Beer lovers and cocktail lovers alike will adore the Christmas Ale Shandy, a delightful holiday cocktail made with spiced holiday beer. This festive and flavorful beer cocktail features apple cider, Christmas ale and a cinnamon sugar rim.
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About this Christmas Ale Shandy recipe
I am so ready for the holiday season — how about you? This year, I dreamed up the Christmas Ale Shandy and I am so excited to share it with you! It’s a spin on the classic beer cocktail with apple cider, Christmas beer and a cinnamon sugar rim.
A long time ago, some friends from Ohio introduced me to Christmas beer. Every year, they would scour the beer sections of our North Carolina grocery stores until they found this holiday delight. They would always give their pint glass a cinnamon sugar rim before pouring in the sweet, sweet nectar of the holidays: Christmas beer.
But not just any Christmas beer. The brew in question was the Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s a much-anticipated release with the holiday flavors of honey, cinnamon and ginger.
Ever since, I’ve been continuing that tradition myself. But this year, it felt like time to try Christmas beer in a cocktail. Beer cocktails are highly underrated if you ask me! This one’s a combo of spiced apple cider and a holiday brew. (Any Christmas beer will work, but if you can try it with the official Christmas Ale, do!)
More Christmas cocktail recipes: White Christmas Margarita • Red Christmas Sangria • Christmas Old-Fashioned • Christmas Mimosa
Why you’ll love this recipe
This Christmas beer cocktail is so much fun for the holiday season.
- Using beer as the alcoholic component in a drink is a time-honored tradition in Europe. You have got to try it!
- Christmas beer is a unique cocktail ingredient to add to your holiday party menu.
- Apple cider and Christmas beer make a delicious combo that is so festive, easy and fun!
What is a shandy?
A shandy is the perfect summer beer cocktail! Traditionally, it’s a 50/50 mix of wheat beer and fresh lemonade. However, you can create tons of fun different combinations.
Some recipes, especially British ones, call for lemon-lime soda or sparkling lemonade to be used instead of lemonade.
A shandy made with juice, you’re probably looking for a radler, which is more of a German thing. (A lot like the beermosa with orange juice, to be honest.) I suppose this apple cider shandy would technically be a radler then, but shandy is a good catch-all nickname for these drinks!
What is Christmas ale?
Christmas beer is a general term for a type of beer brewed with spices for the holiday season, and many breweries make them.
A popular one hails from Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, which has produced a beer named Christmas Ale since 1992. It’s a beloved seasonal pour with flavors of fresh honey, cinnamon and ginger. It usually gets its first tap of the season at the brewpub in October each year.
Side note: When visiting Cleveland for our friends’ October wedding a few years back, my husband and I visited the Great Lakes brewpub ourselves. We were delighted to find Christmas Ale was already on tap! We got to try it straight from the source. It was fresh and festive, and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Clevelend! (Their other beers are delicious too if you’re not there at the holidays.)
Tools & glassware
To make this Christmas Ale Shandy, you don’t need a whole lot! A bottle opener, of course, if your beer comes in a bottle. Some pint glasses or some can-shaped glasses like mine would be perfect for serving it.
I bought the glasses in these photos from One and Only last year. Alison designs the cutest glassware and all of her products make great holiday gifts. Just sayin’!
If you’re serving a crowd, you could make a pitcher to easily pour into everyone’s glasses in one go.
Ingredients
The Christmas Beer Shandy is a deliciously easy holiday cocktail! You only need two ingredients. Well, four, if you count the rim ingredients.
- Christmas beer: I suggest a Winter Warmer style beer or holiday brown ale. This would also work with a fall pumpkin beer. (Check out my pumpkin beer shandy with ginger beer!)
- Apple cider: You can use apple cider straight from the jug, but if you want more spiced flavor, stir in some apple cider spice mix to hot cider. You’ll want to let it cool first though!
- Maple syrup: You’ll need a little bit of maple syrup, simple syrup, honey or agave nectar to dip the rim of the glass into so the sugar has something to stick to. You can also use a lemon wedge but you’ll be able to taste it ever so slightly.
- Cinnamon sugar: This is a mixture of ground cinnamon and sugar. You can make it yourself if you want! I like to use a coarse sugar for rims. You can also experiment with adding blends like apple pie spice or gingerbread spice in lieu of cinnamon.
A note about apple cider: Apple cider and apple juice are similar: Apple juice is pasteurized and filtered while cider is not. Cider is usually sold without the spices we know and love about apple cider, so you’ll want to add those in yourself with a spice mix.
Best Christmas beers
I made this recipe with Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Christmas Ale, a seasonal release Winter Warmer ale brimming with holiday cheer. At 7.5% ABV, it strikes a balanced sweetness and spice profile with a mild hoppiness and malty backbone that’s perfect for the season. The star ingredients — fresh honey, ginger and cinnamon — add festive layers of flavor, making each sip a cozy celebration.
However, Great Lakes isn’t the only brewery making Christmas beer — it just happens to be a favorite you can find across the United States. Your local brewery may have something to try, too! Here are a few breweries making Christmas beers that might be good in this Christmas Shandy:
- Gouden Carolus Noël (Belgian Dark Strong Ale)
- St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (Quadrupel/Quad style beer)
- Delirium Noël (Belgian Dark Strong Ale)
- Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale (Winter Warmer style beer)
- Sam Adams Old Fezziwig (Spiced Brown Ale)
The only beers I don’t recommend for shandies are bitter beers like hoppy IPAs and heavy beers like stouts and porters.
Substitutions & variations
Mix things up with one of these variations:
Beer options: You can use any holiday ale for this Christmas beer cocktail. Pumpkin ale and other spiced fall beers would also be delicious!
Apple cider options: Some people like to make shandies with something bubbly, so a sparkling apple cider would be perfect here. You can also use leftover mulled cider for more spice or some boozy spiked apple cider for an extra kick.
Other holiday ideas: You could try this shandy with pomegranate juice or cranberry juice for a totally different flavor profile!
Non-alcoholic version: I’m not aware of any non-alcoholic beer brands selling a holiday beer, but if there is one you can try it in this recipe with apple cider. If not, you can mix apple cider with non-alcoholic ginger beer.
Instructions
Ready to make this delicious Christmas shandy? Me too! I’m ready for another.
First, pour some cinnamon sugar on a plate and some maple syrup on another plate. Dip the edge of a pint glass into the maple syrup and shake off any excess. Roll the rim of the glass in the cinnamon sugar to coat the rim.
Then, fill your rimmed pint glass halfway with chilled apple cider.
Hold the glass at a 45° angle and pour in the Christmas ale. Aim for the side of the glass, slowly righting the glass as you pour.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick (or nothing at all is fine) and serve cold!
Tips & tricks
- If you’re serving this on an especially hot day (looking at you, Southern Hemisphere!), feel free to add ice. It’s not traditional, but it’s a great way to keep it cold! Using a chilled glass is also a great way to enjoy it.
- For the best flavor, use mulled cider or homemade apple cider, as they are spiced, whereas the stuff you get at the store is not. You can also add an apple cider spice mix.
- Prefer a bubblier version? Use sparkling cider instead. You can also add some ginger ale, soda or sparkling water. You can also make this drink sweeter with some simple syrup or honey.
- Always pour beer while you hold the glass at an angle. Aim to hit the side of the glass with the beer. Slowly rotate your hand so the glass becomes right side up as you finish pouring. This prevents a too-large foamy head on the beer.
Food pairings
This Christmas Ale Shandy will go with so many of your holiday favorites! Some cranberry brie bites or a Christmas cheese board are a great choice for an appetizer. Roast duck or Thanksgiving turkey are also great companions.
Spiced holiday treats like gingerbread banana bread or Moscow mule cookies would be delicious with this shandy. Sweets like sugar cookies are always welcome too.
FAQ
These two cocktails are similar, but not the same. Both use a light lager as a base and are mixed with something fruity. But a shandy is mixed with lemonade, while a radler can be mixed with any type of fruit juice! You can also experiment with different types of beer.
Christmas beer is a general term for seasonal beers brewed specifically for the holiday season, often featuring warming spices, rich malts, and festive flavors. Many breweries craft their own versions, typically incorporating ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or honey to evoke the spirit of the season.
More holiday beer cocktail recipes
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Christmas Ale Shandy
ingredients
- 8 ounces apple cider cold
- 8 ounces Christmas beer
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup for the rim
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar for the rim
instructions
- Pour some cinnamon sugar on a plate and some maple syrup on another plate. Dip the edge of a pint glass into the maple syrup and shake off any excess. Roll the rim of the glass in the cinnamon sugar to coat the rim.
- Then, fill your rimmed pint glass halfway with chilled apple cider.
- Hold the glass at a 45° angle and pour in the Christmas ale. Aim for the side of the glass, slowly righting the glass as you pour.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick or nothing at all and serve cold!
notes
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