It’s the time of year for festive cheer. And today we’re saying cheers to all the Christmas beers out there. We all like a drink or two over the holiday season and breweries around the world treat us with some amazing seasonal brews.
Traditional Christmas ales are rich, dark and spiced and we have plenty of those here. Colder weather and murky evenings call for beers that will warm your cockles and make your cheeks rosy.
However, the rise of craft beer means there are also some interesting alternatives.
2025 Update! Having thoroughly updated our selection from previous years, you'll find eight all-new brews for Christmas 2025 in our list below. Whether you're after a stroopwaffel-inspired milk stout, or a ruby-red winter warmer, there will be something for all tastes below.
Most of these beers are only made during the Christmas season so grab them while you can. The darker, stronger ones will also age well so why not drink one this year and see how it changes in flavour come next Christmas.
Best Christmas beer
1. Orbit Beers: Jolly Saint Nico
We’ve never seen a Christmas lager before, so we just had to try this from Orbit. Joly Saint Nico is a spiced version of the brewery’s core range Kolsch sticking at a drinkable 4.8%.It doesn’t look any different to normal but added spices give it that wintery warmth. Importantly, the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice are delicately balanced to avoid being overpowering.
2. Brew York - Nightmare of Brew York 2025
Imperial milk stouts aren’t typically Christmas beers but Brew York has made it so with this beer, inspired by the Dutch treat of Stroopwaffels.Not done by half measures, this is a big beer at 8.5% abv so there’s plenty of booze to keep you warm. It’s thick and creamy with lactose and has oodles of syrupy caramel sweetness with a biscuity base and a hint of cinnamon.Brew York’s Christmas range also includes an apple and cinnamon sour and a lower abv florentine milk stout.
3. Brew York: Dreams of Brew York
Brew York has a selection of Christmas beers again this year and this sour makes for an unusual seasonal tipple. It’s a festive twist on one of the brewery's most popular sours, combining cranberry and cherry with the warming addition of cinnamon.Proof that Christmas beers don’t have to be porters, stouts or barleywines but you can also look out for BA Nightmare of Brew York, a peanut, pecan, maple and vanilla Imperial Milk Stout aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels.
4. Vault City - Mulled Apple Sour
Sour fans can rejoice because Vault City has released no less than 8 Christmas themed beers and Mulled Apple Sour is our pick of the bunch, though Damson Plum Cobbler came very close.Yet more brewing wizardry from Vault provides you with the flavour of a mulled cider in a zingy approachable sour beer. Thick and juicy like pulpy cloudy apple juice, with mulled spices and the nostalgic feeling of Christmas markets despite being cold.
5. Northern Rising Unity Stout
Instead of brewing an entirely new beer, Yorkshire’s Northern Monk makes a Christmassy version of its mocha porter called Northern Star.This festive twist on the core range brew has added chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla notes. If you like your beer dark, delectable and sweet but without too much spice, this is the one for you.
6. Simple Things Fermentations - Belgian Christmas Ale '25
Belgian Christmas has been amped up since the original version and now weighs in at a boozy 7.8%, plus has a new elegant shiny gold label.Not only is it stronger but it's also darker and more flavoursome. Big Belgian esters of clove and banana remain prominent with dried fruit with complex layers of malt bringing notes of chocolate, coffee, nuts and caramel.No adjuncts, just brewing prowess.
7. Elusive Brewing Mince Pie Barley Wine
Nothing says Christmas snack like a mince pie and Elusive has made the iconic bakery treat into a barleywine, the most traditional of Christmas beer styles.This solidly boozy 9% abv barleywine has additions of orange, lemon and mixed spices give it that recognisable mince pie flavour, with the malts providing oodles of dried fruit. A real treat, whether it’s a night cap or otherwise and Elusive’s Lebkuchen Stout is back for 2022, too.
8. Adnams Yuletide
Adnams has leaned into its 150-year heritage to brew a winter warmer of an ale. This festive beer pours rich ruby red making it a fitting colour for Christmas time and couldn’t be more inviting in appearance.The flavour is rich and deep with a nuttiness that combines with fruit, chocolate and a hint of roasted coffee beans too. A secret blend of spices finishes things off for this morish beer which is surprisingly seshionable at 4.5%. If you see this in a pub on cask, you know what to do.
9. Anspach & Hobday - Yulelawe Spiced Brown Ale
Anspach & Hobday used to make a Pfeffernüsse Saison but that has now been replaced with this stout version.On top of a smooth chocolatey stout, you get the flavours of the famous German Christmas biscuit with a range of spices to excite the palate, mainly cinnamon and ginger.This year the abv has dropped slightly by 0.5% so it’s more sessionable but there’s no loss of flavour.
10. Harvey's - Christmas Ale
Harvey’s has won no less than 25 awards for this true classic of a Christmas ale in a barleywine style. And for 2022, it’s now in larger 500ml bottles to get you feeling merry.It’s a deep mahogany and smells a little like red wine. If you’re looking for something rich, this is like Christmas pudding in a glass - spices, biscuit, dried fruits and booze. What more could you want?
- Why not treat a friend to one of the best beer subscription boxes this Christmas?
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!