Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs Of Christmas Ale
This beer’s name sums up the ideas of bringing the best together to celebrate. It is filled with seasonal flavors from generous amounts of toasted and caramel malts, mixed with equally generous amounts of honey, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. We feel it is the perfect libation, filled with flavors of the season.
3.3
260 reviews
Akron, United States
Community reviews
Draught @ Albion. Dark amber with decent sized creamy beige head, faint caramel aroma, medium carbonation, spicy caramel taste with ginger and cinnamon flavors, thin body, long spicy finish. Not bad but reminded me of licorice, which I don’t like.
Amber-brown color and mostly opaque with a scant beige crown; subtle clove and ginger spice with a nice caramel cake maltiness and honey sweetness; medium body, calm mouthfeel; deceptive alcohol (that will quickly catch yo with you) and easy to drink; one of Thirsty Dog’s best beers and one of my seasonal favorites as it brings back lots of happy memories!
No Christmas cheer with this beer. It is too bitter for a Christmas ale and the attempt of spices was poor. Overall you can do a lot better in a Christmas ale than this one
Poured from a 12 ounce bottle. There is a ton of ginger in this. Malty, bread, cracker. Ginger is overwhelming.
Not a great holiday beer. Pours a nice clear Amber color with little head. Smells of malts, cinnamon and caramel. Taste is mostly just malty with a bit of cinnamon. One note. Had in the bottle.
Brought sixer to a holiday family event. Nose caramel and Christmas spice nose. Tastes of malt, nutmeg, caramel, pepper, pine, Christmas in general. Overall pleasant.
On tap at Bar Louie Polaris, Columbus, OH. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale is a darker copper clear brew with a fine head of tiny white bubbles. Nose is strong of honey, cloves, ginger and other yule spices. Taste is initially a little sweet malt, but is strong with spice almost past what I would consider enjoyable. the body is medium and a little lively. Overall a stronger spiced winter warmer . A bit much for me, but I like my spiced beers a little more subtle.
Drinkable but a little to spicy for me. I’m aware that is what they were going for but it misses the mark. Drinkable in a pinch.
Bottle@home, from Constantino’s, Cleveland, USA. Medium/light slightly sweet aroma with berries like cranberry. Dark bronze color with minimal head. Medium taste with berries and Christmas notes like cinnamon. Some honey. Somewhat unbalanced. Medium/narrow taste spectrum and shot aftertaste with some berries. Medium/light body with medium carbonation. Overall, nice, basic product.
Sweet, dread allspice aroma. Clear, tea-colored. Fun label. Standard longneck. Oatmeal head. Sweet, spicy, buttery. Goes a little flat, body is lighter than I expected. Toffee finish with allspice/nutmeg. Not bad by style, just not my cuppa beer. Marinade material. ABC Liquors, Betton.
Tallahassee, Fl - ABC Fine Wine & Spirits - Betton - 12 oz bottle. Sparkling, dark orange pour, light off-white head. Sweet aroma with hints of toffee, some rhubarb-like fruitiness. Flavor is relatively mild, some Christmas-like spices, some ripening vegetable notes, some passion fruit. Mouthfeel is velvety smooth. Enjoyable, one of many winter beers in the next few weeks that won’t taste too dissimilar.
Poured from a bottle. Clear dark caramel brown color with a thin tan ring. Nice aroma of fall spices that isn’t too strong but noticeable. Body is very thin almost to the point of being watered down. Taste is very smooth with caramel, toffee, cinnamon and semi-sweet. No harshness or alcohol burn. Flavors are not very prominent but more on the subtle side. I expected it to be a little more bold but overall it isn’t bad. Just a bit weak for a winter warmer.
Tap at mellow new Albany. Pour is copper with tan lingering head. Nose is floral and sweet. Very smooth and bit of tart hidden there. Dark fruit esters are ok. Wouldn't run to again.
Bottle. Jump start on the Yuletide season a few weeks early... this has been sitting here looking at me since I returned from my most recent trip to the 216 to see my girl... couldn’t wait any longer to try it. Deep coppery amber pour, substantial creamy white head with outstanding retention and lace. Nose is pie spice, toasty malts, caramel. Mouth is medium bodied and mildly sweet, dried fruit, caramel, spices, toasted bread. Dropping points for being a bit watery and a slightly medicinal finish. Christmas Ale is still the reigning king of the I-271 corridor. But this is better than many ’holiday’ beers I’ve had.
Pours a deep brown with a light tan head in a snifter. Aroma is big spices with cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, toffe, and dark sweet bread dough. Taste is up front chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and bread dough. Spiced finish. Medium body, mild carb. Certainly a holiday beer. Want to try the BA version.
Christmas in July release, pour from bottle to tulip. Deep maroon/ruby with lasting head. Aroma of holiday spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, sweet malt. Flavor is decently spiced with soothing malt presence. Medium, very borderline light body. Good, but I would like to see how the Great Lakes Xmas matches up this year.
Bottle. Reddish amber pour with a minor head. Lots and lots of holiday spices in the aroma and taste. Slightly better aroma than taste. Good.
A dark amber pour and a fun label. I tasted clove, cinnamon, and a little yeast in the finish. It was a tad thin on the palate and the aroma was a little bland. Pretty good.
Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor, NYC tap: Pours amber with an off-white head. Aroma is caramel, dark fruit, and loads of spices. Taste is sweet and malty with a lot of spicy notes. It is not all that interesting. I wasn’t a huge fan.
Pours a dark ruby with a light white head. Aroma is honey and several spices, with nutmeg as the standout. Flavor is similar, though the spices come out more fully than the honey. Sweet, though not too sweet. Body’s a touch thin. Quite good.
Tasted from draft. Pours a nice ruby color with white head. Aroma is very spicy. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Taste similar to the nose. Nice spice flavor with some honey and caramel sweetness. Moderate to heavy sweetness with minimal bitterness. Overall one of the better spiced Xmas ales.
I got some spice in this one. Upfront spice which mellows to a malt backbone. Cinnamon stays around throughout. Finish is dry, a little bit of alcohol.
Thanks Tracy for sending!
Two bottles, one was poured into a snifter and the other was poured into a pint glass. There wasn’t any difference between the two glasses.
The appearance was a nice looking hazy amber to orange color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute leaving some light lacing sticking and then sliding down into the beer.
The smell had a wonderful sweet honey up front and as it warmed there’s a nice spicy ginger with a light cinnamon. Light vanilla comes in from behind to balance.
The taste took all of those previously mentioned flavors and combined them with a nice allocation of nutmeg. Light caramel comes out in the taste as well. The aftertaste was light and semi - sweet through the honey that ends up leading to a sticky sweet honey finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. The carbonation was somewhat subdued but still was good for the most part. There’s a nice smooth honey rolling over my tongue.
Overall, I say this was a wonderful Winter Warmer that provides a nice session and could go well with it’s respected foods.
bottle @ Jungle Jim’s / Eastgate OH --- Dark amber brown color, foamy off-white head, bands of lace. Taste is malt that adds spice early, with hops joining in on the swallow. A decent Spiced brew, but not memorable.
Not a bad Christmas Ale. A little bit wanting in areas where Great Lakes really shines through. Could have used a bit more sweetness to balance out some of the more bitter notes.
This one is a little too much holiday for me. The cinnamon and nutmeg really shine through.
Clear copper with medium off-white head. Aroma is cinnamon, medium body, low carbonation, and some small-bubble lacing. Taste is cinnamon and ginger. I prefer Great Lakes Christmas Ale.
Bottled. Pours a clear brown/copper color. Thin beige head. Aroma is cinnamon, honey, and surprisingly the ginger actually comes through, and a little bit of nutmeg. Pretty much as advertised. Really nice. Flavor is cinnamon, little bit of ginger. Some honey sweetness. Pretty much no bitterness. Pretty awesome Christmas-y flavor.
12 oz bottle served in a Belgian snifter.
Feel: medium-full body with medium-light carbonation. A tiny bite on the tongue, presumably from the 8.3% alcohol. Pleasant, spicy aroma but it suggests that there may be too much spicing in the flavor. Tasting confirms this, with the blame largely on nutmeg. Some medium and dark malt with a hint of toffee does show behind the spicing.
O: a good winter seasonal, but a bit too much nutmeg for me.
12 oz bottle. Amber with an off white head. Malty, caramel aroma...cinnamon and other Christmas spices. Honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, light caramel malts, clove, brown sugar. Just a bit watery.