We rate local holiday beers for 2023
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Joe crashing the beer lineup pic. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios
There's a local holiday beer for your Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa celebrations this month.
What happened: The three of us split up and poured six different holiday beers into separate numbered cups to keep them unknown. We scored each beer on a 1 to 5 scale based on deliciousness, holiday flavor and drinkability, wrote down our commentary, then added up the scores for a final ranking.
- 15 was the highest possible composite score. Longtime readers will remember we did this last year too — check out our scores of brews from Frankenmuth, Great Lakes Brewing, Arbor Brewing and others.
- No, we can't believe our newsletter has been around that long either!
Atwater Brewery Lebkuchen Christmas Ale (6.1% ABV): 12/15. Sam and Joe both gave this beer a 4, with Sam writing it has a "light, graham cracker taste. This is great for non-beer drinkers."
- Annalise wrote this is the "beer an AI would produce if you asked it to make a holiday beer." Not in a bad way — it's a good, solid option to take to a party.
North Peak Brewing Co. Blitzen Festivus Ale (6.8%): 11.5/15. "I liked this one a lot, which is a surprise for a dark beer. Rich flavor but not too much," Sam wrote, giving a score of 3.5.
- "Eager for a second sip," Joe wrote. "Somewhat bitter, but balanced."
Bell's Brewery Oberon Eclipse (6.3% ABV): 9.5/15. Unlike Joe (2.5) and Sam (2), Annalise loved Oberon Eclipse and gave it a 5 — perhaps because her beer tastes are incredibly basic. "I said 'Oooh' delightedly right away so I guess I liked it." It's a lighter, brighter option.
- Joe called it "kind of plain" while Sam said it had nice cinnamon and gingerbread flavors but he wouldn't want more than a sip.
Short's Brewing Pure Michigan Winter Pils (7.3%): 9.5/15. Joe liked Short's winter pilsner, saying it tastes somewhat basic but is "smooth and drinkable."
- For Sam, this one was "terrible," he wrote. "I like Short's Soft Parade, but I hate every other one of their beers."
Goose Island Christmas IPA (7.5% ABV): 9.5/15. Joe enjoyed this IPA, giving it a 4.5 and calling it "bright, smooth and delicious" with unique flavors.
- Annalise doesn't like IPAs and said that even for an IPA, it was "pretty mid."
Eastern Market Brewing Co. Sweater Weather (7.2% ABV): 9/15. "Dark and rich, just how I don't like it!" Sam wrote, giving it a score of 2.
- "Smooth, but Christmas flavors are indistinct. I could drink a couple cans of this," Joe wrote, giving it a 4.