Lakefront Holiday Spice Lager Beer

Timed to coincide with the holiday season, a very special lager is brewed with honey, oranges, and spices. This beer uses two pounds of honey per pound of malt in its brew, making it an exceptional fortified holiday specialty beer which will keep for years. The spices and hops balance the sweetness of the honey and malt to give this lightly hopped beer its perfect flavor.

Alcohol ABV varies from 9.5% to 11% each year

3.5

277 reviews

Milwaukee, United States

Community reviews

4.9 This is a very delicious seasonal beer. This beer probably has the best blend of flavors of a holiday seasonal I’ve had. Delicious blend of spices contribute to the amazing flavor of this beer. Nice foamy head and great hoppy flavor! Excellent!

3.8 Bottled October 24, 2013. Appearance: The body is a beautiful mahogany-garnet hue with good clarity that shows off big carbonation bubbles in the body. The head is short and fizzy, quickly dissipating into a very thin light tan ring and a spotty coating. Aroma: The aroma is a nice blend of spices, I pick up some cinnamon and ginger with big semi-sweet malts hinting at brown sugar and some biscuit. The aroma is inviting and enjoyable, not overly spiced but they are definitely there. Taste: Oh this is quite pleasant, a big malty lager with prominent spices. The beer starts off with some malty biscuit, toasted and caramel malts with a light citrus overtone. The malts get stronger as nutmeg overlies them, adding a nice complexity. The malt base is mostly strong caramel throughout, very nicely balanced with the spices though. The finish is reminiscent of Troegenator, malty with a slight dark fruitiness to it. The finish lingers nicely of cinnamon and brown sugar, a tasty presence that surprised me initially in a good way. The finish shows some alcohol, but overall this really hides it nicely. Palate: Full-bodied, lightly carbonated. Overall: This is a beer I certainly plan to buy again next year for the holiday times. I feel sad that I didn’t have this on Christmas as this would make an excellent breakfast beer for Christmas. The spices are prominent, but they compliment the strong malt base nicely. I can’t say I taste any honey though. Good beer, worth trying!

3.8 Bottle - Deep mahogany pour with a foamy light tan head. Nose is ginger and coriander, a little fruitcake, sweet dark bread, and a bit of boozy warmth. The taste is like a mixed drink you’d have at Christmas. It’s bready and buttery sweet, with more holiday spices and a long, sweet, lightly boozy finish. The 9.5% is there, but other than a little bit in the finish it’s mostly smooth and warm. Has a buttery thick and slick body, with smooth, mouth-filling carbonation. Tasty stuff, from a style that I’m not normally fond of.

3.6 Mahogany pour with little head. Smells like Christmas. Taste is caramel and spices, lightly bittersweet. Easy to drink, considering the high ABV.

3.6 Pours a dark ruby - moderate lace - the spices are pretty heavy in the nose, especially the orange peel and clove, but these actually work pretty well with the earthy, complex sweetness of the honey - a slight melanoidin richness adds additional depth - creamy texture - rich clover honey flavor - spices seem a little overdone at first - strong clove, especially - but they don’t seem as assertive as the beer warms, and settle into the honey and sweet malts a bit - cinnamon adds an interesting spicy kick late - finish of candied orange peel and nutmeg at the finish, along with some rich maltiness - quite sweet, but a nice beer none-the-less.

4.0 On tap into a sampler glass. Minneapolis. Labeled as 11%abv Appearance: Dark brown, cloudy, with a tan head. Aroma: Heavy on holiday spices - nutmeg, cloves, ginger. Malty with a hint of alcohol. Taste: Sweet up front with a warming alcohol finish. Palate: Good heavy body. Smooth palate, long finish. Overall: I liked this beer a lot more than I expected. Really good level of spiciness and alcohol. One I would like to haven again.

4.2 Truly a holiday beer! Strong cinnamon and spice notes in both aroma and taste. It’s like Christmas in a glass!

3.5 Very flavorful, great winter warmer on Christmas morning. ABV packs a wallop, unexpected for a lager. Caramel base with winter spices. Almost a syrupy mouthfeel, in a good way.

3.4 Bottle. Pours a nice orangish brown with light brown head. Medium body, lively mouthfeel. Bitter orange rind finish. Warming alcohol finish.

3.1 Not a huge fan of highly spiced beers but for my palate this was just the right amount. Well balanced with a nice warm feel to it. Would have again in moderation

4.0 Wish it actually had slightly less alcohol because it actually overwhelms the wonderful taste! Smooth, creamy, milky delightful...great! drink quickly!!! gets harsh with warmth

3.5 Pours a very slightly hazy red, with very little head. Aromas are banana and nutmeg, some orange, and honey. Cool! Taste is a bit boozy (for a second), followed by a light caramel flavor, more banana and spices, with a solid chunk of orange zest in the finish, along with some more booze. Delightful.

3.2 Dark red brown. No head. Nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses. Sweet with a small amount of bitterness. Alcohol is apparent and upfront, heavy body. Fairly straightforward, but tasty.

3.8 Draft. Boozy caramel malt aroma (a bit medicinal while it was cold). Dark brown with moderate head. Sweet orange-caramel malt and bourbon flavor. Very smooth and nice. One of the better Christmas beers.

4.0 12/06/13 trade from Jamil. Yummy cent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet honey. Decently dark pour for a lager with a nice head. Medium silky feel. Cinnamon, nutmeg flavor melding I to sweet honey, fruity notes. Delicious.

3.7 Bottle. Shared. Pours a mahogany color with off white head. Nice spice aroma with oranges and honey and clove and cinnamon. Flavor is more of the same very smooth and mellow. Alcohol hidden well. Oranges and clove are predominant in the flaovr with the honey undertones. Enjoyable.

3.6 Pours a deep mahogany color with a fairly small head and nominal lacing. Aroma of honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of fruit. Taste is fairly sweet with honey, cinnamon and some fruity sweetness. Just a trace of bitterness and a sweet sticky finish. Medium body, smooth and with a nice balance. Was expecting a overly sweet holiday beer but is actually quite enjoyable with the ABV very well hidden. Nice beer to celebrate the holidays with.

3.3 Bottle - good size foamy head, dark brown color, definite cinnamon and clove aroma and flavor, sweet malt/honey backbone, can't pick up much orange though - not bad for a holiday spice kind of beer

3.5 Pours dark ruby almost brown. Opaque lacing tan head. Aroma is full of christmas charm. Apples, cinnamon, orange, and a bit of nutmeg pervade. Moderately to heavy sweet with a crisp finish. Medium body and a slight tinge of alcohol near the end. I love christmas!

3.9 Warm inviting spices over caramel. Brown with a minimal head. Sweet with warming spices. Medium bodied with a sweet finish.

4.2 Not a bad christmas beer. Pretty heavily spiced but not in an unbalanced fashion. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. Potent and smooth.

3.2 12 oz bottle that was part of the Winter 2012 World Market 9 pack, courtesy of my in-laws. The pour is brown copper with a small light tan head. The aroma is cinnamon, sweet fruit (maybe apple cranberry), and quite heavy on the holiday spices. The taste is big on the potpourri spice of the nose, along with the cinnamon and the sweetness from the fruit. The palate is medium bodied, soft carbonation, lingering spice in the finish. Alcohol present in the finish.

3.3 12oz bottle, from Dilly Deli. Bottled October, Week 4, 2012. Whoa, I had no idea that this was much higher than 7% when I drank it at the bar. Nice nose - honey balances out the malt and spices. Nutmeg. Some clove. Some cinnamon. Medium body. Light, smooth carbonation. No stickiness or lingering viscosity in the finish. Mostly clear amber / brown color. Minimal head, no lace. Spicy taste, light bitter. Light sweetness from the honey. Solid and interesting holiday brew. Also interesting that it’s a lager, rather than your traditional holiday ale. Got to give it an extra point too, for sneaking that alcohol by me so stealthily

1.3 OK, let’s celebrate the holiday spice lager beer at easter. A darker beer and it smells overtly of spices, quite obtuse. Makes me nervous about the taste. From a bottle there is no head. Big crappy clovey, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloying tasting thrashing machine. Wew, what else can be said. Not hardly impressed by the holiday spiced series of beers, any of them. Almost unsweetened vanilla extract background begins to stick its ugly head thru. Rude bullshit medicine finish, approaches gag reflex. I guess being an older bottle makes it worse. Glad to taste it but will not ever purchase again, as with most of these holiday spiced beers.

3.4 From a 12 oz bottle shared at Iona in Arlington. Pours a cloudy amber with a feint off white head. Fruit and pie spice aroma. Notes if caramel with cinnamon and cloves. Smooth spice finish.

3.3 Amber colored pour with a white head. Lots of nutmeg and all spice aromas, a bit of cinnamon, and some sweet fruits. A bit of apple and pear, some toffee and caramel malt, and a light pine note. The flavor is sweet and caramel/toffee malt forward. The spices accent it nicely, actually, but there is a slightly "off" herbal quality I can’t exactly identify. A little bit of alcohol, mildly bitter, and lightly fruity.

2.6 12oz bottle, heavy on the aroma and taste of spices. Brown/reddish pour, heavy on spice. This one just wasn’t for me, not well balanced, warming feeling, nice on a cold night. I wouldn’t drink this one again, but this brew recieved a lot of high ratings.

3.4 12 ounce bottle purchased at Total Wine Pembroke Pines, FL for $0.99 Very good!

3.8 Reddish orange brown. soapy head. Big Aroma of holiday spices, some ripe fruit. Flavor follows nose. The spices are the star of the show.

3.3 Location: 12 oz bottle from Buy Rite, 12/23/12, 2012 Bottle (Bottled 11/13/12) Aroma: The nose is holiday spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, some gingerbread, toffee, and honey Appearance: It pours a dark reddish-brown color with a small beige head and mild lace Flavor: It tastes rather sweet, with a malty presence and most of the same spice notes as the nose Palate: The body is medium, with average-plus carbonation, and a lightly dry, tingly finish Overall Impression: This is a pretty decent holiday spice beer. I really couldn’t find a ton to criticize here, but it is a bit sweet for my tastes. Overall though, there’s a nice spice component, some good sweetness, and just a little bit of hops to keep it from getting way too sweet. It kind of has a wheat wine-type sweetness/booziness, though the alcohol is well-hidden. Interesting stuff for sure.