Christmas Ale (2018)

We’re pleased to introduce our 2018 Christmas Ale, a subtly spiced and sumptuously smooth winter warmer. This year’s brew marks the 44th annual release of this beloved holiday tradition.

Each year, we bring something new and interesting to this traditional holiday beer while maintaining its signature style. Our 2018 Christmas Ale has varying specialty malts, lending rich flavors of brûléed sugars, holiday spices, and freshly baked banana bread with a velvety finish. The aromatics are quintessential for the holiday season: nutty candied yams and resinous pine. It pours a nice mahogany brown color with a fluffy, tan head.

As each Christmas Ale recipe evolves, so does its hand-drawn packaging, created by long-time Anchor Illustrator Jim Stitt, who has been creating Anchor’s Christmas Ale labels since 1975. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew. For the 2018 release, Stitt created a brimming Korean Pine (Pinus Koraiensis) for the label. Native to both North and South Korea, the Korean Pine Tree is a symbol of peace and a reminder of the spirit of the season. It flourishes in the picturesque botanical gardens just north of San Francisco, Anchor’s home base. Show Less