Christmas Ale is here! Great Lakes Brewing’s 2023 first-pour party packs in festive crowd (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Scores of Christmas Ale-loving folks headed to Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s first-pour party Thursday, the annual unofficial start to the holiday season.

It’s an occasion that moves us to poetry each year (our limerick is below). Christmas Ale is a cult favorite for Great Lakes, which was one of the pioneering breweries in the country to create the style of beer. It’s a spicy ale made with organic ingredients, and its launch party remains popular at the brewpub in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

More than 150 people were in line long before the doors opened at 11 a.m. with the ceremonial tapping taking place soon after. The crowd stretched around Carroll Avenue facing Dave’s Markets.

Corrine Murphy’s essay earned her and her father, Jay Spetrino, the ceremonial first sip. She wrote about how her father did a great job raising her and how ever since she turned 21 the two always find time to share a Christmas Ale.

“My dad is the most deserving person I know; he’s the best,” said Murphy, who lives in Mentor. “Everybody always says, ‘I have the best dad.’ I truly have a man who should be a pillar of the community and looked up to by other men and fathers.”

Each year the first-pour party moves us to poetry:

We jaunt each year to Ohio City

To create this little ditty

It’s a special time of year

Thirsty masses gather for beer

Didn’t make it? What a pity.

∙ ∙ ∙

It’s a toast to Christmas Ale

Surely a day without fail

A dose of honey

Costs a bit of money

Kind of a brewing holy grail.

∙ ∙ ∙

Everyone in line is cool, no one’s a jerk

You’ll find only smiles, never a smirk

On Market Avenue

You’ll know what to do

It sure beats heading to work.

∙ ∙ ∙

The masses endured a little drizzle

But their moods, they never did fizzle

Reindeer antlers and bunny suits

The party’s always a hoot

It’s a day for suds and sizzle.

∙ ∙ ∙

Order a pint or two or three

It’s sure to set you free

Cinnamon adds spice

To this holiday vice

A fine seasonal sipper, that we can all agree

∙ ∙ ∙

The hops are Mt. Hood and Cascade

That’s how the ale is made

Brewers spend weeks toiling

As the liquid begins boiling

To ensure the ale makes the grade

∙ ∙ ∙

Ginger gives it a zing in your glass

It’s out for a while but definitely won’t last

It’s a hearty ale to be sure

With a special allure

Drink too much, wind up on your a**

∙ ∙ ∙

We can thank two brothers, Pat and Dan Conway

for this one-of-a-kind ale and special day

They started Great Lakes in ‘88

35 years – let’s celebrate

Happy anniversary – yay!

∙ ∙ ∙

A barrel-aged version is due

We can say it’s pretty tasty, too

The ale is out for 10 weeks only

Call a pal, you won’t be lonely

Treat yourself, you know you’re due

∙ ∙ ∙

So head on down to the brewpub

Take a car, train or even a sub

Servers work quick

kind of like St. Nick

Or just hoist one for the Browns’ Nick Chubb

∙ ∙ ∙

Fans come in all colors with whistles and bells

The ale remains an oh-so-easy sell

Carolers sing

The beer is king

Because Clevelanders think it’s swell

∙ ∙ ∙

They packed the pub nice and tight

Whoops and hollers, cameras and lights

The drafts did pour

People cheered for more

For on this day everything is right

∙ ∙ ∙

Dortmunder Gold is a nod to the Heisman

That’s another story, just ask Pat or Dan

Fans didn’t mind a bit of rain

Their spirit will never wane

As they seek draft, bottle or can.

∙ ∙ ∙

In Cleveland it was a bit gray

While the temperatures made it a slightly cool day

Friday the gift shop will have the ale

And Monday begins retail sales

That’s reason to cheer, wouldn’t you say?

∙ ∙ ∙

A drive was held to donate toys*

It adds to the day with untold joy

Brewnuts are glazed

Leaving all in a daze

Could you imagine all this hoopla for a can of LaCroix?

∙ ∙ ∙

Near the pub were a pair of portable bathrooms

And the line was filled with many in costume

Nothing on this day would spoil it

Thank God for a toilet

They also were popular, we presume.

∙ ∙ ∙

A trio of pals was first in line since 6 o’clock

They drove more than an hour, ready to rock

Rolled out of bed

Surrounded by those dressed in green and red

From their hats down to their socks.

∙ ∙ ∙

Corrine and her dad won the rights for the first sip

They hoisted a pint and let it tip

The bar drew a crowd

People cheered clear and loud

While the fans of the ale enjoy a kinship

∙ ∙ ∙

A keg was hoisted high, no one looked glum

Patience remains the rule of thumb

Their wits they will regain

After glasses they drain

Best word for Christmas Ale is yum.

∙ ∙ ∙

We’ve got nothing on William Shakespeare

Who wrote the timeless classic “King Lear”

Did he wear a toga?

He never saw the Cuyahoga

The bard missed out on the beer.

∙ ∙ ∙

The First Pour party is always a ball

A pleasant tradition every fall

Lines out the door

As people clamor for more

It makes us shout, “Happy holidays to all!”

* Scott Ward, a keg-line operator at the brewery, runs his own charity to support Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. If you’re heading down to the brewpub today – Thursday, Oct. 12 – feel free to bring a new toy.

Like beer? Check out GiveThemBeer for gifts for beer lovers. The company offers craft-beer baskets, seasonal selections and more.

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. For my recent stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays. Twitter: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy, is “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.

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