Get ready to call in sick. Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Christmas Ale First Pour event, our favorite reason to lie to your boss, is back Oct. 21. The Ohio City brewery’s annual event celebrates the first tap of Christmas Ale, the classic seasonal beer spiced with ginger, cinnamon and honey. While the beer has a tradition of its own, started 29 years ago as a gift from owners Pat and Dan Conway to their employees and friends, the First Pour event has become the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season for many Clevelanders.
“Traditions are such a special part of the holidays,” says communications coordinator Adam Ritterspach. “It’s special for us to know that Christmas Ale plays such a central part in people’s holiday traditions."
Here are six things to know about the 2021 event and Christmas Ale in general.
Get There Early. The brewpub opens at 11 a.m. that day, but fanatics typically begin lining up around the block as early as 7 a.m. to ensure they’re inside when the first keg is tapped at 11:30 a.m. “It seems to vary based on the weather,” says Ritterspach. “The Christmas Ale fanatics love the day, so I’m sure they’ll be there bright and early.”
Get Vaxxed Or Get Tested For COVID-19. Last year, attendance was restricted for the event and the limited visitors were forced to reserve tables. Not so this year, but on par with most local events, the brewery is asking that guests provide proof of vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event.
If you’re not comfortable going out yet or you’re working from home, Great Lakes is offering a to-go package. Among four different price packages, enjoy a keg of Christmas Ale, a keg of barrel-aged Christmas Ale, ornaments, glassware and more. Click here for a breakdown of each package.
Bottled and canned Christmas Ale goes on sale the next day. On Oct. 22, it can be purchased in the gift shop. On Oct. 25, the holiday beer hits stores. New Christmas Ale merch also hits the store Oct. 21.
Santa won’t be there. Apparently, Ohio law prohibits the use of children's characters at alcohol-related events. So Santa is not going to be able to attend, as he’s done in previous years. But Great Lakes is going in a different direction this year...
There’s still plenty of holiday cheer to go around. The fashion du jour is ugly sweaters, and the Cleveland Carolers appear from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. In the beer garden, Brewnuts will once again be in attendance to serve beer-infused doughnuts all day, and DJ Red-I is spinning holiday hits. A new addition, the Krampus of Cleveland, a group of holiday demons in line with the German holiday tradition, put a creepy spin on the Christmas tradition that’s just in time for Halloween. “They dress up as these weird, hairy demons who punish the bad little boys and girls, while St. Nick follows along and rewards the good children,” says Ritterspach. “It's a fun, kooky thing that fits right in line with the first pour.”
