CLEVELAND — Halloween hasn't even arrived yet, but the Great Lakes Brewing Company is already gearing up for the Christmas season.
That's right! Christmas Ale is back! GLBC's annual Christmas Ale “First Pour” celebration takes place Thursday, Oct. 22.
We are streaming the "First Pour" event live in the player above.
“This year has been a tough one, but we’re not going to let that stop us from celebrating the return of everyone’s favorite seasonal tradition: Christmas Ale!” GLBC posted on their site when initially announcing their "First Pour" plans last month.
The “First Pour” celebration started at 10 a.m. and continues until 10 p.m. with last call slated for 9:30 p.m. There will also be COVID-19 precautions in place.
“To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers, reservations are required,” the company said. “To help maintain physical distancing, lines will not be permitted outside of the brewpub."
We streamed live coverage of the "First Pour" event, which you can watch in the player below:
Those reservations, however, are full. No walk-ups will be permitted, and those attending must wear a mask upon entry.
GLBC also offered a virtual "First Pour" option so more people could enjoy the fun from home. Those packages, however, have also sold out since pre-orders launched on Oct. 12. In case you were wondering, though, the cheapest package comes with one 32 ounce crawler of Christmas Ale for $14. The most expensive option is loaded with lots of holiday goodies for $188.64:
- One 1/6 barrel keg of Christmas Ale
- Four Christmas Ale snifters
- One Christmas Ale ornament
- One Christmas Ale holiday hat
- One pair of Christmas Ale socks
- One bottle of Christmas Ale ham glaze
Bottles of the Christmas Ale will hit the brewery’s gift shop starting Friday, Oct. 23. Distribution to other locations will begin Monday, Oct. 26.
Watch more from last year's "First Pour" event below: