An inch of snow carpeted my neighborhood, so for the first time since my move, Nashville feels as if holiday spirit has taken hold.
But one Cleveland holiday tradition has been sabotaged by greed. Great Lakes Christmas Ale (GLCA) ran short in Columbus. By all accounts, it never reached the shelves in many stores, with customers ordering by the case. Other stores limited customers to one six-pack. It takes nothing away from the taste; I just tired of the difficulty in getting it from Ohio. When my ultra-secret delivery system came to Nashville, it brought 12 GLCAs and 12 from Thirsty Dog.
As an alternative, 12 Dogs of Christmas performs deftly. They pack it with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. The honey glides underneath. It does not have the same mighty undercurrent of honey as GL Christmas Ale does. The honey definitely smooths out the The tones of honey in 12 Dogs mingle nicely with a dark malts that radiate mild chocolate, tobacco leaf, and chicory. Without the bees’ effort, the malts would less balanced turns. 12 Dogs has a medium brown body, leaving me fearful of the dreaded dark, uneventful Christmas ale sprung by too many craft brewers. Smooth and spicey wins the holiday ale race, which Thirsty Dog clearly understands.
Does 12 Dogs open a new tradition? Love GLCA as I have, I cannot be slave to any beer.
Thirsty Dog goes the rounded, high alcohol route (8.3 percent) and establishes 12 Dogs as a premier Ohio holiday beer. That lands it in excellent company.
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