures there are beer styles for every season, suited to each time of year. In this case, we’re going to look at the Christmas ale, which we can interpret as a segment within the winter ale family.

These are dark, spiced beers to enjoy over Christmas. There are different interpretations, but we’re going to focus on the Belgian and American traditions, which allow for the greatest creativity in terms of ingredients. Let’s look at a few points you should bear in mind before you dive into brewing your first Christmas ale.

• Fermentation: In general, Christmas beers are top-fermented. However, German brewers also produce several winter beers fermented as lagers, in keeping with their tradition.
• Color: Most Christmas ales are dark or at least coppery. In any case, they don’t reach the color of a stout. This prominently malty pattern usually doesn’t reach coffee-like intensity. Maltiness is important, but it should not overshadow the spice profile we add.
• Spices: Belgian brewers choose to add spices that evoke Christmas. This is where we find a wide range of possibilities depending on your tastes. For example, we can add cinnamon, anise, cloves, ginger, citrus peels, pine needles, berries… It’s up to you. What’s important is that the spices harmonize with the style. In this sense, hops are usually not the star. Beyond providing bitterness, hops do not contribute much to the overall profile, which is already dominated by spices.
• The alcohol: We usually find Christmas beers starting at 6% ABV, with no real upper limit. To increase the alcohol content, Belgian and American brewers often use fermentables that also impart their flavor to the beer. You can add honey, brown sugar or maple syrup, for example.

As you can see, these are very enjoyable beers. If you need inspiration, you can try some classic examples like Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing (USA), which changes its recipe every year, or St Bernardus (Belgium), among others. Also bear in mind that you can age them from one year to the next, which helps balance out any potential imbalances caused by the spice blend. In any case, don’t hesitate to dive into your first Christmas ale without fear, because it’s one of the most creative styles.