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Leigh Hausser, 26, Bartender
Great Lakes Brewing Company Brewpub
Cleveland, Ohio

The release day of Christmas Ale is madness. It's pretty much like St. Patrick's Day in Cleveland. The streets are filled.

We had six handles of Christmas Ale on release day this year, and we poured one pint every six-and-a-half seconds. It's supposed to take eight seconds to pour a beer. So basically, the taps never shut off from four o'clock until midnight that day. The volume is ridiculous. It's not something you would see anywhere else. Especially with everyone drinking the exact same thing.

It really does taste just like Christmas. There's no other way to put it, really. There are no words for it. It definitely has a different power over people than any other pint.

I've worked here for four years. I figured if I was going to be a bartender, I was going to work at the most legit place in Cleveland.

The regulars understand everything that goes on, and even when it's so crazy, they're so loyal. They come in regardless, even if they can't get a seat. It's always nice to see their faces among a crowd of Christmas Ale fans.

We do Christmas in July, too, but it's nothing like the big release day.

That video is hilarious. Yeah, people love it. So there is positive. He does the negative Factory of Sadness-type videos, but at the same time...

I have a friend in D.C. who was so excited when we hit their market. They still ask for more, of course.

Everyone drinks it because it's a novelty. People who aren't even beer drinkers drink it.

Some people say it tastes different every year. But that doesn't stop them. Sometimes it has a little more cinnamon flavor. And you're never going to have the same honey or the same ginger, so that's why the flavor tends to vary.

Christmas Ale is something that everyone in Cleveland has in common.

A lot of people take it to their tailgates. So it helps the Browns fans get through the season — that's for sure.


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